title: Impact of electronic device use in class on pharmacy students' academic performance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate and assess the impact of pharmacy students' electronic device (e-device) use during a lecture-based pharmacotherapeutics sequence.
  
  
  METHODS
  A validated survey instrument to assess e-device use was e-mailed to 238 second- (P2) and third-year (P3) pharmacy students. Grades were reviewed retrospectively and correlated with e-device use to determine its impact on academic performance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 140 responding students (59% response rate), 106 reported using e-devices during class for course-related (91.5%) and non-course-related (81.1%) activities. When P2 and P3 students were combined, e-device use was not associated with academic performance (p = 0.70). Academic performance was not impacted among P3 students (p = 0.86), but P2 students performed better academically if they refrained from using e-devices during class (mean grade = 88.5% vs. 83.3%; p=0.019).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The impact of e-device use on overall academic performance was negligible. Use of e-devices by students enrolled in their first pharmacotherapeutics course may negatively impact academics.
authors.affiliation: University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA. prescott@buffalo.edu
authors.forename: William Allan
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Prescott
authors.forename: Heather L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wrobel
authors.forename: Gina M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Prescott
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D018961:Educational Technology / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013339:Students, Pharmacy