College Students’ Distractions from Learning Caused by Multitasking in Online vs. Face-to-Face Classes: A Case Study at a Public University in Romania

This study compared Romanian college students’ off-task use of digital devices in online courses with their digital distractions in face-to-face courses. Students taking both online and face-to-face courses completed surveys assessing off-task use of technology in each delivery mode, extent to which such use constitutes a distraction, and instructor policies for curbing use of digital devices in class. Off-task use of digital devices was significantly greater in online than face-to-face courses. Students were twice as likely to state that they were distracted by multitasking in online than in face-to-face classes. They also indicated that instructors in online classes were less likely than their face-to-face instructors to have a policy on the use of digital devices for off-task purposes during class. Study participants were more lenient toward the use of digital devices in online than in in-person classes and were less bothered by multitasking and classmates’ off-task use of digital devices in online than in face-to-face classes. The results of this study have implications for instructors in online classes. By improving instructional design and pedagogical methods and creating opportunities for more interaction during the class, online instructors might be able to increase student motivation and lower multitasking behaviors.