Use of Internet Resources in the Biology Lecture Classroom

Abstract

HE lecture classroom continues to be used as a primary method of teaching biology. Multipurpose classrooms equipped for hands-on oriented teaching have adequately replaced lectures in some cases but, because of large class sizes, lectures often remain as a primary teaching method. Lecture styles that incorporate a variety of innovative teaching methods are essential if one is going to gain the attention of students raised in our media-saturated culture. There is a plethora of media and multimedia resources available that can be used in the lecture classroom to enhance teaching and complement demonstrations and other teaching aids. However, many of the media resources are expensive and in many cases one cannot readily preview the material before purchasing it. Furthermore, media such as video or film offer minimal flexibility of use during the lecture. For example, rewinding or forwarding to a particular video segment can take up valuable lecture time. Laser discs and CD-ROM offer more flexibility of use during the lecture but can be cost prohibitive. The Internet also offers a rich source of potential teaching aids that can be used to enhance the biology classroom lecture. Most of the material can be accessed free of charge or for a small registration fee. In addition, most of the resources can be displayed with a computer system and a monitor or projection system. This setup allows the instructor several options for accessing and displaying the material. I would like to give some examples of how the Internet and resources found on the Internet can be used t o e nhance t he b iology l ecture. I nternet addresses f or s ome o f t he r esources will be documented.