COVID-19 Resources

COVID-19 Resources

The number of online resources for information on COVID-19 is growing exponentially, and sometimes it's overwhelming to know just which ones to use for you and your students. Below are a few resources to get you started, and please reach out if you find your favourites missing from the list!

General Resources from the ABE Program Office

  1. Technology for Online Learning – An overview of platforms and other content-sharing options for virtual teaching
  2. Resources for Online Bioscience Learning – A summary of several platforms that integrate well with teaching biology
  3. LabXchange – A free resource developed at Harvard that includes text, video, images, and simulations for a well-rounded teaching experience. You can create classes and discussion forums to facilitate interpersonal interactions.  The platform allows users to create "Pathways" that strings together content in a linear fashion, and can be shared between users. The ABE Italy site has been relying heavily on LabXchange during this crisis, and student samples can be found here. The Amgen Biotech Experience Cluster (a collection of pathways) is also available for all users. 

COVID-19 Specific Resources

  1. The Coronavirus Explained & What You Should Do – A very good introductory video from the science powerhouse Kurzgesagt, this is a quick, 8-minute video on the history of the outbread, viral infection, herd immunity, physical distancing, and why we are staying home to flatten the curve. 
  2. Responding to a Mystery Illness – A mini-curriculum developed by the Program Office, taking students through examining an outbreak as a WHO outbreak response team member.  A Teacher Guide is also available with answer keys as well as supplemental resources. This resource contains many links to other modules created by the ABE Program Office. 
  3. Solve the Outbreak Game – From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a game set up to take players through several decision-based steps to contain an outbreak as a Disease Detective.
  4. Herd Immunity Simulator – From the History of Vaccines site. The site itself has many great additional resources in its activities, articles, and gallery sections – How Vaccines Are Made and How Vaccines Work are excellent. 
  5. LabXchange Coronavirus Pathway – Readily available as an online teaching tool, offering texts, images, as well as assignment options for teachers.
  6. Flattening the Curve Simulator – One of the best visualizations of how staying at home reduces the transmission rate of a disease. 

Canadian Efforts

  1. Navigating the COVID-19 Evidence Landscape – A resource from the University of Toronto Gerstein Science Information Centre, focusing on what types of research is published, and how to critically read each type.  
  2. Outbreak Tracker – A collection of different outbreak tracker dashboards, also compiled by the Gerstein Science Information Centre.
  3. Canadian Researchers Join in the Race for Treatment and Vaccine – A list of current funded projects around Canada to develop treatment and vaccines for SARS-Cov-2.