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Syllabus

UNE Summer Session

BIOL 1020L: Microbiology – Summer Session – 12 weeks

Credits - 4

Description

This course is designed to meet the microbiology prerequisite for students who are applying for admission to health profession programs. Most students taking this course will have an undergraduate degree and will be in the process of a career change. Online Microbiology is a one-semester course.  It will emphasize the concepts that are a necessary groundwork for courses the student will take in his/her professional program.

Topics covered in this course include: the history of microbiology, microbial morphology and physiology, bacterial metabolism, genetics, ecology, and the classification of microorganisms, particularly bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Therapeutic agents used to disrupt and control microbial growth are considered and a body systems approach is utilized in the coverage of diseases.   

 

Materials

Textbook

  • Nester, E. W., et al. Microbiology: A Human Perspective. 10th edition. McGraw Hill; 2022. ISBN13: 9781260735505

Note : The e-book version of Nester may not be used on any proctored course exam. Textbooks need to be purchased separately and are not part of your registration fee. 

Areas of Prior knowledge

Webcam

UNE Compliant External Webcam and whiteboard* – To be used during proctored exams

You must show your proctor that your whiteboard is clear at the beginning of your testing session, and you must erase your whiteboard in front of the proctor before disconnecting from your session.  If you do not do this, your exam will not be credited.

Laboratory Components

NOTE: The cost of some required course materials (such as laboratory materials, or lab kit; digital platforms, textbooks, etc.) is not included in the course fee; they must be purchased separately.

To complete the laboratory component of this course, students are directed to purchase the following lab materials:

  • Hands on Labs (HOL) Kit
    • The kit must be purchased through HOL and cannot be purchased second hand or from another vendor.
    • Kits can take 5 – 7 business days to arrive.
    • For help ordering your HOL Kit, please follow the “Getting Started with Hands On Labs” guide located on the HOL link in Brightspace.
    • The HOL policy on Returns and Refunds will be viewable prior to completing your order.
    • HOL lab kits: For customer service concerns, please use the HOL dedicated phone line (720-360-4034).
    • The kit must be purchased directly through Hands-on Labs (Science Interactive) and cannot be purchased second-hand or from another vendor.
    • Students must complete both parts of every lab – the assigned experiment and the corresponding assignment online – to earn a grade for the lab.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of the course students will be able to:

  1. Define basic structure/function of microorganisms including prokaryotes, eukaryotes and viruses, with emphasis on their relationships to human disease and treatment modalities
  2. Describe the kinetics and patterns of microbial growth, and environmental factors that alter growth
  3. Describe key features of microbial genetics, including DNA structure and function, as well as mechanisms of DNA replication, transcription and translation
  4. Explain how and why microbial gene expression is regulated, as well as how genetic mutation and DNA transfer mechanisms affect microbial evolution, fitness and pathogenesis
  5. Define and compare beneficial versus pathogenic host-microbial interactions
  6. Explain fundamental stains, basic staining techniques, and corresponding bacterial and fungal morphology
  7. Describe the clinical manifestations associated with common bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic diseases
  8. Describe the uses of the various media and metabolic/enzymatic testing protocols
  9. Identify bacterial/fungal toxic and invasive factors and their relationship to the pathogenesis of disease
  10. Classify the mechanisms of antibiotic (antibacterial/antifungal), antiparasitic, and antiviral activity, as well as resistance strategies employed by target microorganisms
  11. Identify the pathogens commonly associated with infections of the skin, eyes, nervous system, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary tract in humans, as well as their modes of pathogenesis and risk factors associated with each type of disease
  12. Identify common healthcare-associated (nosocomial) pathogens
  13. Identify disease and likely etiology on the basis of patient signs and symptoms, pertinent history, and lab findings
  14. Create a case study outline.

