Microbes Go to School: Using Microbiology and Service-Learning to Increase Science Awareness and Fostering the Relationship Between Universities and the General Public

Abstract

Microbiology is an essential element of our everyday lives. This is not only the consequence of the importance of some pathogenic microorganisms, but also due to their positive and important role in processes related to human health, food production or waste recycling, to cite a few. However, the relevance of microbiology for the well-being of humankind and the planet still needs to reach beyond academic circles. Many current matters of urgency, such as environmental pollution or climate change, could partly be tackled by using green and sustainable solutions derived from microbial biotechnologies. Nevertheless, the wider public still attributes a negative connotation to microbes such as fungi and bacteria. The aim of this study was to implement service-learning as a pedagogical approach to increase scientific and microbiology literacy in society. Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates community service and civic responsibility, fostering the dissemination of scientific knowledge. This approach is used to communicate about pressing societal issues surrounding microbes (antibiotic resistance, natural resources recycling, human microbiota, and food production among others) to an audience of pupils attending public schools. The activity of service-learning is proposed in the final year of the biology bachelor curriculum. Its purpose is to allow university students to develop and practice their lay communication skills as a key competence to be acquired during their university education. In the activity, the students developed their own concept and material for the activity and delivered it to pupils at primary and secondary school levels (pupils aged 6–15 years old). The message is also expected to be disseminated beyond the participants, when the students and pupils share their experience with family and friends. With this pedagogical approach, we intend to raise awareness regarding about the importance of microbiology and its dual roles as harmful and beneficial for humans. We also wish to increase the connection between primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions. Finally, we want to highlight the importance of having a new generation of communication savvy professionals in biology.

Combining postgraduate research training, public engagement, and primary school science education—a Superbugs Master (MSc) class

“…According to Felten and Clayton (2011), service-based learning is a 'mechanism for community engagement and high-impact pedagogy' . Applying these teaching approaches in the context of student-driven research projects can result in high quality and impactful public engagement (Webb, 2016;Fatton et al, 2021).…”

“…From a pedagogical standpoint, service learning in the context of this project may be defined as 'applied active learning' . The pedagogical approach of service learning has been shown to be academically beneficial to partaking students, both within the field of microbiology (Webb, 2016;Fatton et al, 2021) and beyond in wider science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects (Freeman et al, 2014). The MSc students who undertook this project did exhibit this benefit, reporting an increase in confidence of key scientific skills such as reviewing of the literature, scientific writing and presenting, that are a cornerstone of developing competent independent scientists.…”