The use of laptops and cell phones in classrooms of undergraduate students at king saud bin abdulaziz university for health science

Technology, such as laptops and cell phones, has invaded classrooms, raising considerable concerns about its use in such a place.
Objectives: To determine the reasons for having laptops in classrooms from students’ perspectives, how they are using laptops during class, and the frequency of laptop and cell phone usage by students in classrooms and to identify students’ perceptions of the use of laptops and cell phones in class, based on 34 elements.
Method: A quantitative exploratory study was conducted in King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The digital device use was investigated through a survey that was distributed among 66 and 199 medical and basic science students respectively, including 168 males and 97 females aged 17 to 23 years for academic years 2010 to 2014. Data gathering focused on students’ in-class use of laptops and the frequency of cell phones and laptops use for non-class activities using a questionnaire on a 5-point scale.
Results: The results revealed that class presentations were the main reason why students bring laptops to class, according to 58% of the students; 29% self-reported using laptops for non-class activities. In addition, 25% and 14% of students reported using cell phones and laptops, respectively, more than 5 times per 60-minute class period.
Conclusion: Students are using laptops and cell phones for academic and non-academic activities, which could indirectly affect students’ concentration and ability to learn in classrooms, and may necessitate controlling technology use in the classroom by students.