My Experience: Antibiotics and You- An Open Access Course
The antibiotic resistant project was listed on The University of Manchester volunteer hub, and soon after showing my interest, we were in the first meeting getting stuck into the project. What worked well for me was the agile approach used for the project. Working part-time as well as studying had previously limited my options when trying to volunteer, however, the project allowed for volunteers to come to whichever part of the session worked best for them based on other commitments. I thought this was great as it allowed the project to have a more inclusive approach for its volunteers. Additionally, I found that the sprints of each session allowed us all to be accountable and stay on track along the way. The use of Trello and Slack helped us to understand what tasks needed to be completed in each session so that we were able to work together to complete the tasks.
Initially, the teamwork aspect of the meetings may have lacked a little with some students not feeling comfortable straight away to share their thoughts with the group. However, this passed after a few weeks as the weekly meetings allowed everyone to become familiar with each other. At the end of each session, we completed anonymous reflections on the process, which allowed the students to share their thoughts non-verbally. Each sprint meeting felt as though everyone had an equal part to play in completing the project, with the staff encouraging us to share our ideas fluidly. I felt as though I could speak to the staff in the same manner as I could speak to the other volunteers, which is what I think made the project a success. Everybody felt supported and comfortable within the group to achieve the aims of the project.
The project opportunity helped me to develop a vast amount of skills along the way too. Group project collaboration is something my degree doesn’t run regularly due to the large size of our lectures. As such, I always felt my teamwork experience was lacking (I’d often shy away from it a lot too!). Taking part in the project allowed me to enhance these skills as I found myself comfortably sharing my ideas and asking questions if I was unsure of anything. These skills proved vital when I attended an assessment day at a pharmaceuticals company when applying for work placements. One of the tasks was to debate and problem solve within the group of candidates. This turned out to be my best performance of the day (this would never have been the case this time last year!). The project opened my eyes to science communications too. It was a career prospect I’d never considered previously, but the project taught me how to relay science in a way that was beneficial and understandable to a broad audience. It highlighted how crucial this was, especially with the misconceptions of antibiotic resistance addressed in the course.
Overall I enjoyed the experience of making the open-access course as it brought me in contact with people across many disciplines, built my transferable skills and educated me on the importance of a united global response against antibiotic resistance. It’s something I’d love to get involved with again in the future!
