How do I deal with professors that are biased against laptop users?

You could go and talk to the professor and assure them that you are paying attention, but are taking notes. Show them your extensive notes as evidence.

@marinelife I actually offered that to this professor after class, but she declined (and then proceeded to tell me how worried she was and how much it bugs her when people surf the net online). But good idea – maybe this particular teacher is a bit… special, shall we say?

Just don’t use your laptop during that class. You could take notes with <gasp!> a pencil and paper.

@Rarebear That does sorta defeat the purpose of buying a laptop just so that I could take amazing notes for college. My written notes are bad – they’re poorly categorized and organized, I misspell everything, and in order to keep up I have to sacrifice a good amount of legibility (and I didn’t have much to start with). The second I switched to digital notes, my grades jumped an entire grade.

Fuck her/them. You are paying for the class. It’s your time just as much as hers. As long as you are not interrupting the class, you can do whatever the hell you want. I hate teachers like this. WTF do they care if you fail or not?

If you are being graded for participation you might want to consider that you might not get full credit.

Do well in the class.

[mod says] Please remember: This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.

Unfortunately, this will always be an issue for certain professors because there is always one student who does ruin things for everyone else by using their computer for other things other than to take notes and pay attention. If you’ve already offered up your notes as proof to the professor that you were paying attention, I’m afraid that there is not much more you can do. Ignore their bias, focus and study the material. Your grade that you receive in that class should reflect how much you are paying attention in class.

I’m with @Rarebear on this one. It’s just one professor and it really seems to but her. Put the laptop down for that class and take notes by hand and also you might want to get a little voice recorder or use your iPod to record the lecture/class and take. There’s no real value in getting into an adversarial position with your professor. The harsh reality is that there are all sorts of little dances you have to do in college and graduate school.

And as @Rarebear people have been getting degrees and mastering large, highly technical bodies of knowledge without the technology for a long time.

I did all the research for my bachelors thesis without any kind of computer at all. Thank god we at least had copy machines and microfiche. I compiled all my research using a pen and 3×5 cards. And the thesis was typed up on a an IBM Selectric, a beautiful machine by the way.

My father managed to a get a bachelor’s, Master’s and Ph.D in physical chemistry with, aside from the lab equipment, the advanced technology of pens, paper, a slide rule and the occasional use of highly skilled chemical typist.

It can be done.

That’s the end of my when I was a kid, walked ten mile in the snow to school lecture. :-)

I agree with @marinelife‘s suggestion, but the fact that this professor declined shows that she just wants to complain. Continue using your laptop. If you were encouraged by the university to buy it—and many universities encourage their students to buy laptops for academic purposes these days—remind your professor of this fact. If she specifically calls you out again, politely mention that her interruptions are preventing you from taking notes to the best of your abilities.

To everyone else, remember that many universities expect more out of their students now that there are these tools available. Yes, we got some of our previous degrees without them. Good for us. As I finish my PhD, however, I’m quite thankful for computers and the internet. What my professors submitted for their dissertations would not be acceptable anymore, so asking me to do as they did wouldn’t make sense.

@SavoirFaire I did hear one student say she was “crazy” – but he then said it was crazy in an awesome way, so who knows? It can be easy to forget that professors are humans that bring just as much baggage to the table as the rest of us.

Have you tried sitting closer? Perhaps she could see you looking up now and then if you were right up in her face, as it were.

@incendiary_dan No – partly because the outlets are in the back, and partly because I just haven’t been able to get to the classroom quickly enough to have much of a choice in seating. But if I do walk in one day and see a seat up front, I’ll certainly give it a shot and see if it changes anything. It’s only the second week of class.

I would just stick to taking the notes and highlighting what I wanted to look up on wikipedia later. That way you can dedicate all of your attention to the professor. You really can’t do much more, because like @Ellis1919 said, you’ve already offered you notes, now just prove it with a kick-ass grade!

I was a teaching assistant and lectured often. I will admit it…I really hated it when students were on laptops. I felt like they weren’t paying attention. Now, as a paying student, you do have the option to be on your laptop. However, if your intention is to make a good impression, I would recommend not using it. I have caught students more than once surfing the internet or instant messaging. I just think it’s really rude. although, I am from a slightly different time. When I was an undergrad, students didn’t carry laptops to class
I am sure you do not intend on being disrespectful. The fact that you are writing this tells me it bothers you…

Well, a larger issue is troubling me here. Is this a pure lecture class? Why is there no feedback or discussion? Do you (and do others) actually sit through entire classes with your mouths shut? That’s a red flag for me. As to your prof’s complaint, I understand completely. The only thing worse than looking out on dozens of deadpan expressions is looking out to see the tops of students’ heads. Maybe it’s her fault. Doesn’t she encourage participation? What subject is this?

