Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Welcome to Bi 234: Microbiology! 

Ever wonder why some viruses infect specific host cells while leaving others unharmed?  Or how your immune system may be tricked by pathogenic microbes that cause disease?  Or how the beneficial microbes on your body are probably more important to your innate immune response than your own body cells?  Explore the answers to these questions and more in Bi 234!

Please review the following required materials for Bi 234:

• Required Text for Lecture
• Microbiology with Diseases by Taxonomy by Robert Bauman (any edition will work fine and many older print editions or digital rentals cost around $10). The current e-text from Pearson costs less than $35.  PCC's SE Campus Bookstore sells the latest edition at a markup - ISBN 9780135799994.  My PowerPoints reference Bauman's text, figures, and tables as it was selected by PCC's microbiology instructors as a superior resource for student learning with appropriate detail and terminology for our 200 level course.

           OR

• Openstax Microbiology - This is a free, open educational resource that may be used in lieu of Bauman's text.  However, due to inconsistencies in vocabulary, I strongly recommend using the PowerPoints and lecture videos as your main source of information and using the Openstax as a supplemental learning tool only.
• Required Text for Lab
• Biology 234: Microbiology Lab Manual (2^nd edition) Portland Community College SE Campus by Troy Jesse, Heather Coleman, and Annie Crater (approximately $29 new).  Because the lab manuals vary between campuses, be sure to purchase from PCC’s SE Campus Bookstore only.
• Required Materials for In-Person Lab
• Because we culture living specimen in microbiology lab, the personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements for experiments may include face masks, chemical safety goggles, and gloves, depending on the particular lab.  (This PPE is provided by PCC.)  

Prior to making your registration decisions for Spring 2024, please consider these important course policies:

• Because Bi 234 is a 5-credit lab science course, you should expect to devote a minimum of 4 hours each week to lecture instruction and 3 hours each week to in-person lab (7 hours total).  This estimate of hours does not include reading, studying, or independent work time.  Typically, you should expect to invest 15-20 total hours per week on microbiology.
• As with all multimodality (hybrid) science courses, you will need to be extremely self-motivated and organized. You are expected to enter our course on D2L several times a week to work on lecture assignments, check email, and read announcements.
• This multimodality microbiology course is conducted in a flipped design model. This means that you are expected to complete the learning modules and corresponding materials (e.g., previewing the lecture text, completing reading homework, watching lecture recordings, reading the lab manual) prior to attending in-person lecture and lab meetings where we will engage in active learning.
• Online Lecture
• All lecture content is pre-recorded (audio transcripts are provided) and available to students on D2L.
• Weekly lecture modules are organized according to read, watch, and retain activities to guide your learning process. Graded lecture assignments include homework, quizzes, exams, discussions, and course surveys.

• In-Person Lecture
• In-person lecture recitation is scheduled once a week on Thursday after our last lab session. In-person lecture recitation consists of student Q&A time, critical thinking exercises and collaborative discussions on recorded lecture content, as well as proctored assessments. 
• Attendance at regularly scheduled lecture recitation meetings is required when proctored assessments (quizzes or exams) are scheduled. Afterward, you are encouraged to ask questions, practice assessment questions, and apply content learned online to real world examples.
• In-Person Lab
• In-person lab is scheduled twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Lab activities focus on staining and aseptic techniques, microscopy, and the use of selective and differential media.
• Attendance for lab is required as this is your opportunity for hands-on experiential learning and to demonstrate lab skills.  Graded lab assignments include quizzes, lab skills assessments, and an Unknown ID project.
• Proctored Assessments
• To uphold academic integrity, this course requires in-person proctored lecture and lab assessments. 
• Supportive Learning Community
• Because the curricula for Bi 234 include topics such as epidemics, pandemics, morbidity and mortality reports, as well as racial disparities and social injustices in healthcare, it is important to demonstrate empathy in our interactions with each other.  We cultivate a supportive and collaborative learning environment by demonstrating reciprocal respect, kindness, and patience as we navigate our way through the course. People of marginalized identities are welcomed and celebrated in our course; please only register for this section if you support PCC’s mission to uplift diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Bi 234 covers an incredible amount of detailed content that can be quite challenging, but you are capable of succeeding, and I am here to support you along the way. Carefully planning your schedule to determine when and how you will study for our course can set you up for success.  Likewise, there are resources available on D2L including study strategies and tips, and PCC has free tutoring services. You will also meet some terrific classmates to collaborate with; by working as a learning community, we support everyone’s success.

• Webcam
• Microphone
• Microsoft Office 365 software provided by PCC (e.g., Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Google Cloud Platform of software (Google Docs, Google Sheets, etc.)
• PCC's licensed Zoom software