… in this article from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs campus newspaper.
… “I have a blanket policy: no phones in my class for any reason, period,” said Chris Bell, director of the Oral Communication Center. “Laptops are fine, but I walk around a lot and I have grad TAs with me a lot of the time. Any of us ever see you doing anything other than taking notes, automatic full letter grade loss for the overall course. No questions, no excuses. My class is not your ESPN time.”
… “As far as phones go,” [said Todd Waters, a GTA,] “I have no tolerance whatsoever. Texting on a cell phone is the single rudest thing anyone can do to disrupt any communication context, including when the teacher is speaking, but primarily when another classmate is speaking/contributing to discussion. Basically, it’s a big, fat, massive [sic] you to everyone.” …
April 26th, 2011 at 12:36PM
I try to explain the “It’s a big massive, fat…” thing to students (ESPECIALLY to do it when other students are speaking or presenting). But sadly, few people “get” it. (At least in my non-majors classes. I do see some glimmers of hope in my majors classes that “going low-tech” in the classroom is a good idea).
I admit I’ve gotten to the point in one class this year where I’ve given up yelling at the two regular offenders. They’re failing anyway; there’s nothing more I can do to them. At least they sit in the back and don’t disturb anyone else too much.
April 27th, 2011 at 7:07AM
You can’t throw them out, ricki? That’s what I do to the chronic offenders–or rather, did. Do it a couple of times, and word gets out. Of course, you then have to deal with the issues of burning resentment from the phone-addicted, but I can live with that.
April 27th, 2011 at 7:52AM
I dunno. We have such a “student-centered” administration, and I’m up for promotion next year, that I’m frankly a little afraid to.
I figure, they’ll eventually learn that there’s a link between chronic texting and chronic Fs.
At least they’re not watching YouTube videos on a laptop – as one of my research students complains a student does in one of her other classes.
April 27th, 2011 at 12:42PM
Sometimes one doesn’t need to throw them out. I told the petulant sorority girl in the third row that I would be compelled to split her participation grade 50-50 with her texting partner if she kept it up.
I was once the professor of the year for her sorority, Lambda Lipstick Mascara. I am afraid that I won’t be a repeat winner in the next couple of years. Perhaps Alpha Athletic Ponytail will come through, though.