@jazzticity It’s a lecture class. I ask questions, but only if they’re pertinent – like, can you please define that word for me again because I didn’t get it. Discussion isn’t a part of this class. It’s Intro to World Religions.

@naomi29 I get that, but if you can’t tell the difference between a student surfing the web and a student taking notes then don’t assume they’re doing the wrong one. After all, it’s not like those who take notes the old-fashioned way spend all their time making contact (or staying on task, for that matter).

@papayalily : you are correct. There is no way to tell. Also, if a student approached me and discussed this, I would be very understanding. It is easier to tell who is participating, however, when the student is using paper.
using the laptop is not the only classroom pet peeve I have. There are other things that bother me much more. It really bothers me when I tell students not to come to class if they haven’t done the reading (I do not take off credit for absences) and they come anyway.
I’m not arguing that you shouldn’t be allowed to use your laptop…I was just suggesting that if you would like to make a good impression, I would leave it at home. This is the norm, by the way. You will have to do things to please professors and bosses for the rest of your life. Each person will have their own preferences. It is up to you, however, if you acknowledge them. You don’t need to…it just might be a wise decision.

@naomi29 Except that bosses pay me. I pay the professor (not directly, but enough for it to be incomparable). And there’s really just no reason to carry around both a laptop and a notepad when one will suffice – if it’s to the point where I have to change my notetaking strategy to something else (especially an inferior something else) just to please a professor, it’s time to file a complaint and probably be removed from the class.

@papayalily . It’s true, you are paying. The thing I agree with you most about is your attempt to discuss this with your professor and having the conversation denied. That’s the part I would complain about (if you do end up filing a complaint), not that she doesn’t want you using a laptop. If your complaint is that she doesn’t want you using a laptop, it won’t get you very far…
I’m pretty sure admin will back her on that. I was allowed to set my classroom rules, I am sure she is, too. Her unwillingness to understand your point-of-view, however, is upsetting. I would be bothered by it, also.

@papayalily One of the things your paying for when you go to college is structured learning environment that is not designed, executed and managed by 18–20 year old high school graduates.

Also- good luck to you. I do hope you and she can end up coming to a peaceful and mutually acceptable compromise. If this is a class you enjoy (and/or need) it would be a shame if you ended up dropping it or having a bad experience. Best of luck to you.

@naomi29 Only if she puts it in the syllabus, and there are limitations on what she can put in there. It’s not in there, and as she failed to put in a flexibility clause, she can’t now.

@lillycoyote Perhaps – but the admin’s are very interested in the money of the 18–20 year olds, and it’s a pretty competitive campus (shared with 3 colleges – it’s pretty easy to go to the competition, and I have seen it done). And like @SavoirFaire mentioned, the colleges are encouraging us to buy laptops, so by discriminating against those who use them, she’s basically going against college policy.

I would continue using my computer, regardless. I take better notes with my computer and that’s all there is to it. My history professor issued a warning that her assistants (who sit in the back) would deduct participation points from students (in their discussion groups) if a student was observed surfing the internet instead of taking notes and that’s fine by me. But I’m not going to stop using my computer and take inferior notes because some uppity professor has a beef with technology. I know there are people who do not take notes in class and surf the internet instead, but they’re only hurting themselves.

@papayalily yes, she should have addressed this in the syllabus/classroom expectations. Is there a T.A. for the class that you can discuss this with?

My nephew had this problem with a teacher. The teacher tried to flunk him because he used his laptop in class. My nephew was born partially deaf, the laptop was his way of taking notes.

My sister couldn’t make any headway with the teacher. She finally had to call in the ACLU.

The teacher did relent, but only after the ACLU recommended attorney filed suit against the school.

If you can get a Dr to prescribe it as a learning aid, she cannot do anything about your using it.

Since she declined to see the notes on your computer, print out notes from a couple of classes and hand them to her with the explanation that you want to reassure her you are taking the class seriously and want to ease her mind about your laptop use. You could even put them in her box with a note so she cannot refuse them.

Hearing someone typing when I’m in class distracts me from what I’m doing. Its not all about you and your note taking, she could be trying to make sure that other people are able to take the best notes they can in her class without distractions. Clickity clacking when I’m trying to learn pisses me off and I can guarantee I’m not the only one.

