Focusing on Health: Laboratory Exercises in Microbiology by Derek Weber, Ph.D., is hot off the press! Designed specifically for non-major microbiology students with a focus on allied health, this standalone manual offers a fresh approach to exercises in a microbiology lab. This microbiology lab manual will provide vast benefits for students and teachers.
This lab manual provides microbiology students with clinically-relevant, real-world learning opportunities set within the framework of the microbiology laboratory. Each exercise contains a Focusing on Health section that interweaves material from the laboratory with applications in public health and/or the clinic. These vignettes aim to build student interest and real-world connections, consistent with recommendations from the Vision and Change report. For instructors, this integration creates the opportunity for productive discussion about the impact of microbes on human health throughout the term.
This one-of-a-kind manual achieves the following goals:
- Helps students draw real-life connections with basic microbiology concepts using real-world examples.
- Threads microbiological topics related to public health throughout to expose students to topics related to their future potential careers.
- Threads microbiological topics related to public health throughout to expose students to topics related to their future potential careers.
- Teaches students to think like a clinical microbiologist.
- Fits nicely into a one-semester or single-quarter offering.
The goals of this manual are accomplished by these outstanding features:
- Illustrations That Instruct: Professional, full-color illustrations are designed to teach difficult concepts.
- Expected Results: Sections that contain high-quality, full-color photographs with key information boxes to assist students in interpreting results.
- Clear Organization: Each exercise is consistently organized into the following sections: Learning Objectives, Underlying Theory, Focusing on Health, Materials and Procedure, Expected Results, References, and Review Your Understanding Assessments.
- Investigative Exercises: A unit on definitive diagnosis tasks students with designing an experimental approach to identifying unknown bacteria.
- Gradable Assessments: Assessments, aligned with stated learning outcomes, are available within the manual and for integration with most Learning Management Systems.
- Student Safety: Biosafety-level 1 (BSL-1) bacteria are used throughout the manual in support of teaching labs not equipped to use BSL-2, with few exceptions.
Meet Derek Weber, Ph.D., author of Focusing on Health: Laboratory Exercises in Microbiology.
Derek Weber has been a professor of biology and microbiology for years and is currently working at Raritan Valley Community College in Somerville, NJ. He’s been recognized for work in instructional technology and continues to use that work to create real-world application for students studying basic microbiology.
Focusing on Health: Laboratory Exercises in Microbiology is published and ready for adoption! Does this sound like a potential fit for your Microbiology Laboratory? We have a few ways for you to engage with this microbiology lab manual and learn more:
- Explore a sample chapter and the table of contents.
- Request a review copy of this microbiology lab manual.
- Purchase the microbiology lab manual today.
- Contact us to adopt the microbiology lab manual for your course.
