Designing a bespoke App to address Botanical literacy in the undergraduate science curriculum and beyond

Abstract

At the University of Sydney we are offering a revised botany program within the biology curriculum that has reduced the time dedicated to the study of botany. Given the overall decrease in basic botanical science courses taught at university level and the need to improve the botanical literacy of our future biology graduates and high school teachers, how can we better connect students to the practice of botany and so improve botanical literacy? One solution is to draw on ‘App’, ‘mobile’ technologies to map the campus flora and our aim was to develop a dynamic and interactive geo-locating botany iPhone app, which aligns to the Botany curriculum and offers a unique opportunity for the broader community to view the campus through a botanical lens.