Photo: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Great interest globally in online course on antimicrobial resistance

Food safety

In just one year, more than 14,000 students from all over the world have learnt how bacteria develop and spread resistance and how to test bacteria for the presence of resistance. The students have studied the subject via an online course, which has been developed at the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark. The institute has another two online courses in the pipeline.

During the past year, experts from the National Food Institute have given more than 14,000 students from Brazil and Bhutan to Egypt and Eritrea an introduction to the problem around antimicrobial resistance via an online course. Since the free MOOC e-learning course was introduced in June 2016, students from around the world have among other things learnt how bacteria develop and spread resistance and how common methods to test bacteria work.

While some students choose the modules they have a special interest in or need more knowledge about – i.e. in connection with their studies or to carry out their job – more than 1,500 students have completed the entire course.

Through the National Food Institute’s role as European reference laboratory and as WHO collaboration center for antimicrobial resistance in foodborne disease-causing microorganisms, the institute’s researchers have gained a great deal of experience in how to teach others about the  methods for studying the occurrence of resistance.

Satisfied students

Feedback from the students has been overwhelmingly positive. They have given the course four and a half out of five possible stars and many students have told the teachers that their newly acquired knowledge has helped them in their studies or jobs.

Armed with what the teachers have learnt from launching the course on antimicrobial resistance, the National Food Institute is developing two more courses – one on whole genome sequencing and one on surveillance of pathogens – so that more people can benefit from the researchers' knowledge.

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There is continuous enrollment on the five-week course, which is taught in English. The course is aimed at people with an interest in the field – e.g. undergraduate or graduate students, laboratory technicians, researchers and people working in the health or veterinary sectors. 

The course is offered through Coursera, which is an international provider of free e-learning courses. Read the course description on Coursera’s website: Antimicrobial resistance - theory and methods.

Students should expect to spend one to two hours a week on their studies. Teaching takes place via an interactive textbook, which contains videos, quizzes and assignments. During the course students will have the opportunity to meet in an online study group.

More information about antimicrobial resistance and the research which is carried out at the National Food Institute in order to increase our knowledge about resistant bacteria and to help combat resistance can be found on the institute’s special topic portal on antimicrobial resistance.