 

Assignments

 

 

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Item CategoryPercent of Final Grade
Discussions (2)5
Weekly Quizzes (11)15
Video Assignments (3)15
Lab Exercises (17)20
Lab Report (1)5
Proctored Exams (3)30
Total100

Grade Scale

Grade Points Grade Point Average (GPA)
A 94 – 100% 4.00
A- 90 – 93% 3.75
B+ 87 – 89% 3.50
B 84 – 86% 3.00
B- 80 – 83% 2.75
C+ 77 – 79% 2.50
C 74 – 76% 2.00
C- 70 – 73% 1.75
D 64 – 69% 1.00
F 00 – 63% 0.00

 

 

Schedule

HOL/SI: Hands-on-Labs/Science Interactive

(#): number of hours needed to complete lab

Week 1

Textbook Chapters:

  1. Chapter 1: Humans and the Microbial World
  2. Chapter 2: The Molecules of Life (note: there is no lecture or quiz for chapter 2, but you should be familiar with the topics)
  3. Chapter 3: Cells and Methods to Observe Them

Due this week

HOL/SI:

  • Getting Started (3 hrs)
  • Lab Safety (2 hrs)
  • V-Scope (3 hrs)

Brightspace:

  • Introduction Video Discussion
  • Week 1 Quiz

Week 2

Textbook Chapters

  1. Chapter 4: Dynamics of Microbial Growth
  2. Chapter 5: Control of Microbial Growth

Due this week

HOL/SI:

  • Microbiology Lab Preparation (3 hrs)
  • Lab Kit Inventory (30 min)
    • No lab kit is required for the first 2 weeks of the lab to allow for time to receive your shipped kit. Immediately upon receiving it, conduct the Lab Kit Inventory and begin the Ubiquity of Microorganisms lab due next week
  • Microscopy for Microbiology (3 hrs)
  • Start Ubiquity of Microorganisms (see next week)

Brightspace:

  • Video Assignment: Biofilms
  • Week 2 Quiz

Week 3

Textbook Chapters

  1. Chapter 6: Metabolism: Fueling Cell Growth
  2. Chapter 7: The Blueprint of Life, DNA to Protein
  3. Chapter 8: Bacterial Genetics

Due this week

HOL/SI:

  • Ubiquity of Microorganisms (3 hrs + 48-hr incubation)

Brightspace:

  • Week 3 Quiz

Week 4

Textbook Chapters

  1. Chapter 9: Biotechnology & CRISPR
  2. Chapter 10: Identifying and Classifying Microorganisms
  3. Chapter 11: The Diversity of Bacteria and Archaea & BIOFILMS
  4. Chapter 12: The Eukaryotic Members of the Microbial World

Due this week

HOL/SI:

  • Aseptic Technique and Culturing Microbes (3 hrs + 4 day incubation)
  • Bacterial Morphology and Staining Techniques (3)

Brightspace:

  • Setting up a Sterile Field/ Aseptic Technique Demonstration Video
  • Week 4 Quiz

Week 5

Textbook Chapters

  1. Chapter 13: Viruses, Viroids, and Prions

Due this week

HOL/SI:

  • Selective and Differential Media Testing (2.5 hrs + 1-2 day incubation)
  • Carbohydrate Fermentation Testing (3 hrs + 2 day incubation)
  • Catalase and Oxidase Testing (3)

Brightspace:

  • Week 5 Quiz

Week 6 – Midterm Exam

Due this week

Brightspace:

  • Midterm Exam

Week 7

Textbook Chapters

  1. Chapter 14: The Innate Immune Response
  2. Chapter 15: The Adaptive Immune Response
  3. Chapter 16: Host-Microbe Interactions
  4. Chapter 17: Applications of Immune Responses

Due this week

HOL/SI:

  • Salt Tolerance and  pH Testing (3 hrs + 48 hr incubation)

Brightspace:

  • Video Assignment: Vaccines & Immunity
  • Week 7 Quiz

Week 8

Textbook Chapters

  1. Chapter 18: Immunological Disorders
  2. Chapter 19: Epidemiology
  3. Chapter 20: Antimicrobial Medications

Due this week

HOL/SI:

  • Kirby-Bauer Diffusion Testing (3 hrs + 48 hr incubation)

Brightspace:

  • Week 8 Quiz
  • Creation of a Bacterial Lawn/Pouring plates video

Week 9

Textbook Chapters

  1. Chapter 21: Respiratory System Infections & COVID-19
  2. Chapter 22: Skin Infections
  3. Chapter 23: Wound Infections

Due this week

HOL/SI:

  • Motility Testing (3 hrs + 48 hr incubation)
  • Identification of an Unknown Microbe (3 – virtual)

Brightspace:

