The Future of Undergraduate Immunology Education: Can a Comprehensive Four-Year Immunology Curriculum Answer Calls for Reform in Undergraduate Biology Education?

Abstract

The field of immunology is rapidly evolving and has significant relevance to understanding human health, particularly in light of the threat from infectious diseases and the ability to harness the immune system to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases, and allergies. Providing opportunities to explore the field of immunology is relevant to undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in health professions and biomedical research. There are calls for greater emphasis on interdisciplinary science education at the undergraduate level and the acquisition of transferrable competencies that will prepare undergraduates for success in a range of careers. The study of immunology provides an ideal platform to expose students to interdisciplinary science, both at the foundational and applied level. We describe the organization of an immunology curriculum, development of program learning objectives, selection and mapping of content objectives across courses, and programmatic assessment with the intent to meet calls for reform in undergraduate biology education.