> But the crazy thing is that the many college students being distracted by their laptops are simultaneously paying tens of thousands of dollars for the privile

> But the crazy thing is that the many college students being distracted by their laptops are simultaneously paying tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of doing so. No, most students are paying for a credential so they can get a job, and also for social and other aspects of college. While there may be some students who want to listen to a lecture but get distracted, I think most choose not to listen because lectures aren't usually that interesting or even helpful. You need to be actively involved to learn a topic, and taking notes may be the best option available in a lecture. But once you leave the lecture behind, students can be involved more directly, such as by working on challenges as they learn. It would be interesting to see a study that compared students who took notes to those who answered questions.