PARENT SESSION
Poster Session # 3: Ecological Education.

Monday, August 4 Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. SITCC Exhibit Hall B.

Integrating computer technology into biology instruction.

Snetsinger, Carol^*,1, Brewer, Carol¹, ¹ Division of Biological Science, Missoula, MT, USA

ABSTRACT- Recent technological advances have provided us with tools and techniques that are essential to the way we do biology today. Clearly, our professional cultures are tool-rich and have been profoundly affected by these technologies. But has this technological revolution transformed our courses as well? Computer-based technologies (IT) can be powerful pedagogical tools, and turn the passive recipient of information into an active participant in the learning. This requires buy-in by both students and faculty. Through a 4-yr biology curriculum innovation program at the University of Montana, we have examined the extent to which faculty use IT in their teaching. Today, most biology faculty surveyed have course web pages (90%) and use power point presentations (62%). Interestingly, the majority of faculty (>60%) felt that IT can create opportunities for students learning that would be impossible without it, but fewer than 15% had used technology to promote interaction amongst students or for real-time assessment to receive immediate feedback on student understanding. All of the respondents agreed that using computers proficiently is essential to being a successful professional biologist, but many fewer (41%) agreed that these skills currently are an integral part of the courses they teach. Faculty and students had different views on student preparation. While 76% of introductory biology students were very or totally confident they had the basic computer skills necessary to be successful in a biology course, only 15% of faculty agreed that incoming freshman had the computer skills they needed. To make better use of computers in instruction, our results suggest that faculty need time, opportunities for professional development, and reliable hardware and software in the classroom. Finally, choosing the content to teach is the easy part; figuring out how to use computer technology to help students understand and master the content is the time intensive challenge.

Key words: undergraduate, cognative tool, computer technology, education