Making the Basic Microbiology Laboratory an Exciting and Engaging Experience

Abstract

Teaching basic microbiology laboratory techniques to non-biology majors can be challenging. The students take the microbiology laboratory only because it is a requirement for their program and not by personal choice. Recently, we have developed a teaching approach that has shown to increase the interest and involvement of students in learning basic microbiology laboratory techniques. This approach consists of incorporating basic microbiology laboratory techniques in a semester long project that involves isolating an unknown bacterium from their environment at the beginning of the semester. Students apply basic microbiology techniques learned throughout the course to characterize and identify “their organism”. This approach encourages the inquisitiveness of students and provides relevance to the use of laboratory techniques.