Connected by ImmunoReach, Michelle Pearson from Spokane Falls Community College connected with Philip F. Mixter from Washington State University. Their session was entitled “Tetanus Module: Helping First-year Students Connect Molecular Concepts with the Biology of Vaccines” and consisted of a ten-minute recorded session. They chose tetanus and explained their objectives. They wanted students to explain why there is no “natural immunity” to tetanus and how vaccination protects against the toxic effects of tetanospasmin. The tetanus module was presented in Canvas, though there were some differences between virtual nd in-person modalities. There was a pre-quiz, ~30 min of lecture divided into two sessions, and an activity. Pearson shared some colorful Khan Academy style diagrams! I wonder how they created them!? For a puzzle task, students were given pieces of the toxin, toxoid, antibodies… and distractors. They connected the tetanospasmin to the ganglioside. Test fitting with the antibody models was needed. Students turned in photos or screenshots of the puzzle and responses to questions as written answers. Pre and post quizzes were compared between sections. Pearson shared that students appreciated the hands-on and clarified concepts. They also shared a flowers and humming bird interaction model to explain the concepts. Pearson is an excellent artist! ImmunoReach is doing fantastic work and making their modules available on QUBES. I wonder if there are resources and lessons I could use next spring?!
