Ebola Epidemic: Using Current Events to Teach Authentic Inquiry Science

Abstract

First reported in March 2014, the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa has now claimed more lives than all other known EVD outbreaks combined, making it the deadliest occurrence of the disease since it was first discovered nearly 40 years ago. In hopes of turning the outbreak into something positive from an educational standpoint, a module was developed focusing on EVD, infectious disease, and epidemiology. The module engages students in a series of inquiry-based lessons, providing accurate and up-to-date information on the current outbreak of EVD in West Africa. The lessons also serve to correct popular misconceptions about the disease. The lessons include a jigsaw WebQuest using resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a simulation based on fluid exchange to model the spread of an outbreak of infectious disease, and a “disease detective”–style mapping activity based on published data outlining the start of the current EVD outbreak in Guinea.