The concepts of bacteriology are still poorly understood by students of the Department of Biology Education, Mulawarman University. Certain ethnic characteristics influence student learning processes and outcomes. A quasi-experiment was carried out at the Department of Biology Education, Mulawarman University in the even semester of the 2022/2023…

In a typical undergraduate biology curriculum, students do not dive into research until they first wade through large amounts of content. Biology courses in the first few years of the college curriculum tend to be lecture-based and exam-based courses. As a result, science students are mainly exposed to content knowledge--not the skills scientists…

Abstract Microbiome study requires both molecular techniques and bioinformatics skills, which are challenging for biologists to participate in this growing field. To introduce microbiome concepts and skills to students, a 6-week wet-lab and bioinformatics course for undergraduates was implemented through the project-based learning (PBL) approach.…

Bacteria, viruses, and other invisible creatures are, in brief, microorganisms. Especially with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the features of microorganisms, their density, and relevant precautions have grown in importance. Knowing the density of microorganisms at school will cause our cleaning habits to change. In this study, efforts were…

Volatile-mediated impacts of microbes on plants have aroused interest among scientists in the life science field. This study describes an inquiry-based laboratory module named "Microbial Talk", which related to microbial volatile-mediated communication, including the process of design, implementation, and assessment. First-year biology…

A biochemistry class was transformed to implement student-centered, active-learning pedagogies to help improve competencies associated with the scientific method. In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the course content switched from the biochemistry of nucleic acids to the science of the newly discovered virus, SARS-CoV-2. This provided a…

The application of effective teaching methods needs to be implemented to improve the quality of microbiology education which can empower important competencies in the current era. This study aims to analyze the application and trajectory of argumentation-based inquiry learning through the application of microbiology lectures. This research uses…

The Prospect Park Biodiversity Project was a SENCER collaboration project between the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and Mathematics at the New York City College of Technology. The goal of this project was to enhance students' participation and learning in STEM disciplines through a civically engaged framework. The project utilized…

Students in a mixed majors undergraduate microbiology class often struggle with basic genetics concepts, generating gaps in their overall understanding of genetics. This can be a result of employing the traditional block style of instruction that focuses on teaching skills and concepts one topic at a time. Here I present a simple, yet innovative…

Developing and communicating evidence-based explanations are regarded as essential skills in 21st-century learning. These skills are central to the process of scientific argumentation. Hence, teachers must adhere to a student-centered pedagogy that cultivates students' understanding and argumentation skills. This study investigated the effects of…

Educators are recognizing the potential power of immersive virtual reality (IVR) to allow learners to experience previously intangible firsthand phenomena, such as atoms and molecules. In this study, an IVR simulation of a complex gene regulation system was co-designed with an undergraduate microbiology course instructor. The course, with 234…

With over 1,400 known disease-causing organisms in humans alone, and hundreds of named infections, the realm of Medical Microbiology is both fascinating and intimidating. The wealth of information covered in this subject area often demands much memorization that can be difficult to handle. By integrating key concepts and terminology of this…

The research was carried out to determine whether the use of group tests for undergraduate science students to augment lecture material in a second-year core course in microbiology would improve the retention of material on a subsequent regular mid-term/final exam. On three separate occasions, the students were asked to complete short…

Metagenomics is a tool that enables researchers to study genetic material recovered directly from microbial communities or microbiomes. Fueled by advances in sequencing technologies, bioinformatics tools, and sample processing, metagenomics studies promise to expand our understanding of human health and the use of microorganisms for agriculture…

We found that actively engaging students in our introductory microbiology course was a challenge given our large class sizes and many non-majors taking the course as a program requirement. Therefore, we introduced a novel active learning strategy to our course. Students grouped into teams of three had to create PowerPoint virtual posters on one of…