Retaining complex information like the biology of cancer hallmarks is challenging for most high school students. Adding creative learning activities like escape room-themed quizzes and hands-on games, as well as interactive instruction, can not only make the process fun, but boost students’ retention, a study led by four UF cancer trainees found.
The four graduate students in the UF College of Medicine’s Cancer Biology Concentration published their findings in the journal BMC Medical Education on lessons learned from leading the six-week summer course on cancer biology and therapeutics. Previous graduate students and postdocs from the UF Health Cancer Center launched the course in 2011 as part of the UF Student Science Training Program, a high school program that’s been offered for 65 years.
The team wanted to find out how adjustments made to the course as a result of COVID-19 affected student retention and engagement. They tracked student performance over a seven-year period and in 2023, conducted surveys before and after lectures to assess what students understood.
“We found that when we blended traditional lectures with team-based learning, it was very helpful for students,” said Siddhi Chitre, a doctoral student in the lab of Christian Jobin, Ph.D., who designed a course module on the microbiome and co-authored the publication. “We observed that they retained most of the complex information. Students were able to grasp the concepts and apply it not just to that module, but to others, such as how the microbiome can be applied to therapies.”
One innovative twist the graduate students added was a well-received “escape room” format for review sessions. To give it a healthy dose of competition, students were divided into teams and tasked with answering questions to “escape” rooms.
Chitre said the experience of writing and revising the paper sharpened her communication and organization skills and underscored the importance of teamwork. Co-authors Xzaviar Solone, Ph.D., Laura Falceto Font, Ph.D., and Kimberly Pereira, Ph.D., who all graduated from the Cancer Biology program this year, each led a different module on cancer hallmarks, immunology, and epigenetics, respectively.
The students worked with faculty mentors and co-authors Kathryn Stofer, Ph.D., a research associate professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, who assisted with obtaining IRB approval, and Dietmar Siemann, Ph.D., associate director for education and training at the Cancer Center, who provided guidance.
The study’s findings can be applied to other courses, even in other fields. Breaking down the course into four modules made the information easier to digest, Chitre said.
Using a hybrid format, which combined traditional lectures with cooperative learning activities like student-led case studies, also helped.
“It was so exciting to see all these young minds apply information from the lectures to real-world scenarios,” Chitre said. “Our blended approach helped students be more focused and made science more enjoyable.”
The course also included a panel on career paths to help the high school students understand the possibilities in cancer research. For Chitre, a past president of the Cancer Center’s Ambassadors Program, this benefit has been mutual.
“I’ve been exposed to what so many great people are doing in their fields and learned so much from them, including how they navigated challenges,” she said. “My tenure at UF has given me all the tools to go anywhere I want. I don’t think I would have gotten this education initiative exposure anywhere else.”
“My tenure at UF has given me all the tools to go anywhere I want. I don’t think I would have gotten this education initiative exposure anywhere else.”
Graduate student Siddhi Chitre
