What can instructors do to motivate students enrolled in lecture classes to be more cognitively active during lecture so that they can learn at a more meaningful level? One approach is to implement a personal response system (PRS), a form of instructional technology, in which students use hand-held remote controls, or clickers, to respond to multiple-choice “clicker” questions presented via PowerPoint at the front of the classroom. Once students have voted on an answer choice, a graph appears, displaying the percentage of students voting for each answer choice. This is then followed by a class discussion. In two lab experiments, participants were randomly assigned to either the PRS condition, in which participants were exposed to a lecture containing clicker questions, or to a conventional condition in which participants were exposed to an identical lecture but without the clicker questions. Participants then took a written exam containing retention and transfer questions. In experiment 1, the PRS group outperformed the conventional group on questions requiring retention, p < .01 but not transfer. In experiment 2, the PRS group did not outperform the conventional group on questions requiring retention but did on questions requiring transfer, p = .03, suggesting that the PRS has potential to enhance meaningful learning. Two field studies were also conducted to determine if results would generalize to actual classrooms. Students in PRS classes answered clicker questions throughout lecture, while students in conventional classes were exposed to identical lectures but without the clicker questions. Students in both conditions took three common exams containing retention and transfer questions. Students’ levels of reported interest, reported motivation, attendance were tracked. In field studies 1 and 2, (at alpha < .05) no significant differences were revealed between the PRS and conventional groups on reported interest, reported motivation, attendance, or on performance on retention and transfer exam questions. Theoretical and educational implications are discussed.