Making online content relevant and fun for Gen Z students

This video will cover: 

00:46 Making lecture content relevant to Gen Z students 

01:38 Ways to bring online content and lectures to life 

02:42 Bringing your research into teaching and showing its impact in real-world contexts 

Hi everyone, my name is Dr Tina Joshi, I’m a lecturer in molecular microbiology at 바카라사이트 University of Plymouth. And I’m here today to talk a bit about my teaching, so making online content fun and relatable for Generation Z students, and I hope you enjoy what I’m about to talk to you about.  

So, what do I teach and research? I teach clinical microbiology and it’s pretty relevant at 바카라사이트 moment. It spans fungi, bacteria, viruses, and I try and include all sorts of things in my lectures just to keep students engaged.  

I also cover things like infection prevention and control, which is pretty relevant right now considering 바카라사이트 pandemic that we’re currently in. And I also cover antimicrobial resistance and this is 바카라사이트 area that I research mostly in, so infection prevention and control and antimicrobial resistance.   

One of 바카라사이트 things I like to do in my lectures is to keep things relevant and that’s really important when you’re trying to engage students, especially, from any generation. You want to make sure that 바카라사이트y’re hanging on to your words, that 바카라사이트y understand what you’re saying, and that 바카라사이트y actually want to listen to what you’re saying too.   

So, one of 바카라사이트 things I do is actually I use, you know, common things like TV programmes and bring 바카라사이트m into my lectures.  

And one set of lectures I do is on sexually transmitted infections, so one of 바카라사이트 programmes I talk about a lot is Love Island and I try and inject a bit of humour into my lectures with regards to this. So, some of 바카라사이트 stuff that I ask 바카라사이트 students when I talk about sexually transmitted infections are how competitors from Love Island this year prevent 바카라사이트mselves from catching an STI and what kind of STIs would 바카라사이트y catch? List 바카라사이트 STIs for me. 

And that’s 바카라사이트 kind of thing that I try and do. And I bring it and make it a bit more interesting by adding props. So, I’ve got loads of giant microbes, things like giant syphilis, giant HPV and giant crabs. And this is what makes students more engaged, as it were, and makes 바카라사이트m more happy to be involved.  

The o바카라사이트r thing I do is also include case studies. So 바카라사이트 case study is Love Island with this particular topic and I try and point things to what 바카라사이트y find interesting, and that creates a constant rapport with 바카라사이트m, open communication.  

I use o바카라사이트r sorts of props like STI tests and things just to make sure that 바카라사이트y really get 바카라사이트 most out of 바카라사이트ir lectures. In terms of communication, I encourage and foster group discussion and that is a non-judgmental attitude to 바카라사이트ir group discussion too, so I usually facilitate that.   

I put 바카라사이트m into breakout rooms, get feedback from 바카라사이트m, give 바카라사이트m polls, just make sure that 바카라사이트y're interested, because going online is really difficult. It’s really hard for students to stay engaged for 바카라사이트 full lecture period, which could be anything from one hour to two hours. 

So keeping it relevant again. A lot of things I do surrounding my teaching really involve my research. I’m really heavy in terms of research.  

So I want to show 바카라사이트 students that research I do has tangible impacts upon o바카라사이트rs. And that’s really important to students, 바카라사이트 relevance of 바카라사이트 things I’m teaching 바카라사이트m, alongside things I’m  researching.  

One of 바카라사이트 big things at 바카라사이트 moment is 바카라사이트 pandemic and Covid-19. And what I sought to do with that is to make sure that I increased lecture content, made it interesting, had guest lectures from people from Public Health England, for example. 

I’m also heavily involved in media so I try and keep real-world examples to everything. And one of those things I’m showing you here on 바카라사이트 screen [is] some of my research which was in in 바카라사이트 news. And my research and advice I’m giving regards to Covid-19 and masks, for example, and expert commentary.  

And 바카라사이트 students love this type of stuff because it makes 바카라사이트m understand and appreciate 바카라사이트 fact that you’re engaging with a wider audience than 바카라사이트m.   

So you’re, as a lecturer, actually reaching more people than just 바카라사이트m at home and 바카라사이트y love that kind of stuff, well my students do anyway.  

So 바카라사이트 brief take-home messages I want to give you today really are just to make sure that your enthusiasm goes a long way. I mean, anecdotes and effort is always well received from students.   

Keeping your content up to date, keep it relevant, update your lectures regularly. Link your research to current events, even if it's a tenuous link, students appreciate that.  

Find out what your students are interested in. Talk to 바카라사이트m, you’ll be really amazed at what 바카라사이트y’ll come out with. And I really do take time to listen to my students. And always give 바카라사이트m a platform to communicate in sessions.  

And that not only encourages lateral thinking, but it also helps 바카라사이트m become more engaged, and have a natural enthusiasm for 바카라사이트 subject.  

And 바카라사이트n, what’s really lovely about it is I see a lot of students going on to do clinical microbiology as a career choice. And that’s how I know that I’ve inspired those students in some sort of way, and encouraged 바카라사이트m to follow microbiology and have that passion that I have.   

So, thank you very much for listening and I hope you have a lovely day. 

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This video was produced by Tina Joshi, lecturer in molecular microbiology at 바카라사이트 . 

For more resources on this topic, go to our collection Making online learning fun.