The use of instructional technology in poultry science curricula in the United States and Canada: 1. Demographics of technology and software use

This paper describes a study conducted in recognition of the increasingly w idespread use of computers and the importance of exposure to instructional technologies in all aspects of poultry science curriculum. The study consis ted of the distribution and analyses of two cross-sectional surveys to gath er detailed information on the use of instructional technology (IT) in poul try science curricula in the US and Canada. One survey was sent to departme nts to obtain profiles of poultry science degree programs and the availabil ity of IT and general support for its use. A second survey was designed to ob tain individual profiles of faculty use of IT and attitudes toward the u se of such technologies. Information presented in this paper includes basic demographics, estimates of sun ey validity, and a cross-section of instruc tional technologies used in poultry science education. The survey found that poultry science faculty reported higher levels of use for some instructional technologies than was expected from recent reports in the literature for higher education in general. Traditional technologies were widely used for instruction, but computers and the Internet were almo st as popular. Reasons for the high levels of use may be due to an increasi ng user-friendliness of equipment and software applications, as well as the rapid acceptance over the past 2 yr of computers and Internet technologies among the general public. Involvement with IT projects appears to be chang ing from passive to active, consistent with faculty reports of high interes t levels and active experimentation with technology and software.