Antiviral Drug Research Proposal Activity

Abstract

The development of antiviral drugs provides an excellent example of how basic and clinical research must be used together in order to achieve the final goal of treating disease. A Research Oriented Learning Activity was designed to help students to better understand how basic and clinical research can be combined toward a common goal. Through this project students gained a better understanding of the process of scientific research and increased their information literacy in the field of virology. The students worked as teams to research the many aspects involved in the antiviral drug design process, with each student becoming an “expert” in one aspect of the project. The Antiviral Drug Research Proposal (ADRP) culminated with students presenting their proposals to their peers and local virologists in a poster session. Assessment data showed increased student awareness and knowledge of the research process and the steps involved in the development of antiviral drugs as a result of this activity.

Virology in the Classroom: Current Approaches and Challenges to Undergraduate- and Graduate-Level Virology Education

“…In contrast, the next two activities use and then extend important concepts in virology during semester-long projects. First, Injaian et al (14) had students develop a research proposal on an antiviral drug. Four lecture periods were used: an introduction to the project (week 3), in-class discussions based on interim knowledge acquisition (weeks 6 and 10), and a poster session for reporting findings (week 14).…”

Transforming Institutions

“…Gili Marbach-Ad, the director of the College Teaching and Learning Center (http://www.life.umd.edu/tlc/), is also an integral part of the group, providing expertise in science pedagogy and assessment. During our time as a community, we have developed thirteen HPI concepts, an assessment tool (HPI Concept Inventory) and transformed our courses according to current research in student learning in STEM courses Injaian et al, 2011;Quimby et al, 2011;Senkevitch et al, 2011). Members of our group have become active in campus-wide and national STEM educational initiatives, including Vision and Change, and ASM curriculum reform.…”

The Use of Group Activities in Introductory Biology Supports Learning Gains and Uniquely Benefits High-Achieving Students

“…Given the challenges to engage students in large-enrollment classes, researchers across the US have begun implementing new strategies to try and restructure large classes to enhance student engagement (13, 14, 20, 21). Evidence shows that student classroom engagement through group work and problem solving can enhance learning (6–8, 12, 19, 33) and foster critical thinking (10, 21). Furthermore, working collaboratively on group assignments in science classes is fundamentally important for preparing students for the collaborative nature of the workplace (17).…”