RCN-UBE: ImmunoReach - An interdisciplinary community of practice to promote immune literacy.

Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead MN

Investigators

Abstract

This project will expand the ImmunoReach network to develop and test new tools for teaching immunology in college biology courses. Immunological terms and concepts are complicated and new discoveries are made every year. This can discourage people from learning about this important topic and makes it difficult for instructors to keep current in the subject. The lesson plans that will be developed in this project will make immunology concepts easier to understand and help teachers feel comfortable teaching immunology across all levels of courses. This work by ImmunoReach will help improve the quality of biology education and support public understanding of important societal issues such as combatting infectious disease, vaccination, and impacts of climate change. ImmunoReach is an interdisciplinary Community of Practice (CoP) that aims to foster immune literacy and increase access to immunology education beyond traditional immunology-specific classrooms. This CoP will identify a common language between disciplines to discuss and share curricular challenges and solutions with the broader community. To accomplish this, we will look towards the key concepts and competencies described in The Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action report, and Benchmarks for Science Literacy (AAAS, 2011 and 1993, respectively). The ImmunoReach network will bring together educators who are committed to the goals of fostering immune literacy, through the use of evidence-based pedagogical practices. The network will develop teaching resources that integrate immunology-related interdisciplinary learning outcomes, for example, those intersecting with microbiology, genetics, ecology, evolution, physiology and chemistry. Less experienced educators of immunology, representing diverse institutional and disciplinary expertise, will be paired with experienced immunology educators for developing, implementing, and assessing these interdisciplinary teaching resources, based on a backward design approach and active learning strategies. The products generated at the end of this project will be shared with the network participants and the broader community through ImmunoReach’s QUBES hub site, virtual symposiums, conference presentations, journal publications, and other outreach activities. The network will empower educators to positively impact diverse student populations with the ultimate aim to foster immune literacy. This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure and the Directorate for STEM Education, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action (http://visionandchange/finalreport/). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.