Four days of in-person supervised laboratory work offered five times per year in Athabasca, Alberta.
Check dates and locations of supervised lab prior to registering for the course.
Overview
BIOL 325 is a three-credit, university-level course that covers fundamental elements of the study of microorganisms and their environment. This course emphasizes the impact microorganisms have in nature. The course provides an overview of microbial environments, with special emphasis on structural and functional differences among bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa, and viruses.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be well-versed in the current classification system of bacteria, in microbiological techniques, and in biochemical function. Clinical and industrial applications in microbiology will be discussed. As there is a laboratory component in this course, students will gain experience in microbiological techniques, and in isolation and identification of bacteria.
Outline
BIOL 325 comprises the following 15 units.
Unit 1: Introduction to Microbiology
Unit 2: Microbial Anatomy
Unit 3: Microbial Biochemistry
Unit 4: Microbial Growth
Unit 5: Microbial Genetics
Unit 6: Classification of Microorganisms
Unit 7: The Prokaryotes: Domains Bacteria and Archaea
Unit 8: The Eukaryotes: Fungi, Algae, Protozoa, and Arthropods
Unit 9: Viruses, Viroids, and Prions
Unit 10: Diseases and Epidemiology
Unit 11: Pathogenicity
Unit 12: Immunology
Unit 13: Microbial Diseases
Unit 14: Environmental Microbiology
Unit 15: Microbiological Applications
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to
understand how key historical experiments and theories have shaped our knowledge of microorganisms.
demonstrate familiarity and competency with a wide variety of microbiological laboratory techniques, including transfer, culture, isolation and identification, growth rates and antibiotic sensitivity.
describe the components and cellular structure of bacteria, viruses and fungi.
explain the bacterial genetic processes of replication, transcription and translation.
understand the principles of microbial pathogenic mechanisms and strategies to identify and manage infectious disease transmission.
define immunity and understand the mechanisms of the immune response.
outline the applications of microorganisms in the food industry, biotechnology, industrial processes, and the development of medical treatments.
Evaluation
To receive credit for BIOL 325, you must obtain at least 50 percent on each of the Assignments and examinations and on the laboratory component. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
Activity
Weight
Four Assignments (10% each)
40%
Midterm Exam
20%
Final Exam
20%
Laboratory Exercises
20%
Total
100%
The midterm and final examinations for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Tortora, G. J., Funke, B. R., & Case, C. L. (2019). Microbiology: An introduction (13th ed.). Pearson. (eText)
Leboffe, M. J., & Pierce, B. E. (2021). A photographic atlas for the microbiology laboratory (5th ed.). Morton Publishing. (Mailed to students.) (Print)
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.