Reading and Discussing Popular Media to Increase SEA-PHAGES Student Engagement
Author(s): Allison Johnson1, Nathan Reyna2, Daniel Westholm3
1. Virginia Commonwealth University 2. Ouachita Baptist University 3. The College of St. Scholastica
875 total view(s), 573 download(s)
- 0-Arrowsmith Teaching Guide.pdf(PDF | 121 KB)
- 1-Slides for Arrowsmith class presentation and discussion.pptx(PPTX | 5 MB)
- 2-Slides for 1931 B anthracis phage discovery QUBES module.pptx(PPTX | 1015 KB)
- 3-Scientific Literature 1931 Cowles J Bacteriology.pdf(PDF | 484 KB)
- 4-Arrowsmith Assignment 1.pdf(PDF | 44 KB)
- 5-Arrowsmith Assignment 2.pdf(PDF | 37 KB)
- 6-Journal Club 1931 B anthracis phage discovery Question Set.pdf(PDF | 79 KB)
- License terms
Description
Learning objectives:
After completing this module, students should be able to:
-
Recognize the timelessness and power of foundational microbiology techniques
-
Understand the limitations of microbiology field at the time of original phage discovery
-
Evaluate the ethical considerations when conducting medical trials, particularly the use of control groups during an epidemic
-
Evaluate the potential for prophylactic phage therapy
How is the module structured to promote student development as a scientist?
Student participation in this module assists in the attainment of the goal to “teach students to become a scientist” as described by Hanauer. In the activities related to this module, students are asked to evaluate the merits and limitations of scientific study design and data collection, skills needed by any practicing scientist. In addition, this module also addresses “Teaching procedural knowledge”, and connects modern methods with an early publication in phage discovery. The module uses a scientific publication from 1931 describing one of the first discoveries of bacteriophage using Bacillus anthracis as a host. This paper was published near the publication time of the novel Arrowsmith, and allows students to compare their experience with a scientific publication and a novel describing similar work.
Intended Teaching Setting
Course level: Non-majors, majors, first-year students, and upper division students
Instructional Setting: In-person classroom or online
Implementation Time Frame: Flexible. For Arrowsmith reading discussion, 2 hours class time, plus additional outside class preparation (~100 pages reading, plus discussion prompts. Can reduce or increase amount of chapters). For journal article, approximately 1 hour of classroom discussion plus outside class preparation work.
Acknowledgments: George Killough, faculty emeritus, The College of St. Scholastica
Project Documents
Facilitator document:
0-Arrowsmith Teaching Guide
Learning activity document(s):
1-Slides for Arrowsmith class presentation and discussion
2-Slides for 1931 B anthracis phage discovery QUBES module.pptx
3-Scientific literature: 1931 Cowles J Bacteriology.pdf
Assessment document(s):
4-Arrowsmith Assignment #1
5-Arrowsmith Assignment #2
6-Journal Club 1931 B anthracis phage discovery Question Set
Notes
This version of the resource updated author information to include the institution name for each contributing author. Tags were also added.
Cite this work
Researchers should cite this work as follows:
- Johnson, A., Reyna, N., Westholm, D. (2022). Reading and Discussing Popular Media to Increase SEA-PHAGES Student Engagement. HHMI Science Education Alliance (SEA) Faculty Group, (Version 2.0). QUBES Educational Resources. doi:10.25334/XDCK-NS76