Carter et al (2016)

Uses: digital tech

Method: true experiment

Procedure:

The study took place at the US Military Academy at West Point in New York. The sample was made up of 726 students, all enrolled in an introductory economics class.

Students were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: 270 not allowed to use Internet-enabled devices, 248 full access use of computers or tablets, 208 assigned to access tablet only.  They would be in this group for the entire semester.

In the tablet-only group, students did have access to Internet, but they were required to have the tablet flat on their desk at all times.

At the end of the course, students sat a department-wide final exam.  The exam had both multiple-choice and short answer questions. In addition, there was an essay.  The test was administered online.

Result:

For the analysis, the researchers ended up combining the two technology groups. The findings showed that students who did not have access to Internet-enabled devices scored significantly better than the technology groups on the first part of the exam (multiple-choice and short-answer). However, there was no significant difference in the essay scores.

Carter, S. P., Greenberg, K., & Walker, M. (2016). The impact of computer usage on academic performance: Evidence from a randomized trial at the United States Military Academy (SEII Discussion Paper #2016.02). Cambridge, MA: School Effectiveness and Inequality Initiative.