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The impact of computer usage on academic performance: Evidence from a randomized trial at the United States Military Academy

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  • Carter, Susan Payne
  • Greenberg, Kyle
  • Walker, Michael S.

Abstract

We present findings from a study that prohibited computer devices in randomly selected classrooms of an introductory economics course at the United States Military Academy. Average final exam scores among students assigned to classrooms that allowed computers were 0.18 standard deviations lower than exam scores of students in classrooms that prohibited computers. Through the use of two separate treatment arms, we uncover evidence that this negative effect occurs in classrooms where laptops and tablets are permitted without restriction and in classrooms where students are only permitted to use tablets that must remain flat on the desk.

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  • Carter, Susan Payne & Greenberg, Kyle & Walker, Michael S., 2017. "The impact of computer usage on academic performance: Evidence from a randomized trial at the United States Military Academy," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 118-132.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:56:y:2017:i:c:p:118-132
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2016.12.005
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    2. Caria, Andrea & Di Liberto, Adriana & Pau, Sara, 2024. "Remote Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from a Three-Level Survey of Italian Schools," IZA Discussion Papers 17545, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Oreopoulos, Philip, 2020. "Promises and Limitations of Nudging in Education," IZA Discussion Papers 13718, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Michael Gr. Voskoglou & Abdel-Badeeh M. Salem, 2020. "Benefits and Limitations of the Artificial with Respect to the Traditional Learning of Mathematics," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-15, April.
    5. Hall, Caroline & Lundin, Martin & Sibbmark, Kristina, 2021. "A laptop for every child? The impact of technology on human capital formation," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    6. De Paola, Maria & Gioia, Francesca & Scoppa, Vincenzo, 2022. "Online Teaching, Procrastination and Students’ Achievement: Evidence from COVID-19 Induced Remote Learning," IZA Discussion Papers 15031, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Richard W. Patterson & Nolan G. Pope & Aaron Feudo, 2019. "Timing is Everything: Evidence from College Major Decisons," CESifo Working Paper Series 7448, CESifo.
    8. Resul Cesur & Joseph J. Sabia & Erdal Tekin, 2020. "Post-9/11 War Deployments Increased Crime among Veterans," NBER Working Papers 27279, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Frances Woolley, 2018. "The political economy of university education in Canada," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 51(4), pages 1061-1087, November.
    10. Hall, Caroline & Lundin, Martin & Sibbmark, Kristina, 2019. "A laptop for every child? The impact of ICT on educational outcomes," Working Paper Series 2019:26, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    11. Marie Connolly & Catherine Haeck, 2018. "Le lien entre la taille des classes et les compétences cognitives et non cognitives," CIRANO Project Reports 2018rp-18, CIRANO.
    12. Johnson, Marianne & Meder, Martin E., 2024. "Twenty-three years of teaching economics with technology," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    13. Haggag, Kareem & Patterson, Richard W. & Pope, Nolan G. & Feudo, Aaron, 2021. "Attribution bias in major decisions: Evidence from the United States Military Academy," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    14. Patterson, Richard W. & Patterson, Robert M., 2017. "Computers and productivity: Evidence from laptop use in the college classroom," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 66-79.
    15. Astghik Mavisakalyan & Anu Rammohan, 2021. "Female autonomy in household decision-making and intimate partner violence: evidence from Pakistan," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 255-280, March.
    16. Meyer, Kevin, 2022. "Do laptops in the classroom produce negative externalities? Evidence from a classroom field experiment," International Review of Economics Education, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    17. Luca Bonacini & Marina Murat, 2023. "Beyond the Covid-19 pandemic: remote learning and education inequalities," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 50(1), pages 207-236, February.
    18. Ming Wen & Weidong Wang & Neng Wan & Dejun Su, 2020. "Family Income and Student Educational and Cognitive Outcomes in China: Exploring the Material and Psychosocial Mechanisms," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-23, December.
    19. Andrew J. Peterson, 2025. "Training for Obsolescence? The AI-Driven Education Trap," Papers 2508.19625, arXiv.org, revised Nov 2025.

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