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May JE, Anderson E, Clark D, Hull J. Gamification in Biomedical Science Education: The Successful Implementation of Resimion, a Scenario-Based Learning Tool. Br J Biomed Sci 2023; 80:11756. [PMID: 37849690 PMCID: PMC10577182 DOI: 10.3389/bjbs.2023.11756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Scenario-based learning and gamification have many advantages in comparison to traditional didactic teaching methods, including development of many higher-level skills such as analysis and evaluation. It is hoped that these simulations provide a real-world experience in a format accessible to students. Integration of these tools into teaching excelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, an event that completely changed education and initiated the greatest advancement in digital learning to date. We discuss our experiences using Resimion, a novel scenario-based learning tool that was adapted to biomedical science, both for teaching and assessment. Methods: Our cohort included 769 students studying BSc(Hons) Biomedical Science at the University of the West of England from 2020 to 2023. Data was obtained from assessments within four different modules, two at FHEQ level 5 and two at level 6. Students were grouped based on reasonable adjustment (RA) status, including physical issues, specific learning differences and neurodiversity, with differences between student groups and assessment types analysed by ANOVA. Results: Data clearly demonstrate good engagement from students utilising Resimion software, representing 18,436 student interactions in total, across both assessed and non-assessed activities. RAs of any type did not alter submission rates (p = 0.53) or student outcome in any of the assessment types analysed. However, submission rates for Resimion assessments were notably higher than for other assessment types (p = 0.002). Whist outcomes were not significantly different, students with RAs did take significantly longer to complete the Haematology and Transfusion assessments (p = 0.0012). Specifically, neurodiverse students and those with specific learning differences used on average 81% of their allocated time, students with other RAs used 76%, whereas students without RAs used just 56% (p ≤ 0.0001), highlighting the appropriate adjustment of extra time provided for these students. It was further observed that 1.3% of Resimion activities undertaken by students utilised the in-built inclusivity features in the software. Both students with known RAs, and those without, utilised these features, therefore also aiding students without a formal diagnosis. Conclusion: The scenario-based learning tool Resimion was successfully integrated into the teaching of biomedical science and provided an engaging platform for students, with comparable results to other traditional assessment types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E. May
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth Anderson
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Dan Clark
- Resimion Ltd., Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathon Hull
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom
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Rajabi A, Farajzadeh D, Dehghanzadeh R, Aslani H, Mousavi S, Mosaferi M, Dehghani MH, Asghari FB. Characterization of antibiotic resistance genes and bacteria in a municipal water resource recovery facility. WATER ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH : A RESEARCH PUBLICATION OF THE WATER ENVIRONMENT FEDERATION 2022; 94:e10750. [PMID: 35765862 DOI: 10.1002/wer.10750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Municipal water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) are important sources of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes (ARB and ARGs). In this study, antibiotic-resistant total heterotrophic bacteria (THBR ) counts (CFU/ml) cultivated from influent, effluent of activated sludge process, and outflow of disinfection unit of an urban WRRF were investigated for the presence of 16, 32, 64, and 128 μg/ml of nine antibiotics. The isolates of Pseudomonas spp., Acinetobacter spp., and Escherichia coli obtained from effluent of activated sludge process were subjected for molecular identification by detecting the 16S rRNA gene sequences. Additionally, using the polymerase chain reaction method (PCR), the isolates were investigated for the presence of blaSHV , blaTEM , blaCTX-M , blaVIM , sul1, and qnrS genes. According to the results, the abundance of THBR counts was not significantly reduced by the biological treatment except for cefixime and sulfamethoxazole; it also increased for some antibiotics after disinfection unit. The average removal efficiency of THBR resistant to ciprofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole, and ceftazidime were 7.9 ± 1.7%, 41.8 ± 2.1%, and 14.4 ± 6.2%, respectively. Also, all the tested isolates were resistant to at least four antibiotics. For all antibiotics, the resistance ratio (THBR /THB) significantly increased in the effluent and after chlorination unit. Among 12 resistant isolates, blaTEM and sul1 genes were the most frequently detected ones involved in 92% and 83% of the isolates, respectively. Both blaTEM and sul1 genes were found in 100% of E. coli, and 83% and 67% of Pseudomonas spp. isolates, respectively. Further efforts are necessary to limit the transmission of ARB and ARGs from WRRFs into the environment and prevent human health threats. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The ratio of resistance significantly increased after biological treatment. Up to 40% of heterotrophic bacteria in the effluent was antibiotic resistant. blaTEM and sul1 genes were more prevalent (92%) in all isolates of bacteria. Both blaTEM and sul1 genes were found in 100% of E. coli isolates. Pseudomonas spp. holds blaTEM and sul1 genes in 83% and 67% of isolates, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akbar Rajabi
