Abstract
Scientific literacy relies on effective dissemination of research knowledge. However, traditional undergraduate study in Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB) largely relies on absorbing well-established knowledge from secondary sources such as textbooks. There is an urgent need for students to acquire the most up-to-date knowledge from primary research papers. Nevertheless, many students find it difficult to read through a scientific paper because in order to understand its content, it is common to study more than 10 supplementary papers so as to acquire sufficient background knowledge. Thus, there is an enormous barrier to understanding scientific research that needs to be lowered in undergraduate CMB courses.
This project aims to promote the latest scientific breakthroughs generated from the School of Life Sciences (SLS)/CUHK-led RGC-funded AoE/CRF projects by developing a self-learning toolkit that enhance students’ understanding of the current research discoveries. Specific objectives include:
- To generate movie series introducing the scientific discovery process and research publications related to CMB.
- To promote effective dissemination of advanced research knowledge to the public by hosting the movies on a publicly accessible website.
In line with the CUHK 2016-2020 Strategic Plan “To adopt innovative pedagogies for continuous teaching enhancement”, our ultimate goal is to extend this innovative endeavor to other life science disciplines and beyond, thereby translating advanced research into up-to-date teaching practices.
