Isolation of bacteria present in the human may be used to teach students basic microbial techniques, such as colony isolation, Gram staining and rapid enzymatic tests, to identify major groups of bacteria. In our second-year microbiology laboratory, results from this exercise are used to produce one of the laboratory reports students complete during the semester. As part of an effort to use a variety of assessment tools to accommodate different learning styles, as well as teach different communication skills, we have replaced the traditional pre-lab quiz with a flowchart activity and the written report with an oral report for this lab. Implementing oral reports requires careful planning at the beginning of the semester to fit within schedule constraints, particularly in the case of courses with a large number of students and/or multiple sections. Clear instructions for the students and careful rubric design for assessment reduces potential resistance from the parties involved. We have included a set of instructions for student use for the for the lab, flowcharts, and oral report, and another set of instructions for those activities for the instructor and/or teaching assistant. Additionally, examples of student work and a marking rubric can be found in the appendices.
Keywords: Microbiology, teaching tools and techniques, flowcharts, oral reports
University of California, San Diego (2023)
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