  • Week 9 Quiz

Week 10

Textbook Chapters

  1. Chapter 24: Digestive System Infections
  2. Chapter 25: Blood and Lymphatic Infections
  3. Chapter 26: Nervous System Infections
  4. Chapter 27: Genitourinary Tract Infections

Due this week

HOL/SI:

  • Fomite Transmission (3 hrs + 48 hr incubation)

Brightspace:

  • Week 10 Quiz

Week 11 – Lab Final Exam

Textbook Chapters

  1. Chapter 28: Microbial Ecology
  2. Chapter 29: Environmental Microbiology: Treatment of Water, Wastes, and Polluted Habitats
  3. Chapter 30: Food Microbiology

Due this week

HOL/SI:

  • Food Safety (3 hrs + 5 days + 48 hr incubation)

Brightspace:

  • Video Assignment: Infectious disease and climate change
  • Food Safety Lab Report
  • Week 11 Quiz

Week 12 – Final Exam

Textbook Chapters

Due this week

Brightspace:

  • Lab Final Exam
  • Final Exam

 

Student Resources

 

 

Summer Session Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Email: summersessiononline@une.edu.

Instructor and Support Contact Information

Check Brightspace for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.

UNE Libraries

Further Assistance

Your student support specialist monitors course progression and provides assistance or guidance when needed. They can assist questions regarding ordering course materials, University policies, billing, navigating the course in Brightspace, and more.

To request an accommodation a student needs to go through the process with our UNE office. If the student has a current/already established accommodation in place with UNE it is the responsibility of the student to notify the program at summersessiononline@une.edu to ensure it is applied properly.

If you need to inquire about a possible accommodation, please reach out to the Student Access Center by calling 207-221-4418 or send an email to pcstudentaccess@une.edu.

Policies

 

 

Summer Session & Academic Engagement Policy

Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm EDT of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion by 11:59 pm EDT on Sunday of the first week, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the Student Summer Session Manual for full details.

Proctored Examinations

The University of New England has contracted with ProctorU to provide students with the most convenient online exam proctoring system. This system provides a simple, no cost to the student, secure, online proctor for exams and allows the student to take all the exams at home and on their own schedule.

Upon enrollment into the course, if the course has proctored exams, each student will register with ProctorU and establish a login name and password. This will give the student access to all of ProctorU's services. When ready, students will schedule each of their proctored exams with ProctorU. Exams must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance to avoid fees. Prior to taking their exams, students must be sure that they have downloaded the ProctorU Chrome or Firefox extension and are using the most current version of Chrome or Firefox. They must also be sure their testing site's connection meets the minimum requirements by using ProctorU's "Test It Out" utility.

Upon the exam day and hour, students will log in to ProctorU and click on "exams". After following the procedures outlined at ProctorU's website, the student will log in to Brightspace and locate their correct exam. The proctor will then allow student access to that exam.

Students must use ProctorU and must follow all proctoring requirements for their exams to be credited.

Information about exam attempts can be found in your course.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Programs: Technical Requirements.

Course Length

A schedule of lectures and assignments is included in this syllabus.

Courses in the program are equivalent to one-semester courses designed to be completed in 6 or 12 weeks.

  1. Enrollment in the course begins the day your section opens which is listed in the Academic Calendar.
  2. Course due dates, start and end dates are in respect to Eastern Time.

Withdrawal and Refund Policies

Please review the policies in your confirmation email. Contact summersessiononline@une.edu with any questions.

Grade Policy

Students are expected to attempt and complete all graded assignments and proctored exams by the end date of the course.

Transcripts

Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, only the student may request official transcripts. This may be done online by going to the University of New England Registrar website and following the directions on the page.

To view your unofficial UNE student transcript:

  1. Log into uonline at http://uonline.une.edu
  2. Select Student Services
  3. Select Student Records
  4. Select Academic Transcript

To request your official UNE student transcript:

Please review your Unofficial Transcript prior to requesting an Official Transcript.

  1. Log into uonline at http://uonline.une.edu
  2. Select Student Services
  3. Select Student Records
  4. Select Request Printed/Official Transcript
  5. Follow the prompts

After you click Submit Request, your official transcript will be put into the queue to be processed in the Registrar's Office.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submission of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the College. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.