Improving immune literacy: an analysis of the current state of immunology education in grades 6-12 in Alabama 3991

Abstract Description The immune system plays a critical role in determining the health of the population. It is more important now than ever before to promote immune literacy broadly. To achieve this goal, efforts are underway to support secondary educators in an effort to increase incorporation of immunology content in grades 6-12. As a first step, middle- and high-school science teachers across the state of Alabama were surveyed to determine to what extent immunology is taught at the secondary level, the relative comfort that teachers have with the topic of immunology and how comfortable students are learning immunology. Survey results revealed that approximately 71% of teachers surveyed indicated that they incorporate immunology-related concepts into classes, modules or activities. Importantly, the majority of teachers responded that they are somewhat or mostly comfortable (69%) facilitating educational experiences focused on immunology and that 82% of their students are somewhat or mostly comfortable learning about the immune system. The vast majority of teachers (82%) responded that they felt that immunology can be taught as an application of basic science concepts. Although immunology is already being taught in grades 6-12, the results demonstrate that immunology education can be improved by efforts to support teachers in developing familiarity with immunology and the creation of effective classroom activities and lesson plans to further integrate immunology into the science curriculum. Funding Sources Supported by the Department of Microbiology Topic Categories Immunology Education and Communication (EDU)