Using the Mississippi River Watershed Module in CHEM 305: Molecular Toxicology

Daniel Marous, Wittenberg University

Course Description

This course will focus upon common environmental toxins and the biochemical processes by which they are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted from mammalian systems. Particular attention will be paid to understanding these processes at the molecular level.

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Relationship of the Mississippi River Watershed Module to Your Course

The course runs for 14 weeks and the module was implemented halfway through the course. Prior to the module, background information (history and key concepts) and toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics were covered. We discuss antibiotics several times in the course, which connected nicely to the module.

Integrating the Module into Your Course

I integrated the module into a toxicology course. We cover background and core content in the first half of the course, then introduce the module after spring break. By the time we reach this module, they've already had the intro and key content for toxicology. We then switched gears and did the water quality module, specifically focusing on antibiotics. I first introduced them to the idea of water quality and what a watershed is. Some of them knew about that and others knew less. We then talked about different ways contaminants can get in the water supply and then about different stakeholders. They then made the initial stakeholder map, each picking a stakeholder and researching it. We ended with a town hall exercise, where they debated with each other, each stating their stakeholder's position. We then returned to our initial stakeholder map and revised it as we thought about it in more detail. Overall, the module fit nicely into this course. We talked about antibiotics several times throughout the course, so talking about antibiotics in the water supply stemmed from that pretty nicely.

What Worked Well

Students showed interest in the topic, with many finding the idea of pharmaceuticals in the water supply to be a new concern. They grasped the complexities and multiple viewpoints involved. The town hall exercise was particularly successful, with all students participating actively and taking it seriously. This impressed me the most, as it's typically harder to control such exercises, but the students rose to the occasion.

Challenges and How They Were Addressed

The only challenge was that some students struggled with stakeholders who fell in the middle of the spectrum on water quality issues. These students found it difficult to determine their position, often seeking a "right" answer in a situation with multiple valid perspectives. To address this, I met with these students individually to brainstorm different possibilities and help them think through various approaches, particularly for the stakeholders in the middle ground.

Student Response to the Module and Activities

The response was very positive. The town hall exercise, in particular, was well-received. I conducted an informal survey asking about changes in their understanding of complex problems, overall impressions, whether they felt they met the learning objectives, and if they would recommend using the module in future iterations. The responses were overwhelmingly positive. Students felt they gained valuable insights, appreciated the change of pace, and enjoyed the town hall exercise. While there were some suggestions for improvement, which I'll consider implementing, overall, students found the thought exercise beneficial and felt they gained something from the experience.