INFORMATION LITERACY OF STUDENTS IN GENETICS EDUCATION ON THE EXAMPLE OF BIOLOGY AND AGRONOMY MAJORS

Today, digital technologies have become an integral part of education. Integration of information technology plays an important role especially for natural sciences like genetics which requires accuracy and technological support. This paper finds out how well the students are familiar with the use of information technology in the study of genetics. Based on a questionnaire survey, we observed a low level of information literacy among students regardless of the year of study (among students in years 1-4). The fact that most students consider information sites in Google and Yandex search engines as an easy and quick source of information and make them the main source of information does not always form a deep understanding and knowledge. The challenges students face is related to information literacy components such as finding, evaluating, and analyzing specific scholarly sources. In this paper, we examined scientific literature to tackle the issue and present a compilation of websites, virtual realities, and informational resources that enhance the educational experience in genetics. The resources aim to enhance learners' competencies by providing ongoing access to quality content. Keywords: information literacy, information technology, genetic education, electronic resources, digital technology