Do laptops in the classroom produce negative externalities? Evidence from a classroom field experiment

Abstract

This paper uses a semester-long field experiment to analyze the effect of the use of laptops in the classroom on a neighboring student’s ability to learn. Students were randomly assigned a seat during each lecture, creating random exposure to laptops. Each lecture concluded with a short quiz to assess learning outcomes. Simple OLS estimates show statistically significant but practically small effects of laptop exposure. However, these effects are not significant when using a panel data approach, suggesting they are the result of omitted variable bias.