It’s often argued that a time traveler from 100 years ago might be surprised by many things, but stepping into the classroom would be comfortingly familiar.  A new study from the University of Missouri doesn’t wholly dispel that notion, but does nonetheless highlight some of the ways in which higher education is being affected by modern technology.

The paper found that often, the new technologies simply replicate pre-existing methods, which leave students as consumers of information.  The researchers believe activity-based learning, rather than lecture-based, would enhance student creativity and allow students to utilize the technology to develop their own ideas.

The researchers examined the use of mobile technology in classrooms across Europe.  The analysis found that the creativity of students was most enhanced when they used the technology in group settings to devise novel ideas or products.  For instance, the paper cites an example of students using an app to learn about the Berlin Wall via a virtual interface as a means of providing a richer immersion into the topic.

“This research is useful for professors to rethink how they design their existing courses,” the researchers explain. “We need to shift away from purely lecture-based learning where students are just consumers of information toward a more meaningful learning approach with technology where students are able to come up with creative and novel solutions in a team setting.”

Mobile assistance

Of course, as new research from the University of Oregon highlights, you don’t need to actually use your mobile to gain an educational advantage.

They found that having a phone nearby, and having to resist the urge to use it, had a beneficial impact on people’s ability to concentrate in class.  When their phone was not present, their mind would wander more frequently and they’d struggle to concentrate.

“The surprising finding for me was the reduction in concentration difficulty when people had to resist using the phone,” the researchers explain.

I’m not entirely confident in the robustness of the study, but its findings are interesting nonetheless.