Terry M. Bella
Gone is the paradigm that the role of the teacher is to impart knowledge. That the sole role of an instructor is to present content and then test the acquisition of the content. The modern teacher is tasked with motivating students to learn. This shift is not solely occurring pursuant a mandate but a direct result of the students that are in our classrooms. Students are not engaged, more and more they are not motivated to learn. This is not to say that grades are not a motivating factor, but unfortunately they are the only factor for many children. There seems to be a pervasive attitude among students to seek a discrete answer to everything. Motivated solely by what will be on a test.
Teaching a unit that incorporates the principles of engineering as the solution to a problem engages students in critical thinking. To understand how this process applies to the immune system necessitates that the student understand the immune system. Teaching about current solutions to real problems, such as autoimmune diseases, exposes the student to the need for understanding immunology.