Text Messaging During Lecture

MissBrittanyRN · Oct 25, 2009

Their problem. If they want to waste their time and money, ya know?

jtmonique · Oct 25, 2009

HA Ha I lived on my berry in class but I always sat in the back and I always got the top grades on the tests. I did my best to be respectful about it and did not text during guest speakers or presentations but I cant lie I hate sitting still for so long and I retain information that I hear and or read so as long as I was listening I was good I never complained or struggled to make it I was leading the pack!

UVA Grad Nursing · Oct 25, 2009

I've been an instructor, and I have found it downright rude for a student to be taking calls or texting in class. If a student told me that it was important for them to be receiving messages/calls during class, then I would ask them to leave class to attend to their "emergency". I have asked student to leave my class in the past.

If someone wants to check mail, text, make calls on their lunch break -- that is perfectly OK. But not during "work" time.

elkpark · Oct 25, 2009

In the last BSN program in which I taught, if the instructor saw you using your cellphone during class (outside of a legitimate emergency of which we were informed before class started), you were asked (told) to leave the class (for the remainder of the class). If your cellphone was seen in clinical (again, outside of a legitimate emergency situation), you were sent home and that was counted as an absence from clinical. I'm surprised more schools don't have strict policies.

Kringe38 · Oct 25, 2009

I see text messaging in my class, too. It kind of surprises me. I am a somewhat older student and when I was in college back in the late '80s/early '90s, no one really had a cell phone then. My family had a "bag phone" that could only be used in the car. So back then students weren't pulling out all these electronic doodads during class. I guess I'm old fashioned but it always kind of shocks me to see them whipping out their phones and pushing buttons during class! Even some of the ones who are my age do it (I'm ashamed). Phones go off during class too and I'm surprised the instructors don't tell 'em to "get out." I think I would if I were an instructor, and I really don't consider myself a mean person, it's just rude!

ETA: I guess I've turned into one of those old fogies with the stories about "When I was your age..." :)

CuriousMe · Oct 25, 2009

HA Ha I lived on my berry in class but I always sat in the back and I always got the top grades on the tests. I did my best to be respectful about it and did not text during guest speakers or presentations but I cant lie I hate sitting still for so long and I retain information that I hear and or read so as long as I was listening I was good I never complained or struggled to make it I was leading the pack!

I'm glad you did well on your exams, but I'm curious...you say that you did your best to be respectful by not texting during a guest speaker.....didn't your regular Prof.'s deserve that same respect?

Trust me, I understand the sitting still thing (I'm ADHD, sitting still for very long makes me really uncomfortable) and understand needing to do something to keep your attention focussed, but having a conversation with someone else is rude. Doodle if need be, but texting while someone is lecturing disrespects the time and energy they took to create that lecutre/presentation.

DolceVita, ADN, BSN, RN · Oct 25, 2009

The whole texting in class is incredibly rude and distracting. There is no excuse for it. The same goes for playing online poker, reading emails, side discussions or whatever else.

When did we become so mannerless? I suppose someone will say this is their "right" to free speech or rubbish like that.

Then their is always the person who has children who "must" be able to contact them. A friend of mine at a different nursing school said they took care of that probem...during clinical if there is an emergency they are to contact the unit secretary at the clinical site. This apparently took care of all of the "we are out of cheerios" calls.

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Oct 25, 2009

It flips me out to see students pull out their cell phones during lecture and start texting. These are usually the same students that barely get by and complain about questions on an exam. I have seen some pull out their cell phones and head toward the bathroom during clinical. Not trying to rant about it, but it drives me crazy. :angryfire

Oh yes. The ones who complain about stuff not being covered are invariably the ones who were not paying attention for whatever reason- talking, texting, SHOPPING online (???).

The texting itself doesn't bother me- whatever, their money, their fault if they fail out, but the general culture of disrespect towards the professors bothers me. I'm in a second degree program and am just befuddled at how these folks all made it through one degree without figuring out how to behave in college.

PianoGirl20 · Oct 25, 2009

I think it's rude, too. I also feel like it's really unnecessary-does everyone ALWAYS have to be able to reach you? I, for one, like to "be" where I am, and if I'm at lecture/in clinical, I probably don't need to be frantically texting you. I guess I'm a little old fashioned about this, even if I'm actually 21. One thing that does drive me CRAZY is hearing girls' long nails "clacking" as they are texting-don't know why, but can't stand that noise.

MissBrittanyRN · Oct 25, 2009

I cannot tell if there was a correlation between the students that text and the ones who do not do well and complain about the exam material, because I rarely noticed anyone texting in my class. I don't know if it is because I was oblivious or because they just did not do it. I doubt that my entire class was tech free for 6 hours.

jtmonique · Oct 26, 2009

I'm glad you did well on your exams, but I'm curious...you say that you did your best to be respectful by not texting during a guest speaker.....didn't your regular Prof.'s deserve that same respect?
Trust me, I understand the sitting still thing (I'm ADHD, sitting still for very long makes me really uncomfortable) and understand needing to do something to keep your attention focussed, but having a conversation with someone else is rude. Doodle if need be, but texting while someone is lecturing disrespects the time and energy they took to create that lecutre/presentation.

I was very open with my instructors and explained that I had to entertaine myself during class time so that I could learn the lesson. they knew what I was doing I was discreet enough not to distract the other students. I am 28 and have always had a hard time sitting in a classroom since I was in kindergarten If I dont have something to do. I know my stuff I get good grades People work with me, my phone has never even so much as vibrated in class I keep it on silent but I was on it browsing the web and texting a lot of times I was looking further into something mentioned in class some instructors used it to their advantage when discussing a current topic they knew I would have it googled already with updates on the situation! and as far as being disrespectful I was the only african american in my program and even though I had the highest grades I had a couple of instructors treat me like I was going to cheat (seperating me and only me during an exam) and I even had an instructor try to flunk me on a comp when I hadnt even performed yet I had students that wouldnt include me in assigned group tests ( Mine would be 100% and they would always miss a few and the instructors couldnt figure out why our grades were not the same) Ok this has nothing to do with the testing Its just that I was not being disrespectful but I was disrespected on several occasions I recieved an official apology before graduation from the college and was asked to help them prevent things like that from happening to others. But I will tell you this if an instructor had ever asked me to quit I would have in an instant I was raised that way.