Genetics for all

The numbers alone are impressive – since 2000, some 25,000 students and nearly 3000 teachers from every part of Melbourne and across Victoria have come to the University to attend genetics workshops for VCE and IB Biology. The program has been recognised with a 2009 Knowledge Transfer Excellence award.

The program can trace its origins to when the VCE biology curriculum was reviewed 10 years ago. Activities were then introduced that were quite complex and required sophisticated equipment that many schools did not possess.

A survey of VCE biology teachers revealed overwhelming support for the Department of Genetics to assist the teachers in providing these activities to the students.

“We wrote up the two activities according to the criteria of the School Assessed Coursework (SAC) for Unit 4 of VCE Biology and in 2000 we implemented and presented the first workshop in genetics. One thousand-plus students and teachers attended that first year,” Associate Professor Dawn Gleeson recalls.

In the VCE biology workshops in genetics the aim is to allow every student to do the experimental work him or herself. “Perhaps for many it becomes their first feeling of actually performing a little bit like a real scientist. This is not just limited to wearing a white lab coat: they actually generate data from their experiments and analyse the data themselves,” Associate Professor Gleeson says.

“The students come together in our teaching laboratory in Genetics, aptly named the Mendel Laboratory after the “father of genetics” Gregor Mendel. Up to 130 students attend each session and mix with students from other schools, both regional and metropolitan, state and private, small and large. The teachers especially love the interaction they have with their peers. Morning and afternoon tea is provided to the teachers and this provides a forum for discussion with their colleagues and also with the staff in genetics.

Every year approximately 30 sessions are organised. This involves collaboration between the administrative staff in genetics who handle all of the bookings, the technical staff who produce all of the materials for the workshops and the academic team who lead the group or demonstrate to the students. Nearly 400 demonstrators are required to guide the students through the activities and these come from the postgraduates of the Department of Genetics, selected third year undergraduate students and the academic staff of the Department. It is a great opportunity for postgraduates to get a taste of teaching and explain their science in simpler terms.

“We have had a significant number of our PhD students then graduate and go into science teaching, and not quite like prodigal sons, those particular students, when they become teachers, will bring their students back to our program for them to embrace it as well and to learn from it.”

The scale of providing sufficient DNA, gels and Drosophila (the model organism used in one of the activities) is such, that casual staff are employed to sort the tens of thousands of flies required for the genetic cross that is studied, prepare the DNA and pour the gels. These staff once again are invited third year undergraduate students.

The program has received financial support from the Victorian Government through the Schools Science Partnerships Program, very strong support from the Faculty of Science and most recently from the Rotary Club of Albert Park.

“The financial support that we receive has gone to many of the regional schools, supporting them for the extra expense of travel to Melbourne. Students attend from as far as Cann River, Orbost, Portland. Warrnambool, Ouyen, Swan Hill, Echuca, and Wodonga to name a few of the regional centres. Some of the classes from the distant regional country schools may have a class of only 10 or fewer students doing VCE biology and these schools just do not have the resources to provide a truly hands-on activity to complete the SACs.

“Frequently those coming from the country may book in for a session on a Monday morning, come to Melbourne on the Sunday night and stay overnight at a hostel. The next day they will complete the genetics activities and may also have a presentation from a member of the Faculty of Science on studies and careers in science. They then will visit the education centre at the Zoo, the Melbourne Museum, or Scienceworks making full use often of a 4-6 hour trip to Melbourne. Other students leave their hometown at 5.00am to attend a session at 10.00am.

“When the program commenced we surveyed the teachers and students in order to obtain ideas for improvement. One of the very positive aspects of the program mentioned by many teachers, apart from the very well organised practicals, was the visit to the University itself. Teachers in regional areas particularly noted this. Some students had not been to Melbourne and certainly not a university. This visit dispelled many of the myths about universities and their staff.

“Another positive aspect was the mixing of the students with others completing VCE. It demonstrated to them that there were many other students out there facing the same challenges.

“We have very few places left for 2010 and it is pleasing to see the involvement of such a wide range of schools again this year. The money from the 2009 Knowledge Transfer Excellence award will be used to assist travel of regional students to the program.”