Amsterdam university bans laptops and mobiles from lecture hall

Students who have enrolled for a sociology course at the University of Amsterdam this year have been told to leave electronic devices at the door and go back to taking notes by hand.

The UvA has banned laptops, mobile phones and tablets from lectures and classes in interdisciplinary social science, on the grounds that they interefere with students’ concentration.

Senior lecturer Cyrilien Evertsen told NOS that “60% to 80% of students are doing things on digital devices during classes other than listening”, such as shopping or chatting on social media. “They’re not mentally present in the class,” she said.

Paul Kirschner, emeritus professor of educational psychology at Utrecht University, backed the stance, arguing that switching off devices and taking notes by hand makes students engage directly with the lecture material.

“Switch off all electronic devices because it’s a weapon of mass distraction,” he said.

“If you’re checking your email, you’re not following the class,” he said. “You might think that’s not so bad, but research has shown that people to your left and right get distracted and do significantly worse as a result.”

He added that handwriting forced students to select and summarise what information they take down because it is a slower process than typing.

“So you’re digesting the information, and learning is digesting,” he said.