Teaching biology using memoirs of scientists, public health officials, doctors, and patients.

Abstract

In this study, we designed a novel undergraduate biology course centered entirely around reading memoirs of scientists, doctors, patients, and public health officials. Students in the course engaged in active learning and critical thinking-based activities and assessments, including writing analytical papers, delivering scientific presentations, writing personal reflections, performing data analysis, and engaging in group work and class discussions in every class period. The main learning goals of the course were for students to visualize the processes of science and medicine, to understand the interface of science and society, to gain awareness of a variety of career paths, to appreciate the humanity of scientists, and to build skills in critical thinking and scientific communication. We measured the high level of effectiveness of the course in meeting its learning goals through an analysis of the student assignments completed throughout the semester, post-course survey results, and post-course student outcomes. We found that the course model developed in this study-namely, a science course with a central focus on reading memoirs-is unique within the academic literature. Furthermore, this new model can be directly applied to courses in any scientific discipline through the instructor's ability to select a customized set of biographies of researchers working in any scientific field. We have therefore developed a course that can promote critical thinking skills and career awareness in any scientific field-along with a nuanced understanding of the process of research and the interplay between science, ethics, and society-in students very early on in their scientific training.