Objectives

The objective was to determine students’ attitudes, perceptions, and material retention with the use of student response systems (SRSs) in a first-year pharmacy practice course.

Methods

During a two-hour smoking cessation module, students were randomized to either instruction with the use of SRS (treatment group) or instruction without the use of SRS (control group). A pre- and post-test design was deployed to assess student perceptions and attitudes, as well as student learning outcomes (SLOs). Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) tests were employed to address the specific study objectives.

Results

Pre- and post-assessment results showed that while SRS did not significantly increase retention of SLO in our study, it did appear to significantly impact student perception and attitudes. Students exposed to SRS experienced double the increase in positive attitudes toward the use of this teaching tool as compared with students who were not exposed to their use. We also show that students in the treatment group tended to attribute improved performance on retention of SLO to the use of technology in the classroom more while students in the control group did not.

Conclusion

Our results suggest a complex interaction between student learning and attitudes toward technology and active learning tools such as SRS. Further investigation into the impact of perceived student benefits in the aftermath of exposure to new learning tools and relationships to SLO retention are warranted.