Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Wireless wildfire lacks warm welcome
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From the Kansan crossword puzzle to a lack of sleep, professors fight an uphill battle to keep the attention of students. With wireless Internet access spreading like wildfire across campus, KU's newest educational asset could be a powerful teaching tool in the classroom. But according to the students most experienced with this new technology, it can also be a great distraction from the lesson at hand. The KU School of Law has been operating a wireless network since the spring semester of 2001. During the more than three years since the rollout of the network, students have benefited from classroom access to online resources such as Westlaw and LexisNexis. Nevertheless, Patrick Waters, May 2004 graduate of the KU School of Law, said the temptation of online shopping, gaming, and instant messenger programs can prove too much for some students. "I had one teacher who actually walked up and down the aisle during class so that he could see the screens and people couldn't surf," said Waters. "Hopefully it won't come to that for all classes."
Waters said that approximately one-third of the students in his classes were not paying attention to the work going on in class. Instead, they were busy bidding on items on EBay or chatting with friends in and out of class via instant messages.
"At first I thought that it was amusing, but it got to be annoying to sit behind someone who was on instant messenger during class," said Waters.
This dilemma presents itself at other campuses, too. Washburn University School of Law also operates a wireless network. At Washburn, students trying to pay attention in class face problems similar to those experienced at KU, though some law students have found a way to benefit from these distractions. Jennifer Bany, Washburn University second year law student, said that instant messenger programs have helped her on more than one occasion by allowing her to ask another student in class for help. However, she does agree with Waters' assessment of the downside of classroom wireless Internet access. "Having so much more access to information means that many more distractions," said Bany. "Sometimes I would rather be checking my e-mail or looking up movie quotes on IMDB instead of getting into a debate over the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure."
Mike Kautsch, KU Professor of Law, has taught with and without wireless Internet access. He said that the addition of laptops and the wireless Internet to his classroom has not affected his teaching.
"From the front of the classroom, all I see are the backs of the students' laptops, so I can't tell whether they are taking notes or surfing," said Kautsch.
Still, Kautsch said that overall wireless Internet access benefits KU. To keep his students focused on the discussion, Kautsch calls on them to answer questions or comment on issues raised in class. Kautsch said engaging as many students as possible seems to be the best method for holding the attention of a class.Not all faculty members view wireless technology as an asset in the classroom. Paul Schumaker, Professor of Political Science, said that while he uses many media in his teaching, he does not use the Internet in class and his students do not use laptops in class.
"While I can appreciate that some courses could benefit by in-class surfing of the web, I do not think that would be something of value in political theory," said Schumaker.
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Abuse of the Internet in the classroom appears difficult to manage. Nevertheless, the consensus is that wireless Internet access and laptop use in the classroom are assets to higher education and will only continue to grow. "The genie is out of the bottle and students will begin demanding access all over campus," said Waters.
Bany said that after having experienced wireless Internet access, wired Internet access feels chained down. "The convenience factor is too hard to ignore. I can just turn on my laptop and I am ready to go," said Bany.
With overwhelming student support for the addition of wireless Internet access, Bany and Waters agreed that KU faculty and students just beginning to experience the power of wireless Internet access must strike the difficult balance between the allure of in-class distraction and the invaluable wealth of information available on the Internet.
