Document text
Principal Investigator: LOUISA A STARK
Organization: UTAH STATE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM--UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
Fiscal Year: 2021
Award: $54,000
Funding agency: National Institute of General Medical Sciences
As COVID-19 vaccines become more widely available, vaccine hesitancy is rapidly becoming one of the
major barriers to achieving herd immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the US population. Lack of accurate
scientific information is one of the multiple factors contributing to this hesitancy. To address this need, the
Genetic Science Learning Center (GSLC) at the University of Utah will utilize its award-winning expertise in
developing effective, multimedia-rich curriculum materials to produce three lessons for grade 9 and 10 high
school biology students. The lessons will build on and extend a curriculum unit that the GSLC produced for the
SEPA-funded Genes and Microbes: Engaging Students and Teachers in NGSS-Aligned Curricula and
Professional Development project. The goals for this supplement are to:
GOAL 1: Educate secondary-level students about the impacts of genes and microbes on health and
disease so they can contribute to choices related to their health in an informed way. Approach: Develop
three NGSS-aligned lessons on mRNA vaccines for grade 9-10 high school biology students. The lessons will
build on content in the Exploring Genetics Through Genetic Disorders unit, that the GSLC developed and
tested for the parent project. After learning how mRNA vaccines work, students will explore factors that can
influence an individual’s vaccine confidence level. Finally, they will develop and deploy social media
campaigns designed to educate the adults who care for them, peers and/or members of their community on
mRNA vaccines and increase vaccine confidence. We will conduct a within-subjects, mixed methods research
study to evaluate the efficacy and impact of the supplemental lessons, using validated instruments.
GOAL 2: Prepare teachers to use the lessons through an online professional development course
and at least two workshops. Approach: The new lessons will be included in an online course that is taught
annually for teachers and will be presented in a workshop at a national science teacher conference and in at
least one virtual workshop.
To further disseminate the new lessons, we will promote them to our email list of >20,000 educators
worldwide and via our Twitter account, and publish a paper in a high school science teacher journal. The new
lessons will be freely available on our Learn.Genetics and Teach.Genetics websites which annually receive
>14 million visits and >40 million page views, coming from virtually every country in the world. Thus, the new
lessons will be broadly disseminated, increasing their reach and use.
The project will take full advantage of the GSLC’s synergistic expertise in curriculum development and
instructional design, teacher professional development, and research and evaluation. It will build on our 26
years of experience in producing highly effective educational materials for students and the public, and in
holding effective teacher professional development programs.
Terms: <2019-nCoV vaccine><21+ years old><Address><Adult><Adult Human><Attitude><Award><Biologic Sciences><Biological Sciences><Biology><Bioscience><COVID-19 immunity><COVID-19 vaccine><COVID19 immunity><COVID19 vaccine><Care Givers><Caregivers><Caring><Communities><Country><Curriculum><Development><Development and Research><Disease><Disorder><E-Mail><E-course><Educational Curriculum><Educational Materials><Educational workshop><Electronic Mail><Email><Evaluation><Event><Faculty Education><Faculty Training><Family member><Funding><Future Teacher><Genes><Genetic><Genetic Code><Genetic Diseases><Goals><Health><Herd Immunity><High School Student><Immune response><Immunological response><Individual><Instruction><Journals><Knowledge><Learning><Life Sciences><Magazine><Manuscripts><Media Campaign><Microbe><Multimedia><Multimedium><Paper><Population><Preservice teacher><Program Development><Protein Biosynthesis><Publishing><R & D><R&D><RNA vaccine><RNA-based vaccine><Research Methodology><Research Methods><Ribosomal Peptide Biosynthesis><Ribosomal Protein Biosynthesis><Ribosomal Protein Synthesis><SARS-CoV-2 immunity><SARS-CoV-2 vaccine><SARS-CoV2 vaccine><SARS-coronavirus-2 vaccine><Science><Science of genetics><Secondary School Student><Secondary Student><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 vaccine><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 immunity><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccine><Site><Students><Survey Instrument><Surveys><Teacher Education><Teacher Educator><Teacher Preparation><Teacher Professional Development><Teacher Training><Testing><Twitter><Universities><Utah><Vaccination><Vaccines><Viral Gene Products><Viral Gene Proteins><Viral Proteins><Virus><Visit><Work><Workshop><Writing><accept vaccination><accept vaccine><adulthood><animation><base><class development><conference><convention><corona virus disease 2019 vaccine><coronavirus disease 2019 immunity><coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine><course development><course material development><curriculum development><design><designing><developmental><education resources><educational resources><efficacy analysis><efficacy assessment><efficacy evaluation><efficacy examination><electronic communication><evaluate efficacy><examine efficacy><experience><faculty development><faculty professional development><future faculty><genetic condition><genetic disorder><hesitant to vaccination><high school><host response><immune system response><immunity against COVID-19><immunity against COVID19><immunity against SARS-CoV-2><immunity against Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><immunity against coronavirus disease 2019><immunity to COVID-19><immunity to COVID19><immunity to SARS-CoV-2><immunity to Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><immunity to coronavirus disease 2019><immunoresponse><instructor training><instrument><lesson plans><mRNA vaccine><mRNA-based vaccine><member><new approaches><novel approaches><novel strategies><novel strategy><online course><online curriculum><parent project><peer><pre-service teacher><protein synthesis><research and development><research study><science education><science educator><science professional><science teacher><social media><student teacher><summit><symposia><symposium><teacher><teacher development><vaccination acceptability><vaccination acceptance><vaccination confidence><vaccination hesitancy><vaccination uptake><vaccination willingness><vaccine acceptability><vaccine acceptance><vaccine against 2019-nCov><vaccine against SARS-CoV-2><vaccine against SARS-CoV2><vaccine against SARS-coronavirus-2><vaccine against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2><vaccine against Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><vaccine confidence><vaccine for novel coronavirus><vaccine hesitancy><vaccine hesitant><vaccine uptake><vaccine willingness><virtual><virus protein><web site><website>