INIQUI   05448
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES PARA LA INDUSTRIA QUIMICA
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Multiplying Efforts in Latin America – The ALAM-ASM-UNESCO Workshop on Microbiology Education 2010.
Autor/es:
VERÓNICA B. RAJAL; JUANA ORTELLADO; TODD PETERSON
Lugar:
Maryland
Reunión:
Congreso; 18th Annual Conference for Undergraduate Educators; 2011
Institución organizadora:
American Society for Microbiology
Resumen:
Multiplying Efforts In Latin America – The ALAM-ASM-UNESCO Workshop On Microbiology Education 2010.   V.B. Rajal, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta, Argentina J. Ortellado, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Paraguay T. Peterson, American Society for Microbiology, USA   The ASM-UNESCO-ALAM WORKSHOP ON MICROBIOLOGY EDUCATION (WS) was a pre-congress workshop organized with the XX Latin American Congress on Microbiology (ALAM), held in Montevideo, Uruguay, September 27-October 1, 2010.  It was hypothesized that microbiology educators in Latin America (LA) were unfamiliar or underutilizing the new methods and tools in microbiology education that could overcome a common set of educational barriers. The main objective of the WS was to provide a select group of microbiology educators from LA with training in new pedagogical resources and techniques available through the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). The WS was conducted by two professors from LA previously trained through the ASMCUE-UNESCO Train the Trainers Workshop (Colorado, May 2009) and one ASM representative. Twenty-one microbiology educators from eight different countries in LA participated. The activities were divided in two parts. The first included pre-WS tasks using the distance learning platform, Moodle. The participants were asked to introduce themselves and to reflect on their interests, challenges and experiences in microbiology education. Then, they were initiated and guided through teaching resources available online through ASM. It was determined that microbiology educators from across LA experienced similar experiences and challenges to engaging their students and imparting a critical scientific foundation. The second part was the on-site WS on September 27, 2010 in Montevideo. An overview of the ASM and educational programs were presented and hands-on training in new web-based resources and methods was conducted. Challenges and experiences were analyzed together with the participants and new classroom activities, to be implemented in their own institutions, were developed and tested. An anonymous survey (N=19) was conducted upon completion of activities. Almost all of the participants (84%) graded the WS between good and excellent and most of them indicated their interest on the use of the new resources. However, some of them (53%) considered that more time was needed in order to reinforce the acquired knowledge. The Moodle platform was new most of the participants and they found it (84%) helpful despite of some technological problems. All the participants (100%) graded the degree of compliance with their expectations for the WS, the instructors, and lectures between good and excellent, and 17 of them (89%) stated that can implement the suggested learning activities in their own place and proposed a plan. The feedback, with suggestions and comments, will be considered for improving future editions of the WS. According to participant feedback, the objectives proposed were successfully realized. Also the viral outgrowth of the WS would constitute a major success of the initiative.   Verónica Rajal, Phone 54-387-4255347, vbrajal@gmail.com Juana Ortellado, Phone 595-21-424971, juaniorte@yahoo.com.mx Todd Petersen, 001-703-678-6006, tpeterson@asmusa.org