THE ARDUOUS PATH: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE GEOSCIENCE CLASSROOM

Advancements in technology have been heralded as bringing about major improvements in geoscience education. Blackboard and chalk presentations largely have been replaced with software-based delivery of course material, laptop computers, and projection devices. Voluminous stacks of paper are no longer an inevitable part of education with the onset of readily available web-based course management software, web-enhanced teaching packages, mass-produced CD-ROMs, and the like. GIS, GPS, and other geospatial information technologies have become the standard not just for data collection and analysis, but also are embraced as superior learning tools for today’s classroom.

The potential value of technology-enhanced education is not in question. Technology may be used quite effectively as a tool for accessing, evaluating, analyzing, and using information. However, the path to successful use of technology can be arduous and the link between instructor and student via technology is not yet seamless. The plethora of technological tools currently available to faculty and students is somewhat overwhelming and requires a significant amount of time, know-how, and resource management to be used effectively. Academic institutions historically have not been ideally organized to facilitate these needs. Furthermore, it is not yet clear how best technology can be adapted for better learning of course material. Both generic delivery technologies such as PowerPoint and more specifically geoscience-related technologies such as GIS recently have undergone intense scrutiny by critics concerned that the various information technologies in fact narrow opportunities for pedagogical inquiry. Given the current push in most educational institutions – often funded by federal grant monies -- to increase technology use in the classroom, it is imperative to evaluate carefully the nature and effectiveness of technology as commonly used in the geoscience classroom. In this presentation, we review major technologies in use today, inventory how they are used, and report on preliminary assessment of their organizational integration and educational effectiveness.