Challenges of teaching food microbiology in Brazil

Abstract

Food Microbiology is included in majors such as Food Engineering, Food Science and Technology, Nutrition, Veterinary Medicine, Gastronomy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, among others. Food safety and hygiene are usually the focus, but the technological applications of microbes through fermentations are also covered. During an education symposium at the Brazilian Congress of Microbiology in 2017, a group of professors expressed their difficulties associated with teaching to new generations, the use of technology in the classroom, and the application of new learning tools. The objective of this study was to gather information about the educational practices among Brazilian professors who teach Food Microbiology throughout the country. The results indeed confirmed the diversity of careers in which food microbiology is taught. We verified that professors mixed traditional teaching strategies with modern active learning methods, even though some difficulties associated with lack of time, pedagogical training, and low adherence of students for adopting these modern methods were commonly highlighted. The preferred teaching approaches were dialogued or discussed lectures, seminars, homework, case studies, and field visits. It is noteworthy that most professors still use traditional teaching methods. It is crucial that awareness concerning the educational needs in different careers and the challenges and dilemmas facing education for the new generations should be dealt with by using effective teaching approaches in food microbiology education. We suggest that a more permanent discussion forum among faculty members dealing with food microbiology in the country should be launched and this work is a step towards this goal.

Remote Teaching and Research Practices in the Food Science Field During the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Quantitative data were organized in electronic spreadsheets, using the Microsoft Office Excel 2010, and analyzed by Descriptive Statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed through the content analysis technique, which allows one to consider the data both in the textual structure as well as in the implicit subjectivity of words and their inferences in each subject's messages (FINGER et al, 2020).…”

“…Sometimes, teaching practices adopted in the classroom reflect the same traditional training that these educators had, without modernization in the lesson plan and incorporation of new teaching strategies and resources (MENEZES et al, 2019). This was confirmed in a Brazilian study which reported the common use of traditional teaching methods by university microbiology professors, who pointed to lack of time, pedagogical training, and low adhesion of students to different teaching methods as hindrances to innovations in teaching, such as active learning methods (FINGER et al, 2020).…”

“…It is evident that there is a great challenge for higher education institutions and educators across many different fields to adapt teaching according to the pedagogical needs of the new generations. Aside from adapting to a period without classes and face-to-face interactions, or offering classes or activities online, it is also necessary to implement new tools and technologies that could make classes more dynamic and interactive, irrespective of pandemic times (FINGER et al, 2020).…”

Gamification in Biology Education: A Systematic Review Analysis

“…These games, while offering an entertaining and interactive approach to the subject matter by simulating the manipulation of living organisms in the classroom, impose a technological limitation due to their development for digital platforms (i.e., in video game format) (Coil, Ettinger & Eisen, 2017). This leads to a lack of use of motivational strategies affecting young people in the field of biology education (Fahnert, 2016;Finger et al, 2020;Sancho et al, 2006). Researchers in the relevant literature have addressed many aspects of this issue, indicating a need for more creative solutions to overcome learning barriers.…”

A guide to pedagogical research for scientists from a biological sciences background

“…Microbiology, as well as a stand-alone degree subject, is a key component of Biosciences courses due to the role of microbes in human, animal and plant diseases as well as being invaluable to the field of biotechnology. Microbiology teaching faces similar challenges to those across the sciences, with microbiology students traditionally being required to memorize the names of microbial species, link them with specific diseases and then remember numerous virulence factors and disease symptoms, elements that many students find challenging and often frustrating [7][8][9].…”