title: "I was able to have a voice without being self-conscious": students' perceptions of audience response systems in the health sciences curriculum.
abstract: Audience Response Systems (ARS or "clickers") are becoming a popular addition to the college classroom. Instructors are using this educational technology to elicit feedback from students, to determine students' knowledge of content before or during lectures, and to increase participation in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to examine first-year allied health students' perceptions of the impact of clickers on participation during an introductory health professions course.
  
  
  METHODS
  At the mid-point of the course, students completed a survey that assessed their perception of classroom participation. During the second half of the course, clickers were introduced to classroom activities. The survey was re-administered at the end of the course; students also had the opportunity to write a narrative comment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Students felt that clickers increased their level of interaction with the instructor and participation of the class as a whole.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clickers may be a practical way to increase student participation in first-year allied health courses.
authors.affiliation: Health Sciences Program, University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, Dana 429E, West Hartford, CT 06117, USA. Tel 860-768-5746, fax 860-768-5706. oakes@hartford.edu.
authors.forename: Claudia E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Oakes
authors.forename: Daniel N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Demaio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016390:Allied Health Occupations / Q000193:education*; D003479:Curriculum; D004521:Educational Measurement; D018961:Educational Technology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires