Distraction or Necessity: A Post-Pandemic Examination of Digital Devices in the Law School Classroom

Authors

Marcia Goldsmith, Saint Louis University School of LawFollow
Karen Sanner, Saint Louis University School of LawFollow

Abstract

Digital devices are a constant presence in the law school classroom; however, faculty members and students report mixed feelings about the role of digital devices in the classroom learning experience. While data suggests that use of digital devices has a deleterious effect on acquiring and retaining information, digital device usage is sometimes helpful and often necessary to facilitate learning in the modern law school classroom.

This article draws upon ideas from Professor James M. Lang in his book Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About (Hatchette Book Group Inc. 1st ed. 2020), identifies the reasons that digital devices distract our brains and suggests a context driven approach to the use of digital devices in a law school classroom. Part I will discuss the science of learning and distraction, Part II will discuss the various approaches to technology use in the classroom, Part III will discuss developing and implementing a technology use policy for the legal skills classroom, and Part IV will discuss the benefits of teaching students to be good stewards of technology as they enter the legal profession.

Recommended Citation

Marcia Goldsmith & Karen Sanner, Distraction or Necessity: A Post-Pandemic Examination of Digital Devices in the Law School Classroom, 68 St. Louis U. L.J. (2024).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/lj/vol68/iss3/10