The Game of Parasitism: A New Approach to Presenting Life Cycles

 

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2018, Volume 39

Marilee A. Ramesh

Abstract

Life cycles have been a standard in introductory biology instruction, but are met with less than enthusiastic responses from students. In a field such as Parasitism, life cycles are integral to understanding disease transmission and discovering methods of prevention. Life cycles tend to be complex, often requiring multiple hosts, stages, and environments. To address the concept of life cycles in way that uses active learning approaches, I assigned students to create a board game based on a specific parasitic life cycle. In small groups, they developed a game proposal and a materials list. They created a prototype of the game, including a board, playing pieces, playing cards, and instructions. In addition to presenting their game to the class, the games are played and evaluated by their classmates. This assignment is a multi-stage project that is integrated into the second half of the semester with final presentations and game evaluation occurring during the last week. The assignment is evaluated based on scientific accuracy and depth, division of labor, and quality of the final product. Examples of student projects will be presented and participants will have the opportunity to evaluate (play) them. This assignment incorporates active learning, team building, creativity, and peer evaluation to produce a finished product that demonstrates an understanding of the importance of life cycles in the field of parasitism.

Keywords:  life cycle, experiential learning, parasitism, games

University of Wisconsin, Madison (2017)