BIODIDAC is BACK – A repository of images for biology education at all levels!

Abstract

Initially launched in 1995 by two biology professors at the University of Ottawa, Antoine Morin and Jon Houseman, BIODIDAC is a fully bilingual (English and French) online database containing images in zoology, botany, human biology, and histology. In the past, nearly 8,300 registered users from 150 countries have used material from BIODIDAC, and it is estimated that around 25 million students and educators worldwide have benefited from it. Each image generally includes the name of the species presented, its common name(s), the format presented, and a detailed text description including its taxonomic classification. Overall, the repository has become a useful tool for a variety of teaching and learning objectives. Examples include the downloading of images for teaching and learning of anatomical and microscopic features and for use in assessments (i.e. labelling structures) to name a few. Unfortunately, as the applications and software used for the original version were outdated, BIODIDAC was taken offline in 2019 and unavailable to the public. Thanks to resources and services of the University of Ottawa Library and Department of Biology, a small team was formed in 2022 with the aim of updating and publishing the images and metadata as an Open Educational Resource (OER) (https://omeka.uottawa.ca/biodidac/). Participants are encouraged to bring an internet connected device to access BIODIDAC and explore the repository