Yale professors aren’t the only ones to be thinking about the issue of laptops distracting students.

Yale now forbids laptops, but some UT professors aren’t so harsh.

‘I have often struggled with this in the classroom; however, I have had experiences when a student was able to quickly research a class discussion topic,’ said professor Anne-Marie Coats.

‘[It] added a dynamic, interactive element to the class discussion. When I see a student Web surfing, I remind them of their participation grade in class,’ she said.

Meanwhile, professor Martin Favata understood Yale’s decision.

‘I can understand why the professors at Yale did that and think that they are right to have done so,’ he said.

‘The professor may truly find a student’s use of the laptop to be a distraction to his or her lecture, just as would be the case when a student is text messaging or playing with some electronic device.’

“