IS IT ENOUGH TO EQUIP SCHOOLS WITH DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO ACHIEVE SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION OF ICT INTO IMMUNOLOGY TEACHING ?

Due to the potential of information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance teaching and learning, many countries around the world have allocated funds to equip schools with digital infrastructure, aiming to encourage the integration of ICT into classroom teaching practices. However, simply providing infrastructure to schools does not necessarily guarantee the effective integration of ICT into education. The 21st century, characterized by the pervasive presence of ICT in all areas of society, requires education systems to adapt to these technological developments. This article aims to highlight some of the difficulties that can hinder this integration, particularly when the subject being taught poses a challenge for both teacher and learner, as is the case with immunology, which is marked by the complexity of its concepts and the lack of easily implementable classroom experiments. In this context, we examined the integration of ICT by life and earth science teachers during immunology instruction, using focus group techniques and classroom observation. The results indicate that teachers use ICT as substitutes for non-digital materials without improving their teaching practices. This reveals that the digital skills of the teachers in our sample are underdeveloped, which hinders the successful integration of ICT into their teaching practices.