When students attend the opening lecture of the Biomedical Parasitology course in third year, they are met with a surprising scene. They encounter an intriguing character: the flea circus director Professor Schmarotzersindwunderbarhausen, or as a rough translation suggests, a professor for “parasites are wonderful”.
Role playing
Meet Alex Maier. For Professor Maier, donning a costume to role-play the fascinating world of parasitology is both a reflection of his great passion for the field and commitment to employing innovative learning and teaching methods. Drawing on a long tradition of role play in education, Alex imbues his lessons with the sense of wonder only a circus character can convey. His method has proven to have a lasting impact on his students.
Role playing is used by Alex to spark student’s curiosity and engagement early in the course. As students are not confronted by dry accounts of endless facts, the imaginative delivery enables them to become more emotionally invested in the subject matter. Students also get to confront any preconceived ideas they may have about parasites, as they are transported “… from ignorance to knowing, from then to now (and in the future), from passive to active, from novice to expert, but also from revulsion and disgust to respect (if not appreciation) of the intriguing parasitic lifestyle.”1
When joining this course, I viewed parasites as “repulsive creatures” and my motivation was to learn how to mitigate their harm. However, I quickly understood how diverse, complex, and unique parasites can be.
Marion Halas, student of the Biomedical Parasitology course2
Alternative assessment tasks
Alex Maier’s course offers a personalised, authentic approach through a voluntary alternative assessment task. The pedagogical approach is student focused, as students get to draw on their own personal interests and style and to apply subjectivity and creativity. For instance, students of Alex’s course tested their creative talent when they were asked to create a craft object. As no restrictions were placed on the final format, the student’s imaginations ran wild. Some crocheted parasites they were fascinated by, while others chose to construct stories, for instance, by using technology to create infomercials.2
For their assessment, students were asked to reflect on their creation. While discussing the pros and cons of their creative approach, students also reflected on their chosen topic and their engagement with a cross-disciplinary method. In this way, the crafting of a creative object became an effective strategy for conveying knowledge about a parasite or parasitological concept.2 Importantly, for hands-on tasks like this, reflection on the subject matter occurs both during the making of the object and during its evaluation. This kind of creative approach to pedagogy enables a deeper understanding of the content that goes beyond simply memorising factual information.
This activity not only deepened my appreciation for the complex mechanisms parasites use to sustain infection, but also provided a dynamic and engaging way to reinforce the course content.
Hunter Seabrook, student of the Biomedical Parasitology course2
Alex confirms the method of linking art and science is effective as both fields require “keen observational skills, precision, expertise and abstraction”.2 Student Luka Ruwette agrees, science is also a creative medium, and “creative works … really test that thinking out of the box”.
Inspired assessment outcomes
Through the Biomedical Parasitology course, the “power of storytelling through different perspectives” comes alive through drawings, watercolour paintings, knitted or crocheted parasites, poetry, needlework, scripted videos – and even through the baking of cakes.
Stories connect learning content to the interests and experiences of each learner.
This creative opportunity was extremely beneficial as it allowed us to improve our science communication skills and facilitated self-directed investigation into a range of aspects of parasitology that complemented and furthered our understanding of the course content.
Tahlia Creighton, Lilian Brewer, Isabella Lingam, students of the Biomedical Parasitology course2
As students shared their learning outcomes with the group, some got to enjoy the edible projects not only through their visual and auditory senses, but through their sense of taste.
For my submission, I made a cake depicting a red blood cell (RBC) infected with the asexual stages of the malaria parasite P. falciparum… Overall, the assignment was incredibly worthwhile and helped to facilitate my knowledge of how malaria works.
Ella Yardley, student of the Biomedical Parasitology course2
Key take-aways
Alternative pedagogical approaches which incorporate creativity, such as role playing or the crafting of objects or creative works, have many benefits.
- The approach is active and student focussed. Students are not just spectators within the class; they are invited and encouraged to make contributions by sharing their own experiences and perspectives.1
- A student-focused approach means students can be self-referential, drawing on their own interests, values and experience, which in turn assists with the retention of content.
- Creativity builds motivation as students can incorporate their existing creative skills or hobbies with something they have learned in the course, or push themselves to learn new skills to achieve outcomes that stretch their creative abilities.
- The assorted, individualised responses to the course content help demonstrate the diversity of both the subject matter and the learning subjects.
- Hands-on activities, in combination with presentation and self-reflection, are a way to share the students’ grasp on the learning.
- Creative objects act as a stimulus for reflection, which in turn reinforces learning.
Fitting recognition
Alex Maier’s excellence in teaching has been recognised through an AAUT award in 2023, amongst others. Most recently, he received the 2024 Bridget Ogilvie Medal from the Australian Society for Parasitology as recognition for work in his field.
References
1 Maier, A. G., Schulreich, D. C., and Rug, M. (2024). Curiosities Take the Stage – Role-Play in Parasitology Teaching. Trends in Parasitology 40(7), 537–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2024.05.010
2 Maier, A. G., Creighton, T., Brewer, L., Lingam, I., Pössnecker, A., Yardley, E., Phillips, J., et al. (2024). Fusion of Arts and Science: ‘Parasitology Got Talent’. Trends in Parasitology 40(10), 861–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2024.08.004
Professor Alexander Maier – Learning to Appreciate Parasites
