Gordon honored for innovative research

Dr. Scott Gordon

An eight-year study of teaching and technology earned Dr. Scott Gordon, associate professor of biology, an Award for Innovative Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Technology at the 13^th International Conference on College Teaching and Learning in May.

The conference attracted more than 1,000 participants from the United States, Canada, Taiwan, Philippines, United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, Australia, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands. The award honors those "who contribute in the most highly creative ways to teaching, learning, and technology," and nominations are accepted from colleges and universities throughout the world.

Part of the award process required Gordon to present an oral paper at the conference in Jacksonville, Fla. His presentation was entitled "Teaching, Learning, and Technology: A Comparison of Different Pedagogical Approaches."

"The central questions analyzed in this presentation included: What effects different levels of technology incorporation and pedagogical methods have on student learning, content comprehension, and various forms of interaction; and what are the most effective ways to implement and utilize technology," he explained. The ongoing research project, conducted at USI, involves teaching Biology 151 as a traditional course and a hybrid course and Biology 251 as a traditional course, a hybrid course, and a distance education course.

"With the growing number of courses being taught with the use of various technologies, as well as distance education methodologies, the impact of this research is far-reaching. The analysis of their effectiveness is necessary," Gordon said. Unique in its duration and subject matter, Gordon's research also recently attracted attention from the organizers of the Computer Awareness Workshop at Ohio State University in Columbus. Invited to deliver the keynote address at the workshop focusing on incorporation of various technologies in the classroom setting, he presented "Traditional vs. Web-based Pedagogies: Is One Superior?"

Gordon joined the University in 1994. He holds a bachelor's from State University of New York College at Cortland and a master's from University of Tennessee, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1994.

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