Giving Compass' Take:

• A new study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology found that students are unable to retain information long-term if their attention is divided between classroom instruction and digital devices such as cell phones and computers. 

• What are some potential solutions for students that will help them to re-focus?

• Read about the digital revolution in the classroom. 

The question of whether or not to allow students to use smartphones, laptops and other technology in the classroom has been long-debated, and at times, heated. And just as a new school year is set to begin, a new study raises fresh concerns about the potential downsides of multitasking during class.

The study, published in the journal Educational Psychology, found that when students divide attention between electronic devices and a classroom lecture, they still followed the lecture in the moment, but that long-term retention was reduced, resulting in lower grades on unit and final exams.

Arnold Glass, a researcher and professor at Rutgers University’s psychology department, ran the study with graduate student Mengxue Kang. He tells EdSurge that it’s fine for a student to use a digital device to take notes. The problem arises when the student starts dividing his attention between taking notes and other tasks, such as texting or watching a video.

He adds that many students think using digital devices doesn’t have an effect on them, because their immediate comprehension doesn’t suffer.

“If you ask the a question right then, they’ll get it right,” he says. “Therefore, they’ll feel comfortable that they’re getting it all. However, a week later, they don’t remember it because that’s the effect of dividing attention.”

“They’re affecting the whole quality of the classroom,” Glass says. “So this is more than a personal choice. This is a social choice which has implications beyond themselves, which is all the more reason why there should be general rules I think in the classroom so that people who bother to come to class can get the most out of it that they can.”

Read the full article about digital devices in the classroom by Tina Nazerian at EdSurge