Making It Matter: Increasing Student-Perceived Value of Microbiology through Reflective and Critical News Story Analysis

Even before coverage and updates on COVID-19 became a daily event in mainstream news, mass media was already full of science-focused current events stories. While relevant to our everyday lives, many popular press science articles overstate conclusions, misstate details or, at worst, purposefully spread disinformation. This iterative news analysis and writing intervention was designed to increase the visibility of real-world applications of microbiology in current events (including and beyond the 2019 coronavirus disease [COVID-19] pandemic), thereby engaging students and cultivating motivation through a positive perception of course content in accordance with expectancy-value theory. This intervention can be scaled and has been successfully used in both large- and small-enrollment microbiology classes as an active learning strategy. Students engage in science literacy at multiple levels, starting with identifying credible sources, then summarizing news articles, relating them to course content, conveying the main ideas to lay audiences, identifying in turn misleading or omitted ideas, and finally writing potential exam questions on the topic. This multifaceted analysis allows students to interact with material at many different levels in a self-directed manner as students seek out and choose articles to share with their peers. To date, anecdotal evidence suggests positive gains in student interest and perceived value of studying science.

Current events project in a pharmacotherapy course

OBJECTIVE

To implement and assess a current events project added to the curriculum of a pharmacotherapy course in a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program.

DESIGN

Third-year PharmD students researched a current event topic related to infectious diseases and prepared a written and verbal summary that was presented to their classmates.

ASSESSMENT

Scores on course examinations and quizzes to assess students' knowledge of current events material were equal to or better than non-current events material. Based upon a student self-assessment survey, this active-learning activity increased students' awareness of current events related to pharmacy practice, and their understanding of the process to prepare and present information to a group in a statistically significant manner. There was a positive but not significant improvement in students' desire to prepare and present information to a group; ability to evaluate, organize, and present information in a written report; and ability to verbally present material to a group.

CONCLUSION

The addition of a current events presentation as an active-learning activity significantly increased students' awareness of current events related to pharmacy practice and their understanding of the process to prepare and present information to a group.