During the coronavirus pandemic, second year students on the BSc molecular biology and genetics degree at Istanbul Technical University sat an open-ended online exam for a microbiology course in which one of the compulsory questions asked how the course had helped them during the first phase of the pandemic (April—July 2020). Fifty of 69 students gave consent for their (anonymous) responses to be analysed in order to discern any key ways in which their knowledge had been applied. The aim of the study was to investigate whether taking an advanced microbiology course increases understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and has a positive impact on student behaviours with respect to public health practices. Findings were divided into four major themes: course content (information), application of course content to behaviour change (practice), professionalism, and their ‘audience’ while at home in lockdown (family and friends). Social distancing, wearing facemasks, hand and surface hygiene were described as important behaviours, with this practice informed by their basic microbiology knowledge. This paper describes a scenario where rote assessment can be used to assess wider scientific literacy with respect to application in society, providing students with an opportunity to incorporate and apply their learning into real-life situations, whilst tutors can assess constructivist learning, conceptual understanding and impact on student behaviour.

中文翻译：

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在正式微生物学评估中分析大学生对大流行的反应

在冠状病毒大流行期间，伊斯坦布尔技术大学分子生物学和遗传学学士学位的二年级学生参加了微生物学课程的开放式在线考试，其中一个必修问题询问该课程在第一阶段如何帮助他们大流行（2020 年 4 月至 7 月）。69 名学生中有 50 名同意对他们的（匿名）回答进行分析，以辨别他们的知识被应用的任何关键方式。该研究的目的是调查参加高级微生物学课程是否会增加对 SARS-CoV-2 大流行的了解，并对学生在公共卫生实践方面的行为产生积极影响。调查结果分为四大主题：课程内容（信息）、课程内容对行为改变的应用（实践）、专业精神，以及他们在居家隔离期间的“观众”（家人和朋友）。保持社交距离、戴口罩、手部和表面卫生被描述为重要的行为，这种做法是由他们的基本微生物学知识提供的。本文描述了一个场景，在该场景中，死记硬背评估可用于评估与社会应用相关的更广泛的科学素养，为学生提供将他们的学习融入和应用到现实生活中的机会，同时导师可以评估建构主义学习、概念理解和对学生行为的影响。