Aparna Y, Anuradha K, Jyothi Ch, Sri Manjari K, Challa Anil Kumar
Bhavan's Vivekananda College of Science Humanities and Commerce, Secunderabad, India.
St.Ann's College for Women, Hyderabad, India.
Front Microbiol. 2020 Dec 8;11:589405. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.589405. eCollection 2020.
Undergraduate microbiology curriculum should be amenable to periodic changes to incorporate new developments and ideas. The curriculum should be used not merely as a way to disseminate facts but also as a way to allow students to experience the process of science. In the context of undergraduate microbiology education in Osmania University (Hyderabad, India), existing curriculum does not explicitly allow students to engage in deeper understanding of concepts and understanding of the process of science, both in lecture and laboratory courses. The assessment methods that are currently used are limited in scope as they only test factual recall and superficial understanding of the subject and very minimally assess critical thinking skills. Another factor hampering innovation in the broader context of undergraduate education is the unavailability and inaccessibility to adequate resources. To address the issue of resource-limitations in implementing activities that expose undergraduate students to real-world microbiology experiences, a collaboration between a research institute and two teaching colleges was formed. This collaboration involved teacher and student workshops on exploring microbial diversity using 16S rRNA analysis with a view of blending novel research questions with technical skills in the undergraduate microbiology lab. This effort is an example of educators providing students with authentic experiences and, helping them gain critical knowledge and research skills in microbiology even under resource constraints, and students demonstrating motivation to participate in similar activities in the future. The collaborative effort described here can be a broadly sustainable model to improve overall undergraduate education in relatively resource-limited environments.
本科微生物学课程应能够定期更新，以纳入新的发展和理念。该课程不应仅仅被用作传播事实的方式，还应用作让学生体验科学过程的方式。在奥斯曼尼亚大学（印度海得拉巴）的本科微生物学教育背景下，现有的课程在讲座和实验课程中都没有明确让学生深入理解概念和科学过程。目前使用的评估方法范围有限，因为它们只测试对学科事实的记忆和表面理解，对批判性思维技能的评估微乎其微。在本科教育的更广泛背景下，阻碍创新的另一个因素是缺乏足够的资源且难以获取这些资源。为了解决在开展让本科生获得真实微生物学体验的活动时资源受限的问题，一家研究机构与两所教学学院开展了合作。这种合作包括教师和学生研讨会，利用16S rRNA分析探索微生物多样性，目的是将新的研究问题与本科微生物学实验室的技术技能相结合。这一努力是教育工作者为学生提供真实体验的一个例子，即使在资源有限的情况下，也能帮助他们获得微生物学的关键知识和研究技能，同时学生也表现出未来参与类似活动的积极性。这里描述的合作努力可以成为在资源相对有限的环境中改善整体本科教育的一个广泛可持续的模式。
