Introduction: intentional innovation in educational technology and media to promote students' holistic development

This chapter introduces the book Technologies in Biomedical and Life Sciences Education. In addition to providing the précis for the other chapters of the book, it contextualizes those chapters by addressing how far technology has taken bioscience education and also speculating on where technology needs to go. Technology, particularly in conjunction with innovations in pedagogy, has profoundly influenced the experience of teaching and learning science, and examples are provided, some familiar (e.g., video lectures in flipped classroom) and some emerging. Compared to the experience, the striking outcomes of past innovations in technology and pedagogy have been more weighted toward inclusivity, opportunities, and participation rates. For the future, we propose an intentional development of educational technology and media that supports holistic development of students. This goes beyond design-centered or market-driven research and focuses on student competencies and skills known to play a role in learning and professional skills attainment. These include social, metacognitive, and noncognitive competencies, such as teamwork skills, social behaviors, empathy, and emotional regulation. The challenge is to use intentional innovation to achieve student learning of competencies, by leveraging what computers are particularly good at: timing, repetition, and vigilance. The expected result will probably involve learning with repetition, deeper learning with models, collaborative and cooperative learning, and self-regulated learning. We engage in serious discussion on the challenges and obstacles inherent in refocusing media creation and educational technology innovation. We close with an overarching summary of the different chapters and how they fit together into this cohesive narrative.