Raise your hand and proactively ask questions about the lecture.

@papayalily, you say:

”…but the admin’s are very interested in the money of the 18–20 year olds, and it’s a pretty competitive campus (shared with 3 colleges – it’s pretty easy to go to the competition, and I have seen it done).”

Then it should be a simple matter of you marching into the Dean’s office, reminding them in no uncertain terms about who works for whom and that if they can’t, won’t or don’t straighten out this laptop issue with your professor then you have no problem withdrawing from the college and taking your business to an institution where they have a better understanding of just “who it is who pays the bills around here.” Or just do it, without all the fuss, change to a school that better suits your needs.

And there is just a slight, a very remote chance that your professor might actually care about teaching and care about her students. I imagine, if she had a choice, she would much prefer that she have quite a bit fewer than 50+ students in a lecture class. I bet she wishes she could give each and every one of you the attention you deserve, but she simply can’t. You can certainly prove that you are paying attention by doing well on your tests, exams and papers but maybe, there might just be a slight chance, that she actually gives a shit and would rather know whether or not her students are paying attention before the tests, exams and papers show that they weren’t. That’s her job: to teach and maybe she takes it seriously. The laptops bug her. You’ve done what you can and she’s not giving an inch.

Maybe I was whipped early on by having a professor, a college legend in my major from whom I took an number of classes and who eventually became my thesis advisor who was once voted the “scariest professor” in Portland, Oregon. She was brilliant, smart as a whip and could reduce you to complete rubble with the glance of an eye and reduce you to scorched earth with a certain tone in her voice. This was in the days before laptops, but if she didn’t like laptops, didn’t want laptops in her classroom, there would be no laptops. You would be scared to death to even think of laptops in her class because she would somehow know that you were thinking about them. She was demanding but got more out of this slacker than any teacher I have ever had.

And because there are some nights when I just simply can’t be too pompous or too self-righteous, @WestRiverrat people who try to get special privileges and dispensations by claiming to have learning disabilities that they don’t actually have only make it more difficult for students who really do have learning disabilities, like your nephew, to get the kind of help and special consideration and additional services that they need. This is your nephew, ask your nephew’s parents, your sister or brother, whoever it is, how they feel about people who don’t have disabilities claiming to have disabilities just to get around or just to make something easier for themselves. I’d be very curious to know what their answer is.

@klutzaroo No, but aren’t there things that you do in class that might drive me crazy? Perhaps pen clicking, paper tearing, paper turning, gum chewing, drink sipping, coughing, sniffling, etc? It’s not all about me, but I have a right to be there just as much as anyone else does, too. And since the number of laptop users is only going to increase, not decrease, you might just have to get used to it.

@WestRiverrat That’s a great story and great answer.

@lillycoyote So only those with disabilities should be able to utilize the tools available?

@The Laptop Haters – Hate technology all you want, but I’ve yet to come across someone who doesn’t think that technology is the future. Laptop use is only going to increase. And since taking better notes is probably one of the better uses of computers, don’t you be telling me that I should go back to pen and paper, but then be all “Omg, I HAVE to get an iPhone, because I NEED to play Angry Birds, and get iFart, and be able to make a thousand ringtones, and take all these cool photos, and updating my Facebook on the go…”

@klutzaroo

What annoys me even more is that scratching sound the pencil makes when it hits the paper and rustling of papers as people turn pages in their notebook. I’d much rather listen to typing on a keyboard.

@papayalily

I lol’d at that last part. The funny part is that many people who are new to technology only use it for FTE (Facebook, Twitter, Email) whereas some people have actually found a real use for it that can help their academic life. And now, with tablet computers on the rise, more and more people are moving away from “ol’ pen ‘n’ paper”. There’s definitely a generational difference apparent with these responses.

I found that when I wanted to take notes in my psych class last year the old-fashioned way, there was so much information that I had to abbreviate so much and omit so much that it actually was more useful to just download the power points and read them before the test (but then of course I miss the extra information added in class). When I switched to my computer, I was able to summarize the power point information and add what the professor added in class.

