Media multitasking is pervasive in higher education learning environments. Despite overwhelming evidence that multitasking is detrimental to academic performance, students continue to engage in multitasking behaviors during learning. The MODE model (Fazio, 1990) and norms are applied to multitasking in classroom to explore potential reasons for the behavior. It is proposed that motivation for learning, a student's ability to control his or her learning environment, and normative influences in the classroom all contribute to a student's likelihood to engage in off-task multitasking in class. A survey of 195 undergraduate students asked questions about learning motivations, control of the learning environment, normative influences, and engagement of various tasks in class. The study found support for applying the MODE model to understanding multitasking during learning. In particular, finding the learning task to be valuable provides motivation to reduce multitasking, and the opportunity to multitask can be diminished through self-regulating learning behaviors. Perception of other students on campus engaging in multitasking behaviors increased the likelihood of a student's own multitasking behaviors, providing evidence for inclusion of norms to the MODE model.