Teaching the 3Rs: Train the trainers

8 – 10 October | i3S, Porto, Portugal
Bimodal Course | Full online (remote) attendance or full in-person (face-to-face) attendance

This is a Training School of Cost Action (CA21139) IMPROVE.

This training school provides an opportunity for 3Rs trainers to learn about concepts in education science applied to higher education and professional training, to connect with other trainers and to discuss how best to train researchers for high-quality research with respect for the 3Rs. The audience for this training school are people who teach or would like to start teaching 3Rs related topics / courses to practitioners. This could be for example Refinement focused courses for researchers needing a license to do animal experimentation (Directive Functions A, B, D), or Replacement focused courses in different types of non-animal experimental models, or Reduction focused courses in topics such experimental design, systematic reviews, etc. The training school will be relevant for teachers at different levels of experience. Teaching staff and facilitators will include specialists in teaching methodology in higher education but also experienced teachers from flagship courses in the field. There is a need for training in teaching methodology for educators in this field. Building on the collective experience, and with input from specialists, the training school will contribute to the discussion about how to best address the common challenge for this area of teaching: how to provide training that is both relevant for the 3Rs (which is our ambition as teachers and as a professional community) and for the research career of the participants (which presumably is an important driver for them when deciding to participate in this training.

This course offers a flexible enrollment option where participants can choose to attend either fully online or fully in person.

Target audience: The training school will be relevant for teachers at different levels of experience.

Course requirements: Real engagement with training is a requirement - either already teaching or concrete plans to do so.

Couse duration: Approximately 18 hours of total workload (including theoretical sessions, activities, participant presentations, etc.)

Certificate: A certificate of attendance will be assigned to participants who attend at least 80% of the course sessions.

Organizing committee: Anna Olsson (i3S)

Poster >>

Education Science for 3Rs Teaching
Concepts and methodologies in education science applied to 3Rs education.

Common Challenges in 3Rs Education
Identifying and addressing barriers to effective 3Rs teaching.

Best Practices in 3Rs Training & Enhancing the Impact of 3Rs Education
Sharing practical experiences and successful approaches among educators.

Collaborative Reflection and Discussion
Group sessions on the effectiveness and future directions of 3Rs training.

Preliminary Program 

Wed 8 Oct

09:15 - 09:30 Registration

09:30 - 10:30 Setting up and developing 3R training
Anna Olsson 

11:00 - 12:30 Resources for 3R training: FELASA accreditation
Chris van Ginneken (Zoom)

14:00 - 15:00 Resources for 3R training: ETPLAS and LAS Learning
Nuno Franco

15:00 - 16:00 Intro to teaching good experimental design / practice
Nuno Franco

16:30 - 18:00 Participants’ presentations

Thu 9 Oct

10:00 - 17:00 Innovation and evidence-based methods in higher education

                      All-day event with lectures and interactive elements
                      Manuel João Costa

Fri 10 Oct

(There will be a choice between parallel activities)

Session A

09:00 - 10:30 Case construction for teaching good experimental design / practice - Scenario 1
Nuno Franco

Session B

09:00 - 10:30 How to support trainees in practical classes with animals
Andreia Costa / Júlio Borlido Santos

Session C

11:00 - 13:00 Case construction for teaching good experimental design / practice - Scenario 2
Nuno Franco

Session D

11:00 - 13:00 How to develop education that supports all 3Rs
Andreia Costa / Júlio Borlido Santos

14:00 - 17:00 AI in 3Rs Teaching
Arti Ahluwalia

Teachers and Trainers

Manuel João Costa is Prorector of Student Affairs and Pedagogical Innovation at the University of Minho. With a background in biochemistry, much of his work is focused on teaching and learning in higher education in medicine and molecular biology. He has been coordinator of the medical education unit at the School of Medicine and is responsible for the Education section of the journal FEBS Open Bio.  

Chris van Ginneken is Vice-Rector for Student Affairs at the University of Antwerp. She is a veterinarian and has pursued further specialisation in teaching and in laboratory animal science. She is chairman of the Education & Training board of FELASA. 

Nuno Franco is a Researcher at i3S, University of Porto. He has a background in both science education and biology. He teaches in laboratory animal science postgraduate courses at several Portuguese and foreign universities and research institutes. He also organizes courses and workshops on Experimental Design, Systematic Reviews, and Severity Classification of Procedures. He is Past-President of ETPLAS, the EU Education and Training Platform for Laboratory Animal Science and has had a leading role in several projects on higher education, including LAS-Learning. Nuno Franco is leader of WG1 in COST Action IMPROVE.

Júlio Borlido Santos is head of the Communication Unit at i3S, University of Porto. 
With a background in biology and experience as a teacher and demonstrator, he is focusing his work on communication science in society. He teaches and promotes advanced training for scientists in "Science, Ethics and Society" and organizes several continuous training activities for high school teachers.

Andreia Costa is head of the Advanced Training Unit at i3S, University of Porto. She has a background in biology did her PhD in the topic of Laboratory Animal Science Education and Competence Assessment. She is a member of the Working Group for Assessment of Practical Skills for the EU-funded ETPLAS Project.

Anna Olsson is a researcher at i3S, University of Porto where she coordinates the research group Laboratory Animal Science. Her research background is in animal behaviour and welfare and in ethics and the 3Rs of animal experimentation. She has coordinated several EU projects addressing the 3Rs and ethics and leads the 3R Knowledge Center (3RKC). She coordinates the FELASA-accredited training course for researchers using animals at i3S, where she is continuously trying out new teaching approaches. Anna Olsson is leader of WG4 in COST Action IMPROVE.

Limited number of participants: 26 (remote) and 26 (in-person)

Fees:
Full online (remote) attendance: Free
Full in-person (face-to-face) attendance: Free

Application deadline: 15^th August (notification of acceptance on 22^nd August)

Application link >>
Please note that your application does not confirm that you have been selected for the course.
 

Support for travel and subsistance will be provided to participants selected for in-person participation. More information is available here. 

More information:
Advanced Training Unit | E-mail: training@i3s.up.pt | Tel: +351 226 074 900