Exploring the Value of Hosting a Grassroots Neuroscience Workshop That Facilitates Near-Peer Engagement Between Medical Students and High School Students (Local Brain Bee Participants) in a Developing Country in the Caribbean

Abstract

Objective This article explores the value of hosting a grassroots neuroscience workshop that facilitates near-peer engagement between year-one medical students and local Brain Bee finalists (high school students). Near-peer mentoring is a formal relationship in which more academically advanced students guide immediate junior students. We hypothesized that similar activities have teaching, learning, and psychosocial benefits for all and can be easily replicated. Activity The Grenada National Brain Bee Challenge was launched in 2009 as a competition for high school students. Annually, there are at least 100 high school students registering to participate in the national challenge. In 2018, a grassroots neuroscience symposium, a local initiative, was created to prepare high school students who participated in the preliminary rounds for the final local and International Brain Bee competition. Traditionally, it is hosted annually by faculty at St. George's University School of Medicine (SOM). However, in 2022, the symposium was hosted by medical students. The symposium is designed as an eight-hour tutorial one-day session. The students rotate between facilitators as small group teams during each teaching hour. There are icebreakers, content presentations, and neuroanatomy skills stations. The medical students demonstrate expertise in neuroscience content and other aspects of professional competence. The activity was also designed to offer students of diversified backgrounds the opportunity to affect their educational pathways through role modeling, mirroring, and mentorship. Was this change beneficial to both sets of students (medical and high school)? Results and discussion We aim to determine the value of the near-peer relationship between the local 2022 Brain Bee finalists (high school students) (n=28) and university (medical) students (n=11). Participants were surveyed about their experience. Data were de-identified and grouped according to common themes. A thematic analysis was conducted on the data retrieved from the literature review. Data suggest that both high school and university (medical) students report benefits after participating in near-peer engagement at a grassroots neuroscience symposium. In this teaching model, the medical students are the more experienced instructors and transfer their knowledge and skills about the field to the high school students. The medical students have an opportunity to consolidate their personal learning and give back to the Grenadian community. While informal teaching occurs often, this type of near-peer engagement with students from the community helps medical students develop both personal and professional skills such as confidence, knowledge, and respect. This grassroots initiative is easily replicated in a medical curriculum. The major benefits experienced by the high school student participants (of various socioeconomic backgrounds) were access to educational resources. The symposium requires active engagement, fosters a sense of belonging, and promotes interest in pursuing careers in health, research, academia, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Conclusion Participating high school students of various genders and socioeconomic backgrounds gained equal access to educational resources and may select careers in health-related sciences. Participating medical students developed knowledge and teaching skills and engaged in a service-learning opportunity.

Keywords: brain bee; community outreach; equality; gender disparity; grassroot neuroscience; medical education; near-peer engagement; student organizations; student role models.

Figure 1. Proportion of female and male graduates in tertiary education by program level and those employed as researchers (global estimate, 2017 or latest year available) (based on the UIS, US data (July 2019))

UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UIS: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, ISCED: International Standard Classification of Education Image source: https://lac.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Field%20Office%20Americas/Documentos/Publicaciones/2020/09/Women%20in%20STEM%20UN%20Women%20Unesco%20EN32921.pdf

Figure 2. All survey results: (A) interest in STEM-related careers before and after participating in the Brain Bee, (B) gender distribution of Brain Bee participants, and (C) benefit rating indicated by all the facilitators

STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics This image was created by the co-author (ENG).