A part of 8.2 Inquiry on Teaching and Learning Poster + Talk

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Nirusha Thavarajah, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Physical and Environmental Sciences, UTSC
Phani Radhakrishnan, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, Management, UTSC
Rajshree Ghosh Biswas, Ph.D. Candidate, Physical and Environmental Sciences, UTSC
Vanshika Agarwal, Management, UTSC
Ms. Jaffa Romain, BSc Candidate, Department of Statistics, University of Toronto

In the Fall of 2021, we received funding from the University of Toronto International Relations Office to launch our inter-disciplinary, global course for students in Management and Chemistry taught by Professors Radhakrishnan and Thavarajah. This novel and unique course enabled students specializing in Human Resources and Chemistry to develop an equity perspective by collaborating on an interdisciplinary group project about COVID-19 vaccine access to disadvantaged groups worldwide.

We introduced a problem-based, work-integrated, experiential learning project (Hearn et al., 2022). Students researched the chemistry of different COVID-19 vaccines and the systemic factors contributing to inequities in their uptake in a specific country. These interdisciplinary student teams were introduced to international community partners (e.g., from India, Sri Lanka, etc.) who provided country-specific research that helped students understand the factors impeding vaccination rates among disadvantaged groups in that country.

At the same time, students attended weekly sessions where they engaged in role-plays, case discussions, and debates on equity, diversity, and inclusion in different contexts. We hoped that experiential learning of EDI would help students in understanding barriers (i.e., misinformation, historical systemic mistreatment) that marginalized groups face in COVID-19 vaccine access. The weekly activities and the inter-disciplinary and global group project enabled students to apply their critical thinking, problem-solving, and leadership skills to a contemporary social justice issue. These interdisciplinary student teams presented their research to international community partners and stakeholders interested in global vaccine access by including specific recommendations and culturally relevant infographics on COVID-19 vaccines used in specific countries.