Can I still eat it? Using problem-based learning to test the 5-second rule and promote scientific literacy

Abstract

Defining appropriate student learning outcomes for general education science courses is a daunting task. We must ask ourselves how to best prepare our students to understand the role of science in their lives and in society at large. In the era of social media and armchair experts, life-changing scientific advancements such as vaccination are being dismissed or actively resisted, emphasizing the critical need to teach science literacy skills. One active classroom method known as problem-based learning promotes self-motivated learning and synthesis skills that, when applied in a science-literacy context, can provide students with the ability to generate informed opinions on new scientific advances throughout their lifetime. This piece describes one such problem-based course, designed to tackle the scientific basis (or lack thereof) of the 5-second rule for eating food dropped on the floor. In this course, first year students experimentally engage this issue, while also applying their developing skill set to sort out scientific controversies such as vaccine safety and genetically modified foods.