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Davoud Farajzadeh
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Reza Dehghanzadeh
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Health and Environment Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Hassan Aslani
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Health and Environment Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Saeid Mousavi
- Department of Statistics and Epidemiology, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Mosaferi
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
- Health and Environment Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Mohammad Hadi Dehghani
- Institute for Environmental Research, Center for Solid Waste Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Farzaneh Baghal Asghari
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Ganeshan S, Kim SH, Vujanovic V. Scaling-up production of plant endophytes in bioreactors: concepts, challenges and perspectives. BIORESOUR BIOPROCESS 2021; 8:63. [PMID: 34760435 PMCID: PMC8570317 DOI: 10.1186/s40643-021-00417-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The benefit of microorganisms to humans, animals, insects and plants is increasingly recognized, with intensified microbial endophytes research indicative of this realization. In the agriculture industry, the benefits are tremendous to move towards sustainable crop production and minimize or circumvent the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The research leading to the identification of potential plant endophytes is long and arduous and for many researchers the challenge is ultimately in scale-up production. While many of the larger agriculture and food industries have their own scale-up and manufacturing facilities, for many in academia and start-up companies the next steps towards production have been a stumbling block due to lack of information and understanding of the processes involved in scale-up fermentation. This review provides an overview of the fermentation process from shake flask cultures to scale-up and the manufacturing steps involved such as process development optimization (PDO), process hazard analysis (PHA), pre-, in- and post-production (PIP) challenges and finally the preparation of a technology transfer package (TTP) to transition the PDO to manufacturing. The focus is on submerged liquid fermentation (SLF) and plant endophytes production by providing original examples of fungal and bacterial endophytes, plant growth promoting Penicillium sp. and Streptomyces sp. bioinoculants, respectively. We also discuss the concepts, challenges and future perspectives of the scale-up microbial endophyte process technology based on the industrial and biosafety research platform for advancing a massive production of next-generation biologicals in bioreactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seedhabadee Ganeshan
- Department of Food and Bioproduct Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8 Canada
| | - Seon Hwa Kim
- Department of Food and Bioproduct Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8 Canada
| | - Vladimir Vujanovic
- Department of Food and Bioproduct Sciences, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A8 Canada
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Davis CP, Pinedo T. The Challenges of Teaching Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory Online in the Time of COVID-19. JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOLOGY EDUCATION 2021; 22:22.1.45. [PMID: 33884057 PMCID: PMC8011876 DOI: 10.1128/jmbe.v22i1.2605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
In early spring 2020, New York's K-12 schools, colleges, and universities went into lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and faculty began converting face-to-face classes into distance learning classes. Teachers and college faculty learned to use new technology to continue instruction for the remainder of the academic year. Learning curves were steep for some, as using technology proved to be overwhelming. Students who registered for in-person classes had to learn in an online environment. Pre-Health Science majors who rely heavily on practical, hands-on courses to gain the necessary skills required for their career participated in virtual anatomy and physiology laboratories. Clearly, face-to-face courses are not always possible; therefore, it is imperative to know the best practices of online teaching and learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudette P Davis
- Department of Natural Sciences, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY, Long Island City, NY 11101
| | - Tommy Pinedo
- Department of Natural Sciences, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY, Long Island City, NY 11101
