Using a student response system for sexual assault and prevention training

1. Issue Brief
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The Department of Defense is committed to fostering a culture free of sexual harassment and
violence, evident by the ongoing commitment to prevention and response training programs.
The Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) is responsible for developing and
implementing innovative training programs which provide scenario-based, real life situations to
demonstrate the entire cycle of prevention, reporting, response and accountability procedures.
Standardized SAPR training programs grounded in adult learning theory and data collection
regarding the effectiveness of the training are strategic priorities.
The use of Turning Technologies’ student response systems, referred to as “clickers” in the
“Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies,” have
been incorporated in SAPR training as an innovative technology for sensitive group discussions,
pre- and post-course evaluations and for implementing adult learning theories. Turning
Technologies’ newest solution, Triton Data Collection System, offers the added capabilities of
administration of certification examinations, which can assist with the DoD-wide certification
program in order to ensure all sexual assault victims are offered
assistance of a certified SARC or SAPR VA.
Clickers serve as a real-time data collection device that can
efficiently gather group response data. The use of anonymous
mode, available in TurningPoint and Triton software, creates a
safe environment of group responses not possible with
traditional techniques such as hand raising. Imagine a group of
military personnel in a SAPR training course being asked the question, “Have
you witnessed or heard about sexual assault in your unit?” The use of a clicker
to respond to this and similar questions provides participants the protection of
anonymity, proven to significantly increase both the number and accuracy of
responses.
In the most recent DoD survey on sexual abuse, data showed 2,949 reports of abuse against a service member
last year compared with 1,275 in 2004. The vast majority of victims (88 percent) were female - a statistic that
informs the Pentagon that male victims (12 percent) do not come forward at the same rate. The statistical data
also suggests that male participants in SAPR training programs may be prone to not outwardly responding to
group questions unless their anonymity can be protected. The ability of clickers to protect the confidentiality of
participants makes it an ideal technology for gathering relevant, real-time data that can be used for trend
analysis.
Student response technology is straightforward and simple, enabling an instructor to digitalize student data
both in the teaching moment and in a standardized self-paced certification model. TurningPoint software allows
instructors to pose a question to the students, students press the button on the clicker keypad that matches
their answer choice and results of the entire group are displayed in a graph. Real-time engagement can occur in
either an anonymous mode or can be used to correlate and store response data instantaneously in order to

2. Issue Brief
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create numerous, detailed reports including attendance, item analysis, whole group evaluation and
individualized student performance.
Turning Technologies’ Triton Data Collection System provides trainers a highly secure, low to no bandwidth data
collection system that eliminates the need for standard bubble sheets. Triton combines the front-end ease of
paper testing with the back-end ease, security, reliability and automation of computer-based testing. The
patented, simple, secure and reliable high-stakes testing solution consists of a Triton Receiver with proctoring
software, a central administration Triton Web portal and a ResponseCard NXT clicker. The software was
designed for use by test proctors and requires minimum training. Triton provides the ability to control the test
environment, delivering test security, standardization of test administration and near-immediate results that is
ideal for the certification process.
Clicker technology has been used in education for over 15 years and has been researched heavily. The body of
research consistently validates the ability of such technology to positively influence teaching, student learning
and outcomes. Student response systems provide the following benefits:
 Active Learning: Involvement of learners directly and actively in the learning process itself. Instead of
simply receiving information verbally and visually, students are actively engaged and can do so
anonymously, creating a safe environment for responding to sensitive topics.
 Feedback and Understanding: Active involvement in the discovery process in addition to immediate
feedback promotes retention and the correction of initially inaccurate response strategies. Student
response technology supports the rapid questioning model and the positive reinforcement of correct
responses. Response systems also allow instructors to closely monitor learners’ responses and
expectation of learning mastery.
 Anonymous Engagement: Depict students' psychological investment in learning, also increasingly used
to describe meaningful anonymous student involvement throughout the training environment.
 Accountability: Digital collection of data enabled by clickers provides an effective mechanism for
tracking pre- and post-program learning outcomes.
 Assessment: The use of clickers as a bubble sheet replacement is the most cost effective method to
collect assessment response data and deliver results in real time.
USAFA SAPR implemented electronic clickers in classes for standardized pre- and post-questions to capture
data/measures regarding cadet knowledge and behavior regarding bystander intervention. Collected data was
used for both program evaluation and for a social-norming/marketing campaign to promote sexual assault
awareness and bystander intervention. The USAFA also implemented pre- and post-event data collection
efforts to evaluate and exercise oversight of SAPR training and educational programs. Turning Technologies has
shipped over 5,000 devices to 32 locations for use in SAPR programs.

3. Issue Brief
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Southern Oregon University worked closely with the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force and the
Jackson County Sexual Assault Response Team to raise awareness of sexual assault and available sexual assault
services provided to victims on the SOU campus. During the two-year campaign, the university designed a
workshop entitled “University Seminar Wellness Workshop: Consent and Bystander Intervention” designed for
incoming students to provide fundamental understanding of issues and a set of basic prevention skills.
TurningPoint response technology served as a key component during presentations that also incorporated
YouTube segments to generate campus-wide baseline understanding and to actively engage students for the
promotion of a safer campus environment.
Department of Defense. (2012). Department of Defense Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military: Fiscal Year 2012. Retrieved from
http://www.sapr.mil/media/pdf/reports/FY12_DoD_SAPRO_Annual_Report_on_Sexual_Assault-VOLUME_ONE.pdf
Office of the Secretary of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. (2010). Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and
Violence at the Military Service Academies: Academic Program Year 2009-2010. Retrieved from
http://www.sapr.mil/media/pdf/reports/FINAL_APY_09-10_MSA_Report.pdf
Scarborough, R. (2012, May 20). Victims of sex assaults in military are mostly men. The Washington Times. Retrieved from
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/20/victims-of-sex-assaults-in-military-are-mostly-
sil/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS
Southern Oregon University. (2012). Campus Report on Sexual Misconduct. Retrieved from
http://www.sou.edu/studentaffairs/sexualmisconductreporttohancellor2012.pdf