Service-learing

Service-learning is a course offered as an elective in the spring semester to 3rd year Bachelor's students in biology, biology-ethnology, science and sports, biology and natural systems option, as well as to the whole doctoral school. It aims to enable them to engage with local communities and acquire new skills in public communication and teaching, while consolidating their knowledge in order to pass on knowledge in their turn.

To this end, students independently prepare a strategy for transmitting knowledge on a specific scientific topic to a non-specialist audience; in our case, pupils in grades 3-7 (approximately 6-12 years old). The scientific subject and the way it is approached are discussed between the university students, the teachers of the classes concerned and the academic supervisors in order to involve all the partners. The only prerogative is to address what microorganisms are, their diversity and the importance of this diversity, highlighting if possible the multitude of beneficial actions they can offer to society.

The general organisation of a semester is as follows :

• July to February: Recruitment of school teachers to set the general context of the approach and start preparing the students.
• Mid-February-early March: First meeting between UniNE teachers and students.
• March - April: Preparation of activities by UniNE students and regular exchanges with teachers to calibrate the pedagogical content.
• April - May: Pedagogical activities in the schools (about 10 periods).
• June: Final presentation with feedback from the different participants.

This course was implemented in the spring semester of 2020 thanks to funding from the Quality Office in the framework of innovative pedagogical projects and was also financed by the Agora programme of the SNSF until 28 February 2022. It is currently being maintained thanks to private funding, but its short-term survival is threatened without a significant contribution.

In order to sustain this programme in the long term, we are looking for external funding. It is with this in mind that this dossier has been created.

(Activities for 2022 are still in process and will be available here soon)

All these activities were carried out during the spring semester 2021
 

1. Class  3H (Neuchâtel)
Students : Miriam Allisiardi et Louis Fontaine.

• Fun activities around microbes and the issue of antibiotic resistance: Writing a story and crafting microbes.
• Raising awareness of the problem of antibiotic resistance: Fishing game with microbial stuffed animals and fishing rods.
• Outdoor sampling and observation under a microscope in the laboratory.

2. Class 4H (Neuchâtel)
Students : Lola Hänni et Gilles Hauser.

• Creation of M./Mme. Microbe (according to Roger Hargreaves' famous book series) to tame the world of microbiology.
• Making and baking bread to illustrate the usefulness of microbes.

3. Class 6H (Neuchâtel)
Students : Emmylou Michoud et Nolan Erard.

• Card game (inspired by the "1000 terminals" on the theme of disease prevention through food and a healthy microbiota.
• Outdoor sampling. Isolation and observation under a microscope in the laboratory.

4. Class 7H/4H (Boudry, NE) :
Students : Alice Pessina, Marco Rihs et Alexandre Carrea.

• Board game illustrating the problem of antibiotic resistance and the development of new treatments.
• Text with gaps: theoretical complement to the game.
• Laboratory observation of the antagonistic effect of certain microorganisms as well as antibiotic treatments.

5. Class 7H (Neuchâtel) :
Students : Roxane Deriaz et Clément Vaudroz.

• "Battle" type card game (inspired by "Pokémon"): Diversity of microorganisms and their impact on humans and the environment.
• DIY "Pixel Art": Familiarize yourself with the different forms of microbes.
• Observations under a microscope in the laboratory.

6. Class 8H (Neuchâtel) :
Students : Marie-Lou Pijnenburg et Yazalde Gonçalves Fernandes.

• Board game with questions and sports activities, as well as orienteering: The roles and benefits of microorganisms in sport.
• Creation of a "mind map": Visual summary of the concepts discussed.
• Filtration in the beverage laboratory to isolate microorganisms.

All these activities were carried out during the spring semester 2020

1. Class 2H (Neuchâtel)
Students : Chloé Berton et Auriane Form.

• Fun activities around the omnipresence of microbes on and in the human body: Making pom-pom microbes, drawing with children and making a video capsule.
• Highlighting the importance of hand washing with the moldy bread experience.
• Out into the forest to “see” the microbes in nature.

2. Class 7H (Hauterive, NE)
Students : Harishini Balachandiran, Baptiste Bovay, Sylvie Tillé et Tania Thoos.

Creation of a comic strip in which the main character is a teacher who has lost his collection of microbes. He will call on various assistants whose role is to explain to the students how to help him find his microbes by carrying out experiments in 'isolation of microbes from various media (hands, earth, everyday objects).

3. Class 8H (Hauterive, NE)
Students : Morgane Bouverot, Chiara Casartelli, Henri Descombes et Letizia Pessina.

• Creation of a didactic course in the form of a board game to introduce the three major groups of microbes (bacteria, fungi, viruses) and their activities.
• Theoretical contributions and quiz to verify the acquisition by the students.
   

In order to carry out these activities, we need equipment, laboratory consumables and manpower. Below is a budget corresponding to the needs over a year.

We have equipped ourselves with equipment that can be brought directly into the classrooms. Part of the budget therefore contains the creation of a reserve to be able to maintain the functionality of this equipment:

• A microscope up to 1000X magnifications and allowing students to look together at microbes live.
• A transportable laboratory system for performing molecular biology experiments with students in their classroom (Mini PCR® - www.minipcr.com).
• Binocular loupes for viewing environmental samples up to 100X magnification.

Along with durable materials, we have costs related to the use of laboratory consumables and reagents. This small material is used to carry out experiments with the students, in the classroom or directly in the laboratory.

Finally, the coordination of the project as a whole, the creation and maintenance of a collection of turnkey activities for schools, as well as the supervision of Unine students is carried out by a collaborator. equivalent to 80% occupancy.