Adapting an Infectious Diseases Course for "Engaged Citizen" Themes

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases Education
• Science Pedagogy
• Undergraduate Curriculum Development

Background:

• Curricular changes were driven by a university-wide "Engaged Citizen" initiative.
• Existing undergraduate infectious diseases course required adaptation to align with new educational goals.
• Integration of scientific citizenship principles into science education is a growing area of focus.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the philosophies and perspectives behind integrating scientific citizenship into an undergraduate infectious diseases course.
• To present the instructional model developed for this curricular change.
• To share perspectives on the effectiveness and broader applicability of the model.

Main Methods:

• Philosophical and pedagogical frameworks for scientific citizenship were identified.
• An "Engaged Citizen" theme was incorporated into an existing infectious diseases course.
• Student and instructor feedback was collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• The curricular changes successfully integrated scientific citizenship concepts into infectious diseases education.
• The instructional model provided a framework for aligning science courses with broader citizenship goals.
• Both students and instructors reported positive experiences with the revised curriculum.

Conclusions:

• The developed instructional model is effective for fostering scientific citizenship in undergraduate science courses.
• The approach has potential for adaptation to other science disciplines and courses.
• Integrating citizenship themes enhances the relevance and impact of science education.