Using IT in Science Education

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Using IT in Science Education

• Seminar for the UNIFY project
• Tim Brosnan
• Institute of Education University of London

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Part 2

• Thoughts on how - present and future

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Main parts

• Summary of the present situation
• Outline of some options for the future
• Recommendations

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Present situation and options for the future

• People
• Integration of IT and science
• Hardware
• Software
• Systems

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People - present situation (1)

• The Unify team members are keen to develop the
  use of IT for both personal and professional
  purposes
• The Unify students are keen to develop their use
  of IT
• Despite considerable efforts the course has been
  unable to appoint a specialist IT lecturer

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People - present situation (2)

• The lack of a suitable person to co-ordinate and
  lead the IT aspects of the course is one of the
  two main factors hindering the integration of IT
  with the rest of the Unify curriculum

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People - options (1)

• Keep trying to appoint an IT lecturer
• little chance of success
• not necessarily the best option even if available
  - could widen the gap between IT and science
• person appointed would need to develop an
  understanding of the main concepts taught in the
  science/maths courses

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People - options (2)

• Appoint a science specialist with a knowledge of
  IT
• not many appropriate candidates (although
  potentially more than option 1)
• would need time to extend areas of IT expertise
• but would help the integration of IT and
  science perhaps more than an IT specialst would

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People - options (3)

• Appoint an additional science lecturer to allow a
  member of the existing staff to develop the
  necessary IT expertise
• longer lead-in time than other options
• not clear that any member of the team would wish
  to take this role
• but it could be seen as staff development
• and more likelihood of a successful appointment
  than previous options

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Integration of IT and science - present situation

• At present there is no real integration of IT and
  science courses
• Because of the absence of an IT lecturer, the
  current IT course does not have course
  materials, booklet and planned, session by
  session learning objectives as exist for the
  other sections of Unify
• It is also rather computer orientated

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Integration of IT and science - options (1)

• Distinct course only - discrete model
• Fully integrated into subject sudies -
  cross-curricular model
• Both distinct course and used in subject studies
  - hybrid model
• A short, initial course in basic IT skills
  followed by cross-curricular use - kick-start
  model

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Integration of IT and science - options (2)

• Discrete model
• Advantages
• easiest model to organise
• easiest model within which to co-ordinate the
  development of IT skills
• Disadvantages
• divorced from the rest of the course
• IT teaching/learning decontextualised
• does not help students learning of scientific
  ideas

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Integration of IT and science - options (3)

• Cross-curricular model
• Advantages
• all IT teaching takes place in an appropriate
  context
• Disadvantages
• hardest model to organise
• science/maths lecturers may feel it is not their
  role to teach basic IT skills - and not a good
  use of the subject time

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Integration of IT and science - options (4)

• Hybrid model
• Advantages
• allows the advantages of both the discrete and
  cross-curricular models
• Disadvantages
• most time consuming model
• still a need to provide an appropriate context
  for the content of the IT course
• may not be a need for an IT course throughout the
  year

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Integration of IT and science - options (5)

• Kick-start model
• Advantages
• allows the teaching of basic IT skills in the
  discrete course and then their application and
  development within the context of
  science/mathematics
• economical use of time
• Disadvantages
• requires a change of timetable during the year
• how much of a kick-start is needed will vary
  with student intake - no way to know in advance

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Hardware - present situation

• The course is well resourced in terms of
  computers
• the machine are fast enough for most uses
• the student/machine ratio is excellent
• The course does not have reliable access to the
  Internet
• The course has no simple way to transfer large
  files from machine to machine

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Software - present situation

• The course has a modern and stable version of
  Microsoft Office
• the course has software/hardware for datalogging
• The course has little in the way of
  subject-specific software - e.g. CD-Roms

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Systems - present situation(1)

• The current organisation of the computer system
  is the second major deterrent to the successful
  use of IT in the science courses

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Systems - present situation(2)

• there is no system of shared-files
• staff cannot put material on the system for all
  students to use - e.g. the material I have
  brought is only accessible on machine 28

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Systems - present situation(3)

• All students log-in as the administrator
• this invites chaos - e.g. any student is free to
  delete everything I have put on machine 28
• the students cannot save their files to their own
  work area - they do not have one - so all
  material must be saved to floppy disc or to the
  hard drive on a specific machine
• machines are accumulating lots of rubbish files
  and students lose work more easily

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Recommendations

• People
• Integration of IT and science
• Hardware
• Software
• Systems

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People - recommendation

• I suggest that the course team considers
  appointing an IT co-ordinator rather than a
  specialist - i.e. someone to co-ordinate the link
  between science and IT rather than someone to
  teach IT
• My suggestion therefore is that the course team
  considers options 2 and 3 rather than 1

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Integration of IT and science - recommendation (1)

• I suggest that the course team consider the
  relative advantages of options 3 and 4
• It is necessary for a named individual (cf
  committee) to have oversight of and resonsibility
  for, the integration of IT (however organised)
  with the other sections of the Unify course

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Integration of IT and science - recommendation (2)

• The IT course (of whatever form) be redesigned
  the better to match the needs, content and
  contexts of the science and mathematics sections
  of the Unify course, reducing the computer
  aspects
• Course materials be produced for the new IT
  course of a quality and quantity comparable to
  those of the other sections

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Hardware - recommendation

• As and when external funding can be found,
  priority be given to the upgrading of the Unify
  Internet link. Establishing a stable, fast link
  would be a huge advantage to the course.
• A second priority be the purchase of a portable
  CD-portable writer, allowing staff to copy and
  move large files

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Software - recommendation

• No recommendations. The existing software
  provides a good basis for development, and the
  course team has ideas for augmenting this with a
  judicious selection of subject-specific material.

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Systems - recommendation(1)

• The log-in system be reorganised so that
• Every student and member of staff is given their
  own log-in
• No student be allowed to install (or save)
  anything to any local hard disc
• Without these changes the system is neither
  secure or sustainable

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Systems - recommendation(2)

• The Unify server be re-configured so that
• A shared files area is established on the Unify
  server to which staff (and not students) have
  write privileges
• Every student has their own (secure) area on the
  server to which they may save their files
• Withouth these changes course materials will be
  neither distributable or useable

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Final thoughts

• The issues raised here are not just an IT
  problem but affect the teaching of every member
  of the Unify team - and the learning of every
  student
• When the computer systems are altered, the
  enthusiasm and ideas I have seen will be allowed
  to develop, strengthening the leadership position
  of the Unify course

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