@DominicX I agree – there really is some generational stuff going on here. I can type twice as fast as I can write. I’ve seen the notes from another student in my class. It was a 50~ year old woman who grew up with pen and paper, and has gorgeous cursive (still couldn’t read it without concentrating, but I never can for anyone’s handwriting). Her notes were basically mine, except less organized and less legible. And less easily postable to the internet. Hell, my notes are so good that I’ve become the unofficial official notetaker for about 10 students so far in one of my classes this semester.
Another good use: AutoCAD to design building structures, furniture, and defense systems.
I grew up with computers as a huge part of my life. I was fortunate enough to have a techno-loving father who gave us tons of access to computers and encouraged us to learn about them. I don’t have a paper calender; I don’t know how to properly keep a paper calender. I have no paper shopping or to-do lists, as they are all digital. I pay all my bills online. Not using a computer would be a significant shift in my life, and to do it would take more energy than is really efficient or even responsible at this point.

@papayalily Yet most of those things that you consider annoying aren’t as constant as your typing. I promise you, you have impaired other peoples’ ability to pay attention in class with your typing. Its rude and its really sad that you have no consideration for other people who are just trying to do the exact same thing you’re trying to do. While laptops are on the rise, their use in classrooms (despite your opinion) will still be at the discretion of the teacher. Get a recorder if you can’t keep up, people have been making that work for years. And you just might learn something from listening to the lecture again.

Before you accuse me of being technophobic or of a “generational thing,” I’m a 26 year old career, it feels like student. I grew up with technology. I type quickly. I’ve also gone to hundreds of classes and managed to take excellent notes with a pen and paper through them all without impairing other peoples’ ability to get as much out of the class as they can. I make use of the powerpoints if provided (the nifty handouts with 3 per page is an awesome thing), but I don’t delude myself that my favorite way of doing things is the only way. And if there was something that I was doing in class that might annoy other people (especially the teacher), I have enough consideration or them to stop anything that I can control. In addition, I have enough respect for my classmates that I share my excellent notes and take the time to explain things that I get that they don’t.

Your lack of consideration for the learning environment of everyone else and your disrespect for the teacher all for the selfish purpose of taking notes the way you prefer (but aren’t required to) says a lot about you. You think its more “responsible” to be an asshole than to switch to another method. Still says a lot about you. You do have a right to be there just as much as anyone else. But everyone else has the right to get their best value out of the class without someone being rude just for the hell of it and because they decide that everyone should have to put up with their decision to use a laptop in class when its clearly an issue. Get used to that.

Do what I do whenever I’m in a boring conference… find some recording software (there’s some great free programs out there like Audacity… I use Soundforge but it’s not free) and just record the lectures to your computer using the built in microphone (just turn up the sensitivity a bit) and save them as a low bit-rate MP3 so they don’t take up a ton of space. I usually record a couple of files per conference so they are in easy to navigate sections. Then I can also go back and listen, or convert them to PDF or other text formats for later use. This way you can focus all of your attention on what’s being said without the distraction of taking notes. Also when you need the info later, you have the exact words from the speaker instead of just your notes. For studying you can just toss them on your Ipod or whatever and listen to them instead of clogging your brain with tons of reading.

Just a reminder: This question is about how I should deal with professors, not if you agree with my method of note taking.

@papayalily You should respect your professor’s dislike for laptops as they are a distraction for her, other students, and whatever else she feels about them. If she prefers that you not use a laptop and has told you so repeatedly, you should respect that and find another way. Its that simple. Everyone else who goes to class, everyone “who pays the bills,” should be able to have a class without a professor getting mad and possibly taking it out on them that you refuse to be considerate and respectful. Its now about the professor’s attitude with you, its about yours with them. So lose it.

@klutzaroo She has done no such thing. She hasn’t said they are a distraction, she hasn’t said she prefers it if we don’t use them. She’s said she can’t tell if we’re paying attention or goofing off. The distraction is your issue, not hers.

@klutzaroo

I’ve never known anyone who has as much issue with typing on keyboards as you. In some classes, I don’t use my computer so I do have to listen to people typing and I can tell you that I don’t even notice it. I don’t even think about it. All I can hear is the professor talking and that’s all I focus on. So you’re saying that everyone who types on a laptop impairs people’s learning? Even if the professor is completely fine with people using laptops? In fact, the only time I do feel my learning is being impaired is when the people behind me or in front of me are talking during class; that is distracting and rude. Not some quiet clicking noise that I won’t notice unless someone actually tells me to pay attention to it. Not the noise of people who are actually doing what they are supposed to be doing and are actually getting something out of the class, even if they are using a computer to do it.

@papayalily And you don’t think she’s politely trying to send the message? A message that you choose not to hear because you’re so convinced of your own right to use a laptop in her class?

