Harnessing the Beast - COVID-19: Integrative Knowledge-Building with LCT Autonomy

<p style="text-align: justify;">Cytology is one of the core sections of introductory first-year Biology courses. Laboratory practicals form an integral component of these Cytology curricula - experiential learning through microscopy which students find fascinating and engaging. In contrast, we found that students are much less enthusiastic about the theory part presented during lectures – they perceive the content as being complex, high in volume and due to scale, often purely theoretical. Applicable real-world context is often far removed from the lived experiences of most students. However, the dramatic arrival of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) early in 2020 presented vast and new possibilities for these lectures and was therefore selected as narrative to teach certain Cytology concepts to improve engagement and equip students for the future challenge. The ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Satisfaction) Model of Motivational Design Theories underpins the rationale for using this narrative, whereas the Autonomy dimension of Legitimation Code Theory served as a theoretical framework to enable integrative knowledge-building. This strategy integrated two different bodies of knowledge, science and health science. It further harnessed the uncertainty caused by the novel virus to evoke a deeper level of curiosity and motivation among the students, who were visibly engaged in this Cytology offering.</p>