Do Gender Differences Influence Students' Perceptions of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Clickers in an Introductory Biology Course?

Abstract

The use of clickers in the lecture classroom has increased in recent years. Clickers have been widely used to improve teaching effectiveness in various lecture classroom settings. Most introductory biology courses are taught using direct instruction. One of the ways that students may be engaged in the lecture classrooms is by using a clicker. Clickers have been linked to several positive outcomes for students. Although clickers have been used in several prior studies, few studies have explicitly focused on BYOD clickers (smartphones, tablets, laptops). This study examined the influence of gender on students’ perceptions of using BYOD clickers in an introductory biology course at a Midwestern private college. The findings suggest that male students have more positive perceptions about using BYOD clickers than females in the introductory biology lecture. The BYOD clicker can foster active learning in the classroom and improve classroom experiences and perceptions for all students in biology and other STEM courses.