This article is part of the AAI Teaching Tools series. More articles can be found in the Teaching Tools section. Archived articles can be found on the AAI website.
by Elizabeth Delery, PhD
Assistant Clinical Adjunct Professor, Indiana University School of Medicine
Staff Scientist, Indiana Biosciences Research Institute
The first time I took immunology in college, I got a C in the class. Crying in my professor’s office after I took the final exam, I swore to her I would never be an immunologist. She was a phenomenal professor, but immunology was like a contradictory foreign language to me. How could I describe the steps and pathways of something that, to me, didn’t have an English translation? There are over 200 identified human cytokines and many have antithetical signaling roles, even within the same family. How could I explain clearly that adaptive cells come from the lymphoid lineage, and innate immune cells come from the myeloid lineage…but oh wait, what about innate lymphoid cells (ILCs)? Ironically, when I took my first immunology class in 2009, ILCs had not been added to Peter Parham’s “The Immune System” yet.
As an educator, I wanted to make sure my students didn’t struggle in the same ways I did because I couldn’t visualize what I was trying to describe, and I especially didn’t want them to make it to the 4th year of medical school thinking that cytokines were cells.
Draw It To Know It
Draw It To Know It (“DITKI”) is an online, active-learning, educational platform where students can learn a diverse range of topics such as immunology, anatomy & physiology, and neurology, by drawing along to short videos as well as taking optional pre- & post-video quizzes. It can be integrated into LMS software (e.g., Canvas), and accounts were provided for faculty and students by Marian University Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine. It includes over 1000 tutorials, over 10,000 practice quiz questions, high yield flashcards, and even Board Review question banks for graduate and professional students.
I integrated DITKI lessons as pre-lecture learning activities for my master’s level immunology course at Marian University Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine (BMS 545, Immunology, Lecture). Students were expected to watch the short video and score 100% on the post-DITKI quiz for 1 point on homework (DITKI homework was worth 3% of their final grade). They were allowed to take the quiz as many times as they needed before the due date, so it was a low-stakes activity.
Identifying teaching opportunities
What I appreciated most about the quizzes was the inclusion of a breakdown of what other quiz-takers selected so students could gauge whether they were missing easy questions or struggling with questions many others also struggled with, indicating a more complex topic. Additionally, by being able to view all quiz attempts within my faculty DITKI dashboard, I was able to watch for students who struggled with the material, so that I could reach out and engage the student to assist before they struggled on exams.
DITKI includes many drawing templates, for students to use, as demonstrated by the DITKI on hematopoiesis below.
In the top figure (A) you can see the final completed drawing, in the bottom you can see two example templates students could use to fill in the blanks, an intermediate difficulty (B), and a master level (C).
Student reactions
Students enjoyed having the ability to take a more active role in their learning rather than reading PowerPoints and thought it was a helpful addition to a difficult curriculum. Seventy-two percent of respondents to an end-of-semester survey said they had done better in immunology after using DITKI videos AND quizzes. Students commented that, “DITKI has helped with visualizing several immunology topics that can be difficult to conceptualize on your own or only with pictures” and that, “DITKI is an awesome resource for visualizing things and putting big picture ideas together. I appreciate the quizzes that go along with the videos because they help me see if I actually did understand the material presented in the video and I wasn’t just passively watching them.”
While I utilized DITKI in my master’s level immunology course, DITKI is an appropriate resource for undergraduate (baccalaureate) and medical education due to its customizability and range of introductory to advanced subject matter videos and Board Review material. DITKI representatives can help faculty members personalize a DITKI “study guide” that is structured around their syllabi and course goals to best help students learn the material and succeed in their courses.
Acknowledgements: Dr. Delery would like to thank Draw It To Know It for their support in designing her custom immunology course. DITKI offers a free semester trial for faculty members and more information can be found by emailing support@drawittoknowit.com.
Conflict of Interest: No compensation (financial or otherwise) was received for the submission of this article and Dr. Delery is not paid or supported by Draw It To Know It for supporting their products.