@DominicX You’ve never had an issue. But have you ever asked if anyone else has one or just assumed that they didn’t? I’m willing to bet that its merely your assumption that no one has a problem. To a student with ADD, to a student who is distracted easily (and there are plenty out there), to a great many people typing is just as distracting as the things that other people do that @papayalily objects to. The difference is that it is a conscious act that is disrespectful of other people rather than sniffling, coughing that people probably can’t help, or the perhaps unconscious pen/foot/finger tapping that people are far more comfortable telling people to cut out if its bothering them. Nobody’s going to sit there and tell you that your typing is annoying because they probably don’t want to impair your learning process like you are theirs. Even if the professor is fine with laptops. I’m willing to bet that there’s at least one person who gives you a dirty look or rolls their eyes at you when you pull your laptop out that you just don’t notice.

@klutzaroo

So? There’s probably someone who gives me a dirty look when they see a brand logo on my T-shirt or a dirty-look when I ask a stupid question in class (though let’s hope that doesn’t happen very often). I can’t please everyone. I’m not going to sacrifice an effective way of taking notes, an effective way of boosting my grade, just because there might be one person in my class who might be annoyed by the typing of the keyboard. I couldn’t care less about someone who is angry with the way I learn. They need to learn that people learn in different ways and when you are that sensitive to something that you are probably going to have to get used to (laptops are used in business meetings and conferences too), you’re going to have to accommodate rather than expect everyone to accommodate for you.

Here’s another example: My classics professor told us at the beginning of class that she was fine with laptops, but that in the past she had gotten complaints from students that other students were on Facebook or YouTube and that it was distracting (not a word about the sound of typing, but what was actually going on on their screen was distracting). My friend and I thought that was a little odd, but nonetheless, my professor said that if she got any more complaints about people not using their computers to take notes, she would have to disallow laptops in class. Of course, that never happened. So the two times I’ve had professors mention an issue with laptops in class, it’s been because of the possibility of people doing Facebook and YouTube and other non-notetaking activities on their computer, in other words, people doing what they are not supposed to be doing. Not a word about the sound of the keyboards.

@klutzaroo Well, maybe she is. But direct communication works better. She could have put something in the syllabus, mentioned it on the first day, whatever. And there are 10 other laptop users in the class. And while I feel for those who have ADHD or are easily distracted, it’s not my responsibility to make sure they aren’t distracted. I can’t change everything about me just because someone else might find it slightly bothersome.

@DominicX I believe our schools’ policy is to kick out that specific user, not ban them entirely. Which, imo, is much better – I hate when one person ruins it for the bunch.

@papayalily There are a number of things here that I would like to comment on but I will have to do that when I have more time. I most certainly do not think nor did I say that only people with disabilities should be able to utilize technology. My problem with @WestRiverrat‘s comment was the suggestion that you claim to have a disability that you don’t have and to get a doctor to make a false statement, by writing a letter saying you have a disability you don’t have in order to make an end run around around your teacher’s laptop problem.

And stop calling people “laptop haters.” I was up all night trying to reassure my laptop, which was in tears mind you, that I don’t hate it, that I really, really love it, just because of your harsh words.

@lillycoyote No he didn’t. He suggested that if I could, I should. He said no such thing about lying or deceiving. For all you know, I do have a learning disability, but am doing nothing about it.

Seriously. How did such an seemingly innocent question bring out such strong emotions and irrational behavior?

@papayalily O.k. my apologies to both you and @WestRiverrat I was reading too much into it. My interpretation was apparently wrong, but that was what I thought the implication was because there had been no mention of you having a learning disability up to that point and I thought the suggestion was to circumvent the issue with your professor. And if you do have a learning disability and are doing nothing about it, well, that’s a separate issue, at least one you didn’t bring up in the context of this question.

I’ll have to review this thread because it has gotten kind of crazy

Again, @WestRiverrat I apologize. I seem to be doing a lot of apologizing lately.

@klutzaroo For what it’s worth, the only students I’ve ever had with ADHD in my classes (a) had people to take notes for them and (b) used laptops in class themselves. I’m not sure why the sound of typing will distract them anymore than the sound of the air conditioning unit.

@SavoirFaire Typing is erratic, starts and stops and goes at different rates, in a way that an air conditioning unit is not. It turns on, turns off. Doesn’t turn on, turn off, speed up, slow down… Yeah. Not everyone who has ADHD learns by having people do the work for them.

[mod says] Let’s get back on topic, folks. Thanks!

It depends. What are the school’s policies?