Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Introductory Microbiology Lab (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 2065-03

Course: BIOL 2065-03
Credits: 1
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: BIOL
CRN: 30886

Course Description

Lab to accompany BIOL 2060. Practical skills for working with microorganism and lab exercises to support lectures on biology of microorganism and their effect on human activities. A minimum grade of "C" (2.0 or above) must be earned in this course before it can be counted in a biological science major or minor or as a prerequisite for any other biology course. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Co-requisite(s): BIOL 2060 Prerequisite(s): BIOL 1610 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C

Required Texts

  • NO required textbook; Lab Manual is available on Canvas
  • Required supplies & attire:
    • BRING A GALLON ZIPLOC BAG to store lab coat. Lab coats will be provided.
    • BRING A PENCIL.
    • BRING A BLACK PERMANENT FINE POINT MARKER.
    • BRING A CALCULATOR. Your phone can be your calculator, but you must remove gloves and wash your hands before handling your phone.
    • WEAR LONG PANTS/SKIRTS & CLOSE-TOED SHOES.
    • AVOID WEARING LOOSE JEWELRY/CLOTHING.
    • TIE BACK LONG HAIR.
    • WEAR GLOVES while handling all lab equipment. Gloves will be provided.
    • WEAR SAFETY GOGGLES when instructed to do so. Goggles will be provided.

Learning Outcomes

Microbiology is relevant to all our lives. EVERYTHING in life can in some way be traced back to microbes. Since most students taking this course are interested in microbial impacts on human health, we have included case studies and investigations to link the science to everyday experiences. The labs are designed to teach important microbiology techniques and to apply those techniques to procedures performed in clinical and commercial laboratories. Enjoy exploring the world of microbes and watch the lecture concepts come alive!
  • Gain factual knowledge of microbiology.
    • View and identify characteristics of eukaryotic microorganisms.
    • Grow bacteria and analyze colony morphology.
    • Assess the efficacy of antibiotics and disinfectants using a zone of inhibition.
  • Learn to apply course material to improve thinking, problem solving, and thinking.
    • Conduct experiments and examine the results to identify an unknown sample.
    • Statistically analyze data.
    • Inoculate and isolate a bacterial species on media.
  • Develop specific skills, competencies, and points of view needed in related fields.
    • Learn proper use of the compound microscope.
    • Cultivate microbes using proper aseptic techniques.
    • Perform a Gram stain to detect the type of cell wall and to view bacterial shapes.

Course Requirements

Pre-Requisites: BIOL 1610 (min. grade "C")
Co-Requisites: BIOL 2060

Requirement & Due Date
  • Lab safety quiz: 10 pts due 9-Sep @ 11:59pm
  • Lab quizzes: 8 @ 30 pts each due every Tuesday at 11:59pm (some exceptions – see schedule below)
  • Clinical Unknown: 75 pts due 11-Nov @ 11:59pm
  • Research/Magazine Article: 100 pts due 3-Dec in class
  • Participation: 10 @ 4 pts each. No submission; must attend lab, follow safety rules, bring required materials, label tubes/plates, clean up, follow instructions, etc. for full credit

Description of Course Requirements
Lab safety quiz: Safety is critical in the microbiology lab. All students will be required to adhere to the lab safety guidelines (provided on Canvas). Failure to follow the rules, including clean-up, labeling and equipment usage, will result in point deductions. In some cases, violations may lead to a failing grade on the lab and possible expulsion from the lab. Area violations will apply to the entire group. Carefully read all safety guidelines, then complete the safety quiz on Canvas.

Lab quizzes: For most labs, you will find Lab Quizzes linked on Canvas after the lab. These Lab Quizzes contain questions about the lab. The questions should be completed after lab and must be done individually. If you miss lab, the Lab Quiz must still be completed on time, and a 50% penalty will be applied for missing lab.

Clinical unknown: This will serve as a lab practical and must be done individually. You will use skills developed in previous labs and apply them as a practicing microbiologist may use them to identify a bacterium from a provided sample.

Research magazine/article: You will find an interesting microbiology research project that highlights a beneficial microbe and summarize it in a short “magazine” article. You will provide a brief oral summary of your article in class. Further instructions and an example are available on Canvas.

