5 Engaging Ways to Teach Immunology and Immunoassays to Accelerate Learning

Everyone around the world has been constantly hearing the words immunity and immunology since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, more and more students are now realizing the importance of immunology. They are eager to learn about immunology and associated concepts like diagnostic serology and immunoassays.

But immunology and immunoassays are topics that require a strong base of fundamental theoretical knowledge along with a robust understanding of experimental science. This combination can be challenging even for highly motivated students. Here, we list five ways to teach immunology and immunoassays to your students in an engaging and stimulating manner.

1. Engage Students with Interactive Models

Immunology is a challenging topic that can confuse students, more so when discussing the differences between IgG and IgM antibodies. It is important to develop interactive models that can overcome the barriers to learning immunoassays and their underlying immunological principles. Such interactive models can engage students with the subject matter and allow for a laboratory-like hands-on experience.

Take Labster’s immunology and immunoassay simulation, for example. This simulation creates an interactive virtual lab environment where students learn about the practical and theoretical aspects of immunoassays. Through our simulation:

·   Students learn how to practically conduct enzyme-linked immunoassays to test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

·   They also learn about IgG and IgM antibodies, and their significance in diagnostic serology.

·   The students further apply the assay data to draw conclusions about potential exposure and infection statuses.

More importantly, the students learn all of these concepts in a highly focused simulation that spans only about 17 minutes.

2. Make the Topic Fun with Games and Activities

Games and activities can help reinforce classroom teachings with the help of memory-supporting visual aids and hands-on learning. Your task of teaching immunoassays to your students will become substantially easier if you deploy some fun games and activities.

For example, you can bring 3D physical models of antigens and antibodies to the class and demonstrate how diagnostic serology works. Or you can ask students to collaboratively and competitively analyze immunoassay data for IgG and IgM antibodies to compare infection and vaccination levels in a population. The students can also prepare group presentations on different infectious diseases that immunoassays help diagnose and monitor.

3. Infuse Technology into the Lesson

Technology can be a friendly and reliable teaching assistant, especially when teaching challenging subjects like immunology. From animation and simulation to augmented reality and virtual reality, recent developments in technology can simplify teaching and accelerate learning.

Labster’s immunology and immunoassay simulation, for example, teaches diagnostic serology through a virtual immunoassay to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Our simulation provides the students a realistic, immersive experience of conducting an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Moreover, the students will be able to distinguish between cases of antibodies arising due to infection and vaccination.

Discover Labster's Immunology and Immunoassays virtual lab today!

4. Inspire Students Through Career Exploration

The immunology principles behind immunoassays are so integral to preventive medicine and diagnostics that they create several career opportunities. Students will become more excited about the topic if they know what professional choices await them in the future.

Tell your students how some epidemiologists involved in public health monitoring rely on immunoassays to draw population-level conclusions. Discuss how vaccinologists and infectious disease experts use immunoassays and immunological principles to check the efficacy of vaccines.

5. Connect Topic to Real-World Applications

Students will better appreciate the science behind immunoassays if they knew what real-world applications rely on these assays. To enhance the productivity of your teaching methods, try to connect immunology and immunoassays to current real-world applications.

Because of the recency and the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19 tests are currently the most relatable immunoassays. Talk to your students about how serological immunoassays against SARS-CoV-2 help monitor infection levels in the population. Tell them that the same assays can also help assess the efficacy of vaccination programs in the community.

Final thoughts

Immunoassays are critical facilitators of public health monitoring, but can be challenging to teach. The teaching methods we have discussed here can make immunology and immunoassays fun to learn and create awareness about their indispensable role in medicine.