This would constitute a new kind of support person in most of our computing organizations. All members of the political science departmental community, from undergraduates to senior faculty members, should have access to computer networks, which facilitate use of electronic media repositories, library catalogs and materials, databases, electronic mail, and professional bulletin boards. Integrating technology into teaching and learning . Where possible and appropriate, political science departments should begin designing, implementing, and preparing for routine administration of electronic classrooms, including multimedia classrooms, starting with equipment that can be wheeled into a traditional classroom for the teaching of political science courses. Adequate computer laboratories should also be available for more intensive, student hands-on use for political science learning, simulations, and undergraduate student research.
Students deserve to be taught using the technologies widely available outside the university.
Just as important, student access to the computer facilities necessary to coursework must be made equitable so that all students enjoy the same level of access. We also strongly support the construction of classrooms where students are active users of computers and other electronics. Modular pods where teams of students can work on computers in class, the ability to individually project material from these pods for general presentation to the entire classroom, and interactive software which allows students to send each other material while in the classroom, are examples of such currently available technology opportunities. Students are now actively using the World Wide Web for research and other class-related scholarship. Therefore, it is important to provide information and ideas to political science instructors in dealing with such problems as web plagiarism, proper web citations, and web quality awareness 6.