630 Microbiology for Teachers

Evaluation

Your course grade will be based on these four aspects of your performance.

• First, you will take four 75-point exams and one 45-point exam. These exams will cover material from lecture (~85%) and lab (~15%), and will consist of multiple-choice, matching multiple-choice, true-false and short-answer essay questions. If you miss exam 1, 2, 3 or 4 for an acceptable reason, you may take a long-answer essay makeup exam within two class days after the (missed) exam was given.
• Second, you will be expected to turn in a one-page (typed, single-spaced) written report and to present a two-minute oral report based on it at some point during the course. To successfully complete this (5-point) course requirement, you must:
  • Read a current article which you find in a recent (published no earlier than 12 months prior to the start of this course) newspaper, magazine, or on the internet.
    • Your article must be directly related to the topic being discussed in class on the day you present your report.
    • Look for articles that are intended for educated people who are not professional scientists, because they relate more to the social and community aspects of microbiology, which makes them more interesting and informative for this class.
    • Neither articles from professional medical or microbiology research journals are acceptable.
  • Write a one-page (typed) report that must:
    • give the complete reference for the article at the top of the page. This reference must include the: Author, Title, Source (magazine, newspaper, web page address [URL]), Date published, and Pages (0 points ... but NO points will be given for the report until I receive the complete reference, and 3 points will be deducted if the reference is omitted when you turn in your report);
    • describe the article's content ... tell what information is conveyed in the article, which will take a long paragraph of 8-10 sentences that will occupy about two-thirds of the page (8 points);
    • explain how the article is relevant to both this discussion topic and the course as a whole ... discuss how it is related to past, present and/or future issues in microbiology relevant to this course, which will take a short paragraph of 4-5 sentences and will occupy about one-third of the page (4 points);
    • explain how you might use this article in your classroom ... discuss how you could use it to help engage your students and extend their understanding of microbiology and its importance in their lives (3 points).
  • Hand in your report, together with a copy of the article itself, at the beginning of class the day it is due (one class day before your presentation is scheduled).
  • Present your oral report on the day I discuss your topic in class:
    • Be sure to discuss your oral report with me when you turn in the written report because I will integrate your talk into my lecture on your topic and I need to know the focus of your presentation to be able to do that.
    • Present all the aspects covered in your written report when you present it orally ... but also be certain that you present your oral report rather than simply reading it to the class.
• Third, you are expected to maintain a laboratory notebook (50 points). You are expected to participate in every laboratory exercise, but you are allowed one excused absence. Ten points will be subtracted for each additional absence.

Your course grade will be determined as follows:

Cheating on any aspect of this course will make you subject to immediate dismissal from the class with a grade of F.