Symposium on Technology in Undergraduate Education

Vision Statement

In today's increasingly interconnected world, the role of science continues to grow in the lives of all citizens. This places ever greater emphasis on the need to properly train the next generation of researchers while ensuring that the wider population of non-scientists also has appropriate scientific understanding. Introductory science courses, which aim to impart students with basic science literacy and prepare them for upper level courses, can be challenging to teach for a variety of reasons. Among the many challenges is the fact that students enter these courses with very different levels of preparation. An emerging strategy for engaging all students, regardless of background, involves the use of technology in combination with innovative teaching methods. For example, multimedia can invigorate teaching within a classroom, while learning modules that are tailored to specific topics or needs can provide extra help to students outside of the classroom. Furthermore, popular culture has already demonstrated that technology can facilitate the building of community, a feature that can be used to help students work together during interactive problem solving exercises. We believe that better implementation of technology can enhance the success of students with weaker science backgrounds, including students typically underrepresented in science. At the same time, these new teaching practices will improve the learning experience of all students.

This symposium will focus on the use of technology in introductory science courses as a tool for addressing heterogeneous student backgrounds. Through case studies, discussions, and presentations, we hope to bring a range of possibilities to the attention of participants. Discussions and workshops will focus on the practical issues of implementing these solutions and give presenters an opportunity to share the pitfalls and successes they have experienced. Although focusing on introductory college classes, we hope that this symposium will provide science educators at all levels with a forum for sharing ideas about innovative applications of technology. Invited participants will include faculty, administrators, and students.