Mobile Bioclass
The Mobile Bioclass programme brings the latest DNA testing and research methods to secondary schools all over Estonia. In small, high-intensity workshops students experience the opportunities of the biosciences-sector first hand under the supervision of university instructors. The programme has contributed to a significant rise in the number of students opting to study bio-sciences.
The Mobile Bioclass project started in Estonia in 2014 with the aim to introduce the biosciences in Estonian schools. The programme brought the latest DNA testing and research methods to schools all over Estonia.
The Mobile Class project started originally in Lithuania by Thermo Fisher Scientific and has since been the main collaboration partner for the University of Tartu (project coordinator). Thermo Fisher Scientific is providing the project with laboratory tools and equipment ever since. The instructors of the programme are University of Tartu students mainly from science and technology faculty.
The main target group for the Mobile Bioclass is high school students. The project also aims to bring its programme to the smaller schools that otherwise do not have the possibilities to visit research laboratories and universities.
The programme lasts for about six hours and is for 24 students at the time with 6 instructors. The necessary tools for the programme are brought to the school from University of Tartu. The programme consists of a lecture (about four hours) and practical experiment (about two hours). The programme uses a DNA PCR analysis as its practical part to consolidate the theoretical knowledge.
The objective of the project is to popularize biosciences and introduce the modern methods for researching DNA and technology used in the biotechnology laboratories. As a result, the project increases the knowledge about the learning opportunities of biology and gene technology. The objective is to visit one school per week during a school year with the emphasis on smaller schools.
The objectives are measured by the number of schools the Mobile Class has visited and the number of kilometers traveled doing that.
The number of students admitted to the science and technology field in the University of Tartu has grown 17%, meaning that the programme is motivating students to study the field. This is one of the indicators measuring the long-term impact.
However, the feedback is gathered after every visit to the school that gives an input to the programme's overall impact on the (mostly) biology subject in the schools. The programme is rated highly by the teachers and according to them, it adds a priceless value to the theoretical knowledge that is taught in schools. Moreover, the programme has a bigger impact in the schools located in remote areas of Estonia since they do not have many opportunities to visit research laboratories or have many extracurricular activities.
The feedback is gathered after every school visit from the participating students and teachers. It is analysed in short term, but also long term. The results are being presented to the organizing team to improve the programme.
Within one school year, the Mobile Bioclass programme visits about 20 schools and 480 high school students. In addition to that, Mobile Bioclass participates in the biggest events (Science Night, International DNA Day etc) with its pop-up laboratory, adding about 2 000 additional people to the list every year.
The objective of the programme is to visit one school in a week during the school year.
The Mobile Bioclass is funded by Thermo Fisher Scientific (mainly providing tools and equipment), but also by Estonian Research Council by the funding project TeaMe+. The funding is directly not associated with the outcomes or performance.
