We don’t have to go too far back in time to remember university classrooms where the only working materials were a blackboard, chalk, pens and paper. It is likely that many of today’s university teachers attended classes in similar conditions, because although they are omnipresent today, screens and internet connections everywhere are novelties from a couple of decades ago.

In this time, technology has been gradually introduced into the educational field, with a determined push from public authorities, such as the European Union’s Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) to adapt educational systems to the digital age and promote a digital educational ecosystem.

Digital technologies were presented as tools that would promote educational transformation, as announced by educational laws such as the Spanish one . Today, there is still no conclusive evidence of the positive effect of the use of technology on academic performance and learning, as suggested by various recent meta-analyses .

Technological teaching

A walk through today’s university classrooms reveals that screens and internet connections are already ubiquitous. There are few teachers who do not use a slide presentation, usually in PowerPoint, which has become the main teaching tool.

Teachers no longer have to spend time writing on a whiteboard while breathing chalk, nor do they have to design and transport overhead projectors. They simply open their presentation available on a USB drive or the cloud and the slides will guide their instruction.

Is it a good idea to use these tools? With slides, teachers have their script prepared and can make sure that they don’t lose the thread of their argument thanks to the bullet format . But often, although imperceptibly, this format restricts their discourse and does not encourage dialogue and communication with students . In addition, there is often an overuse of the amount of text shown and interesting but irrelevant elements that hinder students’ deep and comprehensive learning.

Technological learning

A majority of students come to class with their laptop or tablet, in addition to their mobile device. These students are, presumably, taking notes and accessing study materials made available by the professor on the university’s virtual platforms in order to be fully prepared for the class session. At least, that is the scenario we teachers long to see when we enter the classroom.

Unfortunately, once you have access to these devices and an internet connection, it is very difficult to control that their use is limited to educational purposes, even with the best intentions of those involved. These tools act as distractions, as they are a constant source of entertainment that diverts attention from the focus of learning and prevents understanding, which leads to poor academic performance .

Sources of distraction that, by the way, also affect those who have colleagues nearby who are busy with their laptops even though they themselves do not use them.

The pros and cons of digital presentations

On the other hand, while the use of slides by the teacher can be useful to organize information and improve the process of understanding by combining text and images , an abuse of digital presentations can turn the class session into a kind of “passive entertainment theater” for the students.

This, coupled with the possibility of accessing the same presentation from an online platform, means that students do not consider it necessary to take notes. However, there is already evidence of the negative effect of providing PowerPoint presentations on academic performance and class attendance, while we know that taking notes is a good way to acquire knowledge.

Digital or paper reading

Added to this complex situation of distractions and disconnection is the evidence that reading and writing in digital format can have consequences on learning. On the one hand, a recent study has detected worse reading comprehension and information processing when reading on a screen compared to on paper.

On the other hand, various studies highlight the superiority of writing on paper compared to doing so on a digital device, since handwriting improves information retention thanks to sensory and motor integration and fine control of movements, while the use of paper notebooks facilitates greater precision and speed when recording tasks, and activates complex brain functions (memory and language) more deeply than on electronic devices.

It is therefore time to reflect deeply on the advantages and, above all, the negative consequences that the massive and continuous use of technology has on teaching and learning processes. And this reflection must be carried out not only by educational authorities, but also by each and every one of the parties involved.

Author Bio: Fuensanta Monroy Hernandez is Professor of Research Methods and Diagnosis in Education at the University of Murcia