The design of an Introductory Immunology course for new graduate and medical students within a systems biology type curriculum (EDU1P.216)

As a result of a major curriculum restructuring, it became necessary to formulate an introductory Immunology course, 16 class hours plus exam, meeting in a group of 115 students. It would be taken in the Fall semester by all our first year graduate and first year medical (including dual degree) students, many of whom have had no prior Immunology instruction. The course would provide a basic introduction to and foundations of modern human Immunology abstracted to a graduate level, while segregating into later Systems Biology courses selected topics of diseases which significantly impact or involve the immune system. Course organization is presented in a concept map. Course teaching objectives included a focus on: basics with connections to subsequent topics/content, clinical relevancy, and experience with higher order learning. Also included were opportunities for in-class review, and to compare and contrast aspects within and between the systemic and local innate and adaptive immune systems. For each class meeting 3 - 5 learning objectives were developed and used in content development for classes and assessments. Exam questions were prepared before the course, and a small selection (not used later on the exam) were released to the students during the course as practice exercises. Students were very enthusiastic about the course design and classes by the course designer.