[Plsfaculty] IT PLS

[Tanya Quist]

Dear colleagues,

 

At our upcoming faculty meeting, we are scheduled to hear from Barb
Hutchinson, CALS IT Director. Since I will not be able to attend, I thought
it would be useful to present you with some food for thought to consider as
you discuss future IT activities. 

 

Recently, I have been presented with a few opportunities to work with others
on campus who are developing technology that engages students in the
sciences.  Among these opportunities, a new Campus Web/Mobile IT group has
convened with the goal of identifying a Gen Ed class in which to develop
mobile apps that integrate several technologies into the curricula (GIS,
GPS, mobile mapping, LIDAR, aerial photography  have been posed - but many
others could be considered).  My section of the PLS 170C1 section of Plants
and Our World was identified as a target for this project. The course,
titled "Plants and Our World", teaches general plant biology with reference
to human impacts and applications. There is great potential to expand this
course to expose students to a range of topics in plant science from
genomics to ecology and horticulture. However, my ideas are a bit nebulous
at this point, and I would benefit from hearing ideas from the faculty on
how to integrate their particular plant sciences into the course technology.
The tool may also be useful for outreach as well ( - for example, I'm
considering a geocaching activity that would bring students to various plant
science venues to learn or apply pls knowledge on site. The New Start
Program has requested my help in the past with scavenger hunts etc. for
large groups of incoming students, so, an online tool would allow me to
accommodate any (and all) students with a smart phone. )

 

I'd be happy to talk with faculty interested in developing the concept for
this instructional activity . It may provide leverage for PLS education and
recruiting. I meet with the Campus Mobile IT group Aug. 27th, so, ideas
presented to me before then will be especially useful in guiding early
discussions with them.

 

Thanks in advance,

Tanya

 

Tanya M. Quist

Assistant Professor & Academic Advisor

317 Forbes Bldg. School of Plant Sciences

University of Arizona Tucson AZ 85721

Plant Sciences Office: (520) 621-1582

Website:  <http://cals.arizona.edu/spls/undergraduate>
http://cals.arizona.edu/spls/undergraduate 

P Please consider the environment before printing this email

 

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