Dartmouth College is finding new ways to pull students into classroom discussions. Instead of one student raising a hand and giving an answer, wireless technology is letting an entire classroom of students chime in and see a collective view of their peers' responses projected on a screen. The experiment is testing the idea that students who are actively involved in a discussion are more likely to retain information.

G. Christian Jernstedt, a psychology professor at the Hanover, N.H., Ivy League school, is leading the experiment, in which all his students use PDAs connected to the college's wireless network to interactively participate in question-and-answer sessions. In addition to meeting the challenge of engaging more students in discussions--which can be particularly difficult in large classes--Jernstedt says the instant feedback from students helps him tailor the direction of his lectures in real time to meet the needs of the class.

The fall semester was the first time Jernstedt used the system, and he says he'll continue with the wireless approach. The concept of a wireless classroom is the logical answer to the demands of college students to incorporate more advanced technologies into their educational experience. "Students are increasingly looking to technology, so the classroom experience is evolving," a Dartmouth spokeswoman says. "We started with a chalkboard, moved to projectors, and now this is the natural evolution. It's exciting."