Helping students develop cognitive empathy to enrich learning about disease and society using a multimodal approach
Sara Dye
Thursday, September 11th, 2025
10-10:45 am
Description
Disease and Society (SAS 13) is a high-enrollment (300–500 students) general education course that provides a broad introduction to the science of disease and its impact on individuals and societies. Many of the diseases covered in the course are globally significant yet rare in the United States, or are rare diseases more generally. As a result, many students may lack personal experience or contextual understanding of these illnesses, limiting their ability to grasp the human dimensions of disease. This ongoing project aims to enhance student learning by helping students to develop and practice cognitive empathy—the ability to adopt another’s perspective and understand their beliefs, emotions, and thoughts. Research suggests that engaging cognitive empathy can improve memory and promote deeper learning in scientific disciplines. To support the development of cognitive empathy, I have incorporated two components into the course.
One of these components is Canvas-based assignments called “Personal Story Response” assignments, in which students watch short videos in which individuals living with diseases previously discussed in class talk about their experiences. Students then respond to questions designed to facilitate perspective-taking alongside science content-specific questions to reinforce scientific understanding. The second of these components is incorporation of in-class demonstrations and object-based learning, where items used in the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of featured diseases are introduced and discussed. These activities aim to deepen student immersion and enhance conceptual understanding by connecting abstract content to tangible experiences. Success and challenges in the implementation of these components, student feedback, and future directions will be shared and discussed.
Link to video [video.ucdavis.edu]
Access the presentation slides (PowerPoint)
Access the Zoom chat from the event.
About the Presenter
Sara Dye is an Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Department of Plant Pathology. She teaches courses in Plant Pathology, Global Disease Biology, and Science and Society using a One Health approach that emphasizes how optimum health for humans, animals, and plants is interdependent and interlinked. She is particularly interested in the value of using storytelling to integrate scientific concepts in real-life scenarios, promote critical thinking, cultivate cognitive empathy, and encourage students to develop into global problem-solvers. She is passionate about helping students to learn, grow, and succeed at UC Davis.
