… is the headline in the Seton Hall University newspaper.
Subhead:
STUDENTS LOSE PRIVACY IN CLASS
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If UD had written the article, the subhead would be:
PROFESSORS LOSE DIGNITY AND TRAIN OF THOUGHT IN CLASS
All a matter of perspective, I guess. But UD, a professor, sees mainly the pathos of academics reduced to spies… Instead of lecturing and leading discussions, the Seton Hall classroom monitors are as distracted as their laptop-using students.
These professors must constantly run their eyes over their surveillance screens and — while trying to think and talk about civil engineering or geology or absurdist plays — interpret the images they see in order to determine whether or not they are relevant to the class. And then I guess they must decide how to punish wrongdoers…
Some Seton Hall professors have begun using surveillance software to monitor student activity on their laptops during class.
DyKnow software allows professors to monitor student’s laptop activity during class. The professor downloads the DyKnow software, which allows the professor’s laptop monitor to become a surveillance screen.
… Professor James Kimble of the communication department is one professor who uses this software.
“I’ve grown increasingly concerned that internet access is a distraction for my students, so much so that I feel confident in my growing belief that it is affecting student learning and, ultimately, student grades,” Kimble said…
The students are pissed; they defend their right to show contemptuous disregard for the person addressing them from the front of the room.
So this does not seem to UD a good solution. She feels sure, what with American ingenuity and all, that students will evolve DyKnow-blocking software (it probably already exists), in response to which the professor will install DyKnow II, etc.
Laptop wars. A bit unseemly. Time to get on the ban-wagon.
April 29th, 2010 at 3:15PM
I guess I find it hard to understand why that would be regarded as a solution, when the solution is simple: “This is a literature course. We read books. Laptops are not necessary. Yes, you need a print version of the book. Yes, I am a bastard. I am also the professor. Turn it off and put it away.” That seems to work for me, at my admittedly small suburban liberal arts school.
April 30th, 2010 at 12:51AM
I’ve never been into “doing the police” in class – which is I think one reason why I would be incompetent for teaching in highschool.
My point of view is that if students don’t pay attention, but don’t disturb their classmates (by talking or other annoyances), then it is not my job to force them to pay attention. They are over age, I’m not their mother. They might fail the class, that’s their problem, not mine.
April 30th, 2010 at 2:53PM
Why not just make the wi-fi in the classroom able to be turned on and off, at will, by the prof? That way, the professor can either open it up and permit its use (with all the problems that brings) or shut it down. Without internet, the distractions go away, and if students bring laptops they’ll be reduced to note-taking (or playing Solitaire, I suppose)
Yeah, I know, I suppose SOME classes, being able to access the Internet during discussion time or lecture might be valuable. But I can’t quite think of a reason that it would be, at least for my classes. I’d rather my students did their research ahead of time, rather than at the last minute while someone else is trying to speak.
April 30th, 2010 at 3:15PM
ricki: From what I’ve read, it’s possible for students to unblock blocked internet access in classrooms.
May 1st, 2010 at 5:45AM
@Margaret: I think it is more subtle than that.
From what I’ve seen at some places, WiFi Internet “blocking” works by putting in the classroom a WiFi station that’s unconnected from the Internet (or that can be connected on and off), with the same network identified (known as ESSID) as the regular University network. The students’ machine then connect to this station automatically – since it is inside the classroom, it is the best connectivity choice by far (best quality radio signal). Thus, they are connected to the station but the station is not connected to the Internet.
However, students with some ingenuity can tell their machine not to connect to that particular WiFi station, but instead to other stations that have worse receptions – stations located in other rooms, in corridors etc.
Short of shutting down WiFi access in all surrounding areas, I don’t see what you can do against this method.
Then, anyway, you are at the mercy of 3G phone/Internet access (though I doubt students use this, since it is quite pricey).