Perceptions on Limiting Device Use in Classrooms

As device restrictions become more common in schools and universities, many instructors are asking whether limiting device use can create more focused and engaging learning experiences. This month, we asked faculty and students about their perceptions and advice on ditching phones, tablets, laptops, and other personal digital devices in class—whether partially or completely.

Research suggests that while banning personal devices during class time can yield academic and social benefits, students value thoughtful facilitation of device use and non-use in class (Albuquerque, 2025; Morris, 2026; Sungu et al., 2025). As you consider device bans in your classroom, consider your class session learning goals, your course's learning objectives, and why students shouldn’t instinctively reach for their devices.

Faculty Perspectives

Claudia Haase, a faculty member in the School of Education and Social Policy (SESP), sets a day-1 expectation that students be “physically and emotionally present,” which often involves putting laptops and other devices away and out of sight.

Michael Horn, also a faculty member in SESP, teaches a course on tangible interaction design and learning. He says that identifying and implementing a device-free solution can be an important intervention for hypersensitive or hyposensitive learners. “Through tangible interaction design, you should be creating sensory-rich experiences that really work without formal instructions and without screens,” he says.

Through pedagogical transparency, Haase encourages faculty to clearly explain to students their expectations and the reasons for not allowing devices in class. “It doesn’t have to be an ‘either-or’ thing,” Haase says. “Even if you try device-free for 10 minutes, you may start to see how it impacts learning.”

Noshir Contractor, a faculty member in the School of Communication, Kellogg School of Management, and McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science, discusses with students the need to communicate and engage with one another and acknowledges that certain technologies can easily distract them from this expectation.

“I have a no-device policy during my lectures; although, if a student takes notes using a tablet laid flat on the table, I am fine with that,” Contractor says. “When I ask students to answer a poll or when I assign a generative AI-related activity, for example, I invite them to use their devices specifically for those activities.”

Jim Stachowiak, Northwestern’s accessible technology strategy and operations lead, says implementing a device-free classroom may come with accessibility implications that instructors must consider. “About 2,400 Northwestern students register each year for accessibility accommodations, where many require use of a device in a classroom,” he says.

Stachowiak suggests ways instructors could offload class experiences where students typically use devices to take notes. One solution, he says, is to provide students a pre-recorded explanation of key concepts. “Although this means more prep work for the instructor, all students can benefit from this, even without accessibility accommodation,” he says.

Student Perspectives

Many Northwestern students have spent most of their lives using laptops, tablets, learning management systems, and digital note-taking tools. As a result, device-free activities may not feel natural or familiar. Several students interviewed said they rarely, if ever, take handwritten notes, with some students commenting that they had never needed a pen.

Some students reported that they view laptops as essential learning tools rather than distractions, using them to organize notes, access course materials, and support their learning process in real time. For these students, a device-free policy can be challenging if instructors do not clearly explain its purpose. When students understand why devices are set aside and have meaningful ways to engage, they are more likely to see that these moments can support focused, intentional learning.

Students indicated they are more receptive when instructors frame device-free activities around specific learning goals, such as discussion, collaboration, reflection, or focused attention. Limiting devices for a specific activity or part of class may feel more intentional than a term-long prohibition.

Because many students have little experience with handwritten note-taking, instructors may also consider providing note-taking templates, guided worksheets, or examples of effective paper notes.

You can download an example of a note-taking template created by Teaching and Learning Technologies.

Final Thoughts and Links to Resources

Consider Northwestern IT’s library of active learning activities, where students can use materials and other analog ways to engage in the classroom.

If you do not permit personal device use during class, Canvas is an important resource to engage with before and/or after class. For example, posting lecture slides and clear Canvas assignment descriptions and expectations are important for students to retain information and submit successful work.

If you have questions about developing a device-free classroom, Northwestern IT Teaching and Learning Technologies is available to help.

This article is part of Teaching and Learning Technologies' theme of Proven Teaching Techniques for the AI Era. In addition to this and other forthcoming articles, join us for a series of workshops that provides research-backed best practices which existed before the proliferation of AI tools and remain effective in the face of changing technologies. Check out upcoming workshops on Eventcat.

Sources

Albuquerque, A. (2025). Full tech, tech-free, or in between? Students perspectives on learning without technology in the EFL classroom. Proceedings of the International Conference on Advanced Research in Education and Learning. Volume 3, Issue 2, 2025, pp. 13-25. https://ciencia.ucp.pt/ws/files/154718907/154609673.pdf

Morris, K., et al. (2026). The multifaceted nature of digital distraction in contemporary learning environments. The Journal of Immunology, 215(1). The multifaceted nature of digital distraction in contemporary learning environments 2256303 | The Journal of Immunology 

Sungu, A., et al. (2025). Phones impede learning: Evidence from a Massive Phone-free Classroom Experiment. Phones Impede Learning: Evidence from a Massive Phone-free Classroom Experiment