Students in lectures hardly ever follow lecturer’s slides when phones are nearby
Smartphone users worldwide spend more than three hours a day on their phones, Stellenbosch University researchers say
Smartphones are harming our ability to concentrate‚ say two Stellenbosch University researchers.Daniel le Roux and Douglas Parry said students looking at their phones in lectures were hardly ever concentrating on the study topic."When students use their phones during lectures they do it to communicate with friends‚ engage in social networks‚ watch YouTube videos or just browse around the web to follow their interests‚" they said on Tuesday.Smartphone users worldwide spend more than three hours a day on their phones‚ and Le Roux and Parry — from the cognition and technology research group in the information science department — said alongside the advantages there were costs."While ever-smarter digital devices have made many aspects of our lives easier and more efficient‚ a growing body of evidence suggests that‚ by continuously distracting us‚ they are harming our ability to concentrate‚" they said.Lecturers were encouraged to use technology such as video‚ podcasts and Facebook in th...
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