This study attempts to motivate academics and students at both Qassim and Baha universities towards the effective usage of smart phones while classes. In today’s digital world, using smart phones is common and fundamental phenomenon, predominantly among the teen agers and youths as well. Tertiary level students are no exception in this regard. They regularly use their smartphones while classes, and it is common to see students touching the smart screens every single minute. This situation is headache and challenging to some professors mainly when it comes to classroom management. However, implementing a positive and controlled usage of such devices is also possible. For instance, students can be encouraged to learn how to use them as dictionaries or thesauruses to look up words, phrases and some specific nouns. Smart phones usage while classes might be effective in modeling pronunciation of words with silent letters and irregular phonemes or syllables. Their usage might be applicable in some translation and computer science courses as well. Additionally, task completion particularly a written task and texting can take place while classes through the application of the smart phones before conducting a pair or even a group checking. Both qualitative and quantitative research methodology is adapted through which the researchers observe some classes at the two mentioned – universities. Furthermore, they conducted and distributed a questionnaire of (15) items to a representative sample of students randomly selected from the two universities. The researchers finally display the study results as well as the findings and the necessary recommendations to reach the following consequences:
- Effective smart phone usage enhances and facilitates students’ language learning and possibly improves their awareness of the four language skills.
- It motives students towards active learning regardless their majors.
- These devices can also assist professors to follow up attendance and absences of the students as well as enabling them to conduct virtual classes.
Keywords: KSA, Motivating, Qassim and Baha, Smart Phones, Universities, effective classroom
