From Facebook - to Instagram - Adapting the “Adopt a Bacterium” project through the lens of the connectivism learning theory

Sep 8, 2026

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Created in 2013, the “Adopt a Bacterium” project uses social media to engage students in microbiology, initially through Facebook® and later through Instagram® as preferences shifted. The study evaluates the pedagogical impact of this platform transition among Biomedical Science undergraduates at the University of São Paulo in a bacteriology course. Voluntary anonymous questionnaires were administered before the course (Q1), immediately after (Q2), and five months later (Q3) to assess knowledge gain and retention, supported by a project evaluation survey. Analysis used thematic categorization, frequency tables via Pandas in IPython, and the Shannon Diversity Index to measure discourse richness, showing improved outcomes on Instagram®.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Methods (Q1-Q3 questionnaires and evaluation)

Data analysis (thematic categorization, frequency tables, Shannon Diversity Index)

Results and implications

10. 22633/rpge.v29i00 .20732 Revista on line de Política e Gestão Educacional Online Journal of Policy and Educational Management 1 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (ICB, USP), São Paulo – São Paulo (SP)– Brazil. Graduate student, Department of Microbiology. 2 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (ICB, USP), São Paulo – São Paulo (SP)– Brazil. Graduate student, Department of Microbiology. 3 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (ICB, USP), São Paulo – São Paulo (SP)– Brazil. Undergraduate student, Department of Microbiology. 4 Butantan Institute/ Institute of Biomedical Sciences, São Paulo – São Paulo (SP) – Brazil. scientific researcher, Department of Microbiology. 5 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (ICB, USP), São Paulo – São Paulo (SP)– Brazil. faculty member, Department of Microbiology. 6 Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), Diadema – São Paulo (SP)– Brazil. faculty member, Department of Biological Sciences. 7 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo (ICB, USP), São Paulo – São Paulo (SP)– Brazil. faculty member, Department of Microbiology. FROM FACEBOOK® TO INSTAGRAM®: ADAPTING THE “ADOPT A BACTERIUM”PROJECT THROUGH THE LENS OF THE CONNECTIVISM LEARNING THEORY DO FACEBOOK® AO INSTAGRAM®: ADAPTANDO OPROJETO “ADOTE UMA BACTÉRIA” SOBA PERSPECTIVADATEORIA DA APRENDIZAGEM CONECTIVISTA DE FACEBOOK®AINSTAGRAM®: ADAPTANDO EL PROYECTO“ADOPTAUNA BACTERIA” DESDE LAPERSPECTIVADE LATEORÍADELAPRENDIZAJECONECTIVISTA Bárbara R. C. ARMELLINI¹ [barbara.armellini@usp.br](barbara.armellini@usp.br) Lara Nardi BARONI2 [laranardibaroni@usp.br](laranardibaroni@usp.br) Samantha C. Maia BRITO3 [sammy.maiabrito@gmail.com](sammy.maiabrito@gmail.com)[ ](sammy.maiabrito@gmail.com)Ana Carolina R. MORENO4 [carol@usp.br](carol@usp.br) Robson [F.de](F.de) SOUZA5 [rfsouza@usp.br](rfsouza@usp.br) Camilo LELLIS-SANTOS6 [lellis.camilo@unifesp.br](lellis.camilo@unifesp.br) Rita de C. Café FERREIRA7 [ritacafe@usp.br](ritacafe@usp.br) How to reference this paper: Armellini, B. R. C.; Baroni, L. N.; Brito, S. C. M.; Moreno, A. C. R.; Souza, R. F.; LellisSantos, C.; Ferreira, R. C. C. (2025) . From Facebook® to Instagram®: Adapting the “Adopt a Bacterium” project through the lens of the connectivism learning theory. Revista on line de Política e Gestão Educacional, 29, e025084 . [https://doi](https://doi). org/10.22633/rpge.v29i00.20732 Submitted: 08/10/2025 Revisions required: 10/10/2025 Approved: 29/10/2025 Published: 30/11/2025 Revista on line de Política e Gestão Educacional (RPGE), e-ISSN: 1519-9029 Araraquara, v. 29, n. 00, e025084, 2025. 1 ABSTRACT: Created in 2013, the “Adopt a Bacterium” project engages students in microbiology through social media, initially using Facebook® and later migrating to Instagram® as preferences shifted. This study examines the pedagogical impact of the transition among Biomedical Science undergraduates at the University of São Paulo enrolled in a bacteriology course. The project employed voluntary, anonymous questionnaires: before the course (Q1) to assess prior knowledge, immediately after (Q2) to measure learning, and five months later (Q3) to evaluate retention. Data were collected over three years and supported by a project evaluation survey. Analyses included thematic categorization, frequency tables generated with Pandas in IPython, and the Shannon Diversity Index to assess discourse richness. Results showed improved learning on Instagram®, with increased bacteriology terminology and higher Shannon Index values in Q2 and Q3 . Findings indicate that “Adopt a Bacterium” remains effective across platforms, promoting active learning, student engagement, and microbiology education overall impact. KEYWORDS: : Active learning. Adopt a Bacterium. Microbiology education. Virtual learning environments. Social media. RESUMO: Em 2013, o projeto “Ad

FAQs

When was the “Adopt a Bacterium” project created and which platforms did it use?

The project was created in 2013 and initially used Facebook®, later migrating to Instagram® as social-media preferences changed.

How was learning measured before, immediately after, and later after the course?

Voluntary anonymous questionnaires were used: before the course (Q1) to assess prior knowledge, immediately after (Q2) to measure learning, and five months later (Q3) to evaluate retention.

Which analytical approaches were used to assess discourse and learning outcomes?

The study applied thematic categorization, frequency tables generated with Pandas in IPython, and the Shannon Diversity Index to assess discourse richness.

Sep 8, 2026

Upload by Patrick