Impact of Wireless Technology in a Human Sexuality Course (Report‪)‬

A wireless personal response system (PRS) consists of a number of handheld response devices through which individuals can make different types of responses (e.g., multiple choice, true-false, numerical), a receiver, and software that allows for the almost-instantaneous compilation of audience responses that can then be presented graphically. Individual responses can be anonymous or tagged so that the presenter knows how each person has responded. Manufacturers of these systems, commonly known as "clickers," market them as a means of engaging students more actively in learning, motivating student attention, and providing feedback that allows instructors to tailor presentations to students' level of understanding. The personal response feature most likely to be assessed is the one that presents students with a multiple choice question based on material just covered so that both the students and presenter have immediate feedback about students' levels of comprehension. In a comparison of two sections of introductory psychology using clickers to answer multiple choice questions for extra credit with two sections not using clickers, Morling, McAuliffe, Cohen, and DiLorenzo (2008) found that the clicker sections performed slightly better on exams, but did not report being more engaged in class.