Course Outline

3-Sep: Lab Safety & Intro
10-Sep: Epidemiology & Aseptic Technique
17-Sep: Microscopy
24-Sep: Gram Stain
1-Oct: Food Microbiology
8-Oct: Differential Stains
15-Oct (remote lab): Pandemic II
22-Oct: Clinical Unknown 1
29-Oct: Clinical Unknown 2
5-Nov: Clinical Unknown 3
12-Nov: Microbial Control
19-Nov: Parasitology
26-Nov: NO CLASS - Thanksgiving Break
3-Dec: Present Research/Magazine Article

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Make-Up Work Policy (also known as “Section Swaps”)
All section swaps must be arranged PRIOR to your absence and per the following instructions:
  • Check the schedule posted on Canvas for all BIOL 2065 sections. If one of the other sections fits your schedule, you can potentially attend that section instead of your registered section, but you must request a section swap, described below.
  • To request a section swap:
    • compose an email to the instructor of the section you want to attend (email addresses are listed on the “Attendance Policy” page on Canvas)
    • CC me on the email so I know what's going on - if you don't CC me, I will not accept your section swap
    • politely ask if they have any space in their section for you to attend and if they would be okay with you attending their section that day. Important NOTE: they are NOT obligated to allow you to attend their section
  • If you are UNABLE to find a different section to attend, I will make arrangements for you if your absence is university excused or due to a personal emergency. Please reach out to me BEFORE you miss our scheduled lab when possible. When you reach out to me, please provide DOCUMENTATION of your reason for missing lab.
  • Each student may conduct up to 2 section swaps in the semester.

Late Work Policy
  • I accept late work with a 10% deduction per 24 hours late, starting 1 minute after the due date.
  • Technical difficulties are NOT a legitimate excuse for submitting late work. If you are having Canvas issues, please email your completed work to me prior to the deadline.

Attendance Policy

  • Attendance for the entire lab session and timely arrival is required in this class. To monitor attendance, you will be required to sign in and sign out of every lab session.
  • If you do not attend lab at all, then your Lab Quiz will receive a 50% penalty, and you will forfeit the lab’s participation points.
  • If you arrive late or depart early, the percentage of class you missed will be the percentage deducted from your Lab Quiz and from your participation points. For example, if you arrive 30 minutes late to class, the percentage of class missed is 30 minutes out of 110 minutes (27%), so I will deduct 27% from your Lab Quiz score and from your participation points.
  • If you anticipate regular attendance conflicts due to work, travel, weddings, or other currently planned commitments, I encourage you to consider enrolling in a different section that better aligns with your schedule. Please note that I am unable to offer accommodations for absences that can be avoided.
  • Please do not come to lab if you are sick! See “Emergencies” policy below.

Emergencies Policy

  • I am willing to make reasonable accommodations for you, at my discretion, if an emergency arises.
  • It is your responsibility to contact me about an emergency as soon as possible. When you contact me, please provide documentation of your emergency. For example:
    • If you are physically or mentally ill, please provide a doctor’s note.
    • In the unfortunate event of a death in your family, please provide a death certificate, obituary, memorial service, or other form of documentation.
  • The following list includes, but is not limited to, examples of non- emergencies: family trips (whether planned or spontaneous), inclement weather where campus remains open, technical difficulties prior to a deadline, roommate disagreements, weddings, your job, etc

AI Policy

  • Use of artificial intelligence for any reason is not allowed in this course.
  • Use of artificial intelligence will be treated as academic misconduct according to SUU Policy 6.33.

Statement of Safety / Risk Assumption

  • We will be working with BSL-1 (not known to consistently cause disease in healthy adults) and BSL-2 (pose moderate hazards to laboratorians and the environment) bacteria. One of the key skills you will acquire is using proper aseptic technique to safely grow and test bacteria.
  • There is inherent risk associated with any laboratory course, and this Introductory Microbiology Lab course is no exception. Risk in this laboratory includes, but is not limited to, thermal burns, cuts, eye damage, chemical burns, infection, & poisoning. Following stated safety guidelines; heeding verbal warnings; and wearing closed-toe shoes, long pants, gloves, and safety goggles will help minimize risk and help keep you and your classmates safe.

Grading Policy

The following grade scale will be used to assign letter grades to your work:
A: >= 94%
A-: 90-93.9%
B+: 87-89.9%
B: 84-86.9%
B-: 80-83.9%
C+: 77-79.9%
C: 74-76.9%
C-: 70-73.9%
D+: 67-69.9%
D: 64-66.9%
D-: 60-63.9%
F: < 60%

  • If you identify an error in your grade, please inform me within 7 days of the grade being posted. After 7 days from the initial posting of the grade, the grade becomes final.
  • It is your responsibility to upload viewable assignments. You will not be allowed to resubmit assignments for any reason after the due date has passed.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.