Mind the gaps: from formal to informal education - from university to society

Abstract

Education is an inalienable right of human beings and a fundamental requirement for individuals to have access to goods and services available in society. A formal education hierarchically structured with a chronologically graded ‘education system’, run from primary school through the university. In turn, informal education is a truly lifelong process and enables individuals to acquire attitudes, values, skills and knowledge from daily experience.

This work shows how a group of university students enrolled in the graduation program of Biology and Geology at University of Minho, Braga, Portugal, can learn some biochemical subjects by creating 3D pieces. These are both relevant for students´ learning of the particular scientific topic under study but also for promoting and disseminating some informal knowledge about the same topic to different public. In fact, the created objects were exhibited in a public library during 15 days, on behalf of the celebration of The World Water Day, promoted yearly by the United Nations on the 22nd of March. Simultaneously, a set of hands-on activities designed for children between 6 and 10 years old and having as theme “Water – Value the Drop!” was promoted during a Saturday morning of the same week, in collaboration with an association of the undergraduate students enrolled in the degree of Applied Biology, at the same University.