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Technological Resources in a Blended Learning Environment for the Teaching of Ornithology

Abstract:

Ornithology courses have traditionally been developed through face-to-face lectures complemented with field trips, but currently technologies offer new possibilities to the training process. The present study aims to provide useful guidance for the application of technological resources in teaching the fundamental principles of ornithology and bird watching in a blended learning environment. The course was aimed at students and professionals of the biological sciences through the combined modality of synchronous and asynchronous classes. In the synchronous classes, lectures were held and the asynchronous ones through the use of a virtual learning environment with practical and autonomous activities. The result of the anterior and posterior knowledge test had variations, although without significant differences. Regarding the development of the activities, the undergraduate students were those who carried out the content creation tasks using different technological resources, while the postgraduate professionals showed tendencies towards the development of jobs with greater cognitive demand. Among the most popular resources, EDpuzzle, Padlet and GoConqr were highlighted. Regarding the virtual environment, the participants attended mostly in the evening and at night, with the most frequent sessions being the introduction, the anatomical study and the systematics of mangrove birds. In conclusion, the students have used the different technological resources provided by the teacher to design their own learning experiences, but they were not enough for them to fully master the different topics that were addressed in the course.