Dr Helga Bartels-Hardege, University of Hull
“Biology in Education” is a 40-credit module offered to final year students in the Biological and Marine Sciences Department. It involves students taking weekly placements at local primary and secondary schools throughout the academic year. In collaboration with the students on the module, in the academic year 2020/21, the main assessment for the module was changed as a reaction of the Covid 19 move to online teaching in schools and Higher Education (see TEA blog post from June 2021). The assessment was made more authentic, using official “Outreach Project” proposal and evaluation forms, however the project itself had to be delivered online due to the restrictions during the pandemic. This resulted in a variety of projects mostly on ecologically important topics, for example Climate Change, Endangered Species and Plastic Pollution. 200 young people at primary and secondary level benefitted from these projects that were praised very much by students and teachers alike.
This year we are building upon this success, but this time the projects can be delivered again in person within the school classroom, using practical elements and experimental setups. Students are currently planning their projects in conjunction with their placement mentors and preparing their “Outreach Proposal Forms” as a formative assessment. They have the opportunity to use topic that they themselves find interesting and are enthusiastic about. We already have an exciting project lined up on the “Influence of Oleamide from Plastic Pollution on Hermit Crabs”, which will be delivered to a year 12 class at Wilberforce College in the form of a small research project. There will also be sessions on butterflies and micro algae with primary school children and a session on DNA structure with a year 8 class. Many more projects are still at the planning stage.
This infographic briefly reviews last year’s projects and updates on this year’s in-person projects to include feedback from students and teachers. This case study shows impressively how students canwork on the topic that fascinated them most in their degree, combine this with the interest of the school to provide science role models to raise attainment in their pupils and at the same time gain valuable skills and knowledge as part of their course.