AAI Curriculum Ad Hoc Committee Presentation: The Development of AAI Recommendations for an Undergraduate Course in Immunology

Abstract The subject of immunology is a conceptually intricate and rapidly expanding field of study that is vitally important to biomedical science undergraduate education. Identifying the “essential” components of an undergraduate immunology (UGI) course can be daunting due to the varying post-graduate pathways students take. To address the need for a guiding framework for teaching UGI, the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Education Committee commissioned the AAI Curriculum Ad Hoc Committee to develop a cohesive document identifying the core curricular components deemed essential for UGI courses, and opportunities to meet the needs of diverse student populations. In this presentation, we will share the process by which this effort was accomplished, with the hope of illuminating both the successes and challenges of our work to the education community, and inspiring similar efforts in other areas. We will cover the essential and reiterative steps of this undertaking by detailing: the collaboration with various stakeholders, including undergraduate, medical school, and industry partners; the evaluation of potential curricular components, including outreach surveys and small working groups from the AAI community; the refinement of the recommendations, including an organized virtual workshop with open participation from stakeholders; the development of a statement on inclusive and antiracist teaching; the determination of a dissemination plan; and the identification of future needs and goals for the process. We believe that sharing this process will be insightful for educators in the field of immunology, and more broadly to any educator with an interest in the process of inclusive and comprehensive curriculum development.