Antibiotic Resistance...an Evolutionary Perspective (Teachable Tidbit)
Synopsis:
This teachable tidbit, developed during the 2015 Summer Institute hosted by The Ohio State University, provides an active learning exercise intended to be utilized in a majors-level introductory Biology course, and is designed to work for any class size. This activity focuses on the targets/mechanisms of antibiotics, as well as appearance and prevalence of bacteria exhibiting resistance, while utilizing questions throughout to foster discussion and guide learning. The activity concludes with student volunteers acting out a scenario that works to further explain and clarify antibiotic resistance as it relates to disease transmission and treatment.
Scientific Teaching at a Glance...
Active Learning |
Backward Design |
Assessment |
Diversity |
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Scenarios are presented to the students to help guide them through an activity. Students then are given a sample environment and have to make predictions and answer questions on how antibiotic would affect their model. |
One of the learning goals in this unit is for students to be able to explain evolution from a natural selection perspective and a learning outcome under this learning goal is for students to be able to explain how mutations and natural selection play a role in antibiotic resistance. This learning outcome is achieved by students working through a scenario involving antibiotic resistance, disease transmission, and treatment. |
Questions are asked throughout the activity to check that students have acquired sufficient knowledge to move onto the next step. Wrap up questions are also asked. |
Antibiotic resistant bacteria are a worldwide problem that can cause harm to people everywhere if a bacterial infection arises that cannot be treated. |
Files associated with this Teachable Tidbit can be downloaded directly using these links:
CWIS Antibiotic Resistance.docx (General Overview of the Activity)
2015 NASI Antibiotic Resistance Tidbit.pdf (pdf version of the original powerpoint presentation)
2015 NASI Antibiotic Resistance Tidbit.pptx (the original powerpoint presentation)
Activity Details:
Authors:
- Tammy Bullwinkle (bullwinkle.1@osu.edu)
- Sara Faust (faust.60@osu.edu)
- Harold Vaessin (vaessin.1@osu.edu)
- Madhura Pradhan (pradhan.2@osu.edu)
Learning Goals:
- Understand evolution by natural selection
- Explain bacterial genetics (gene transfer, gene expression, mutation)
- Understand modern applications of biology to society
- Develop scientific literacy
Learning Outcomes:
Students should be able to…
- Identify molecular targets of antibiotics
- Explain what roles mutations and natural selection play in antibiotic resistance
- Explain how resistance in one bacterial species can be acquired by another
- Predict how changes in antibiotic use will affect the frequency of resistance
- Formulate hypotheses and interpret scientific graphs
Activity Timeline:
This activity begins with a brief account of the history of antibiotic introduction/use and quickly progresses to a series of scenarios/questions that students must consider and discuss, with a few lecture slides that provide necessary background information (scaffolding) to complete the activity (ex. Slide depicting the various mechanisms by which antibiotics work). Students are then presented with a sample experiment for which they generate predictions, answer questions, and analyze data. Next, student volunteers are utilized to act out a scenario regarding development of antibiotic resistance and disease treatment and transmission. Finally, two questions are asked (which can also be assigned to consider for the next class session) that require students to consider public health connections to antibiotic resistance.
*For clarification of the sequence of events/dialogue intended for the student volunteer activity component, please contact any of the original authors listed earlier.
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