Site visits : educational experiences in biotechnology

Abstract

The importance of biotechnology has recently received a lot of attention in the biology syllabi. The aim of this dissertation was to create a curriculum pack which would aid teachers in organising and following up educational visits to sites of biotechnological importance. Five site visits were chosen, these being Sant' Antnin Recycling Plant, Andrews Bakery, Simonds Parsons Cisk Ltd., The National Aquaculture Centre and Ghammieri Experimental Farm. The curriculum pack consists of teachers' notes on biotechnology and follow-up activities for pupils. The pack was evaluated by a representative sample of teachers from Junior Lyceums, Private Schools and Area Secondaries. The outcome of the evaluation procedure reflected considerable interest on the part of both teachers and students. The activities associated with each curriculum pack were considered to be highly relevant. Suggestions on how the follow-up activities could be further improved and how the project could be effectively introduced in schools are also included in the dissertation.