Outreach Activities for Teaching Plastination

Abstract

Lecturing has been the predominant mode of instruction since universities were founded about a thousand years ago. Theories of learning that emphasize the need for students to construct their own understanding have challenged the theoretical underpinnings of the traditional, instructor-focused, “teaching by telling” approach. Exposition-centered methods impact student performance in undergraduate courses across the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Inclusive engagement, retention, and success of students in a rigorous curriculum is a universal priority for STEM education. Integrative thinking, as exemplified by the ability to confront complex problems using knowledge and tools of multiple disciplines, is a capacity increasingly critical to STEM. During the last ten years, we organized numerous educational activities where we hosted undergraduate medical students, high school students and secondary school students. Silicone plastination of the lamb hearts was at the core of all activities. The activities were planned in three different scenarios: two-hours compact courses, one-day courses, six 90-minutes sessions over 8-9 weeks. We reached more than 2000 students in total. The primary goals of our outreach plastination activities were to inform and excite students about health science as a potential career discipline

and to increase the awareness and relevance of health sciences in students’ daily lives. We had excellent results, especially in stimulation of enthusiasm of K-12 students about targeting health sciences as a potential career field and increase their awareness of science.