The Use and Creation of Analogies as a Teaching Tool for Understanding Immunology

Abstract

Abstract Utilizing existing knowledge of the familiar and known can build associations toward learning, understanding, retaining, and communicating complex concepts. The use of analogies while teaching complex concepts allows the unknown to become familiar and act as an aid toward deeper understanding. Analogies were used as a teaching tool during an immunology course for dental, medical, physician assistant, and graduate students to explain complex concepts. Analogies were used to communicate and enhance the learning and retention of a wide variety of complex concepts and included, but was not limited to, those related to B cell development and activation and the modifications (i.e. somatic hypermutation, affinity maturation, isotype switching) within the germinal center reaction. Analogies were also used to provide students with a teaching tool that they could imitate to create analogies to enhance their understanding and communication of complex concepts. The impact of learning complex concepts through the use of analogies resulted in self-reported increased confidence in understanding and retention of the material. Students reported that learning from and working with analogies not only enhanced their learning of the content but also provided them with a solid foundation from which to build and augment complex concepts with increased detail and added complexity toward a deeper and more nuanced understanding of complex concepts. The incorporation of analogies into the learning process augments scientific communication skills and acts as a model for effective communication while speaking to future patients about medical conditions and/or associated treatments and the general public about scientific discoveries and advancements. NA