Implementing technology in science teaching – what are the gains?

Abstract

When new technologies arrive they come with promises to solve our problems. Technology has offered ways to get information faster, to communicate and collaborate synchronously, asynchronously. In our teaching we have crafted online learning modules to affords flexibility for students so that they can engage with our disciplines outside of the confines of physical classrooms. Smart phone technology allows us to ‘google’ information (and misinformation) from anywhere - provided you have a smart device, a WIFI connection and a service provider that covers your location. In short, technologies have allowed us to work faster, and facilitated the expansion of the digital asset realm, and they have served as catalysts for innovation and thinking differently about education. With the adoption of each technological implementation I ask both “what are the gains?” and “what are we losing?”. I offer my reflections on three technologies.

Email: When I first started as an associate lecturer there was time to have a tea break in a tearoom. Email – now so ubiquitous - replaced the ‘memo’. Something that was implemented for efficient communication has become overtly time consuming and administratively burdensome. The need for rich free-flowing incidental conversation in academia remains but the spaces in time to have these conversations has vanished. On balance: initially a gain, more recently a loss.

Internet: The WorldWide Web started to gained traction in higher education in the mid-late 1990s. Teaching became ‘blended’ as many of us starting to create digital learning resources for our students in ‘flexible’ learning environments. Hours were invested in converting analogue images and sound to digital assets. Analogue assessments were changed to fit the digital environment. Having students record their observations in scientific drawings was problematic. With Web 2.0 (~ 2000) came rise of Learning Management Systems and it became easier to create, deliver and manage online quizzes. Scrutinising how students interacted with online resources became popular. Twenty years on and I rely on the online environment to teach, however I still cling to face-to-face teaching as I crave the conversations I have in class. On balance: undecided.

mApps: In 2012 I partnered with an undergraduate student and professional staff on a mApp – CampusFlora; we hit the AppStore in 2013 (Author et al., 2014). Designing an app in partnership with students (aligned with students-as-partners approach Healey et al., 2014) allowed us to become ‘collaborators’ rather thana ‘students’ and ‘staff’ (Author et al., 2019). Here, technology acted as a collaboration catalyst shifted from academic-led learning design to student-staff co-design. On balance: a gain.

Developing digital literacy in our students is important - not just being able to use technology, but by contributing to resource creation. Co-creating with students is now where I like to spend my time.