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Fuller KS, Torres Rivera C. A Culturally Responsive Curricular Revision to Improve Engagement and Learning in an Undergraduate Microbiology Lab Course. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:577852. [PMID: 33519726 PMCID: PMC7838382 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.577852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We seek to increase student engagement and success to subsequently lead to increased retention and degree attainment for students at our Hispanic-serving institution. We hypothesized that using a culturally responsive approach in an undergraduate microbiology lab would increase engagement and learning gains. Using a culturally responsive approach allowed students to start their learning from their own place of understanding-centering students' lived experiences. Students interviewed family members to learn about "home remedies," and then devised experiments to test whether those home remedies affected growth of bacteria commonly implicated in gastrointestinal distress (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Escherichia coli) or sore throat (Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae). As a final assessment, students generated project posters which they presented at a class symposium. Implementation of a culturally responsive research experience focused on the gut microbiome resulted in increased learning gains as evidenced by movement up Bloom's Revised Taxonomy Scale. Student feedback indicated increased engagement, increased confidence in communicating science and a deeper understanding and appreciation for microbiology. Taken together, the results indicate that students appreciate a more culturally responsive and student-centered approach to learning in microbiology and encourages expansion of this approach to other modules in the course. This paper includes responsive data to support this claim, as well as a sample course calendar and supplementary learning material to support the human microbiome approach to microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karla S Fuller
- Science Department, Stella and Charles Guttman Community College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
| | - Camila Torres Rivera
- Mathematics Department, Stella and Charles Guttman Community College, City University of New York, New York, NY, United States
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Bachhawat AK, Pandit SB, Banerjee I, Anand S, Sarkar R, Mrigwani A, Mishra SK. An inquiry-based approach in large undergraduate labs: Learning, by doing it the "wrong" way. BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EDUCATION : A BIMONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 48:227-235. [PMID: 31899597 DOI: 10.1002/bmb.21331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Undergraduate laboratory courses, owing to their larger sizes and shorter time slots, are often conducted in highly structured modes. However, this approach is known to interfere with students' engagement in the experiments. To enhance students' engagement, we propose an alternative mode of running laboratory courses by creating some "disorder" in a previously adopted structure. After performing an experiment in the right way, the students were asked to repeat the experiment but with a variation at certain steps leading to the experiment being done the "wrong" way. Although this approach led to fewer experiments being conducted in a semester, it significantly enhanced the students' involvement. This was also reflected in the students' feedback. The majority of students preferred repeating an experiment with a variant protocol than performing a new experiment. Although we have tested this inquiry-based approach only for an undergraduate laboratory course in molecular biology, we believe such an approach could also be extended to undergraduate laboratory courses of other subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anand K Bachhawat
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab, India
| | - Shashi Bhushan Pandit
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab, India
| | - Indranil Banerjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab, India
| | - Shashi Anand
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab, India
| | - Roman Sarkar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab, India
| | - Arpita Mrigwani
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab, India
| | - Shravan Kumar Mishra
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, Punjab, India
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McCall B, Pacitti AF, Forster BM. A Simplified but Comprehensive Laboratory Curriculum for Microbiology in Nursing and Allied Health (MINAH) Courses. JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOLOGY EDUCATION 2019; 20:jmbe-20-61. [PMID: 31890083 PMCID: PMC6914353 DOI: 10.1128/jmbe.v20i3.1841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Some U.S. nursing programs have considered or already have removed microbiology courses from their curriculum. In response to this, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) published in 2018 the Microbiology in Nursing and Allied Health (MINAH) Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines. Parts of these guidelines include competencies and skills, which are best taught in a laboratory setting. Recognizing that some programs face a burden of running nursing/allied health microbiology lab classes, we have designed a curriculum of seven laboratories that covers the concepts in the MINAH guidelines. These labs cover aseptic technique and proper specimen collection, microscopy, enumerating microorganisms, and diagnostic tests in identifying unknowns. In addition, we provide some tips and tools for keeping down the costs of offering a microbiology lab. It is our goal that these tips and the suggested guidelines will allow microbiology to remain in the nursing and allied health curriculum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brynn McCall
- College of Arts & Sciences, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA 19131
| | - Anne F. Pacitti
- Department of Biology, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA 19131
| | - Brian M. Forster
- College of Arts & Sciences, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA 19131
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