The Shove Without a Nudge: Banning the Internet in College Classrooms

Kevin L. Brady, BYU-Idaho

Abstract

As laptops become increasingly ubiquitous and cell phones increasingly powerful, in-class Internet use will continue to expand. Internet use can distract the direct user and others in the classroom. One study has found a negative correlation between in-class surfing time and grades. The University of Chicago Law School and other schools have met increased surfing by switching off wireless networks during class-time.

Simply cutting off local wireless networks, however, will not solve the problem, especially as more students use mobile broadband networks and high-end cell phones to access the Internet. Furthermore, there are pedagogical benefits to allowing Internet access in the classroom. Therefore, removing Internet access might not only be an ineffective way to limit in-class surfing, but for some students it might lower the quality of higher education.

In this Essay I draw on Professors Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein’s concept of libertarian paternalism to argue that there are effective ways to curb Internet use without banning it entirely. By applying the findings of behavioral economics to in-class Internet surfing, I hope to add a new perspective to the debate.