Antimicrobial Resistance: Raising Awareness and Inspiring the Next Generation of Scientists

Authors

  • Catherine Emily Rowland University of Warwick
  • Anna York University of Warwick

Keywords:

Antibiotic Resistance, Key Stage 3, Outreach, Science, STEM, Workshop

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a major threat to modern medicine and has a wider socio-economic impact worldwide. Public awareness is a key priority in decreasing the burden of AMR, and so we describe the development and execution of ‘Antibiotic Awareness’, a workshop for key stage 3 (KS3) pupils delivered by researchers from the University of Warwick. The workshop aimed to highlight the importance of antibiotic resistance, in addition to providing a novel opportunity for students to engage with scientists in this widening participation project. The session was one hour, comprising an introductory talk, three activities and a plenary question and answer session. The workshop was delivered to 233 students, in two schools, and complemented the KS3 curriculum. The workshop was assessed on three criteria; student responses to questions (at the end of the session and in a two month follow-up), student feedback, and teacher feedback. Overall, 88% of students felt that we ‘had done a good job’. Immediately after the workshop, the majority were able to define antibiotic resistance and answer plenary questions. However, at follow-up, retention was low. The initial delivery of the workshop indicated that it was informative and engaging, but also identified opportunities for improvement.

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Author Biographies

Catherine Emily Rowland, University of Warwick

PhD student in Biochemistry, School of Life Sciences

Anna York, University of Warwick

PhD student in Biochemistry, Schook of Life Sciences

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Published

2017-06-22

Issue

Section

Critical Reflections