Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Introductory Microbiology Lab (Face-to-Face)

BIOL 2065-04

Course: BIOL 2065-04
Credits: 1
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: BIOL
CRN: 30924

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


Required materials
:
  • Lab manuals will be published in Canvas on weekly basis.
  • Safety equipments - 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. Please bring the following for each lab:
1.         FACE MASK (worn over nose & chin). Required to attend face-to-face labs. Wear before entering the lab room and at all times during lab to prevent contamination of the growth cultures and to avoid inhaling potential aerosols.
2.         Ziploc bag to store your provided lab coat.
3.         GLOVES (provided)
4.         Safety goggles (provided when required for certain labs).
5.         Tie back hair / no loose jewelry
  • OTHER supplies:
1.         Pencil plus colored pencils (recommended)
2.         Black permanent fine point marker
3.         Calculator (recommended; your phone can be your calculator, but you must remove gloves and wash your hands before each time you touch your phone)

  • Canvas: We will be using Canvas (https://suu.instructure.com) as our course management system; this is where you will access all course materials and where your grades will be reported. Please make certain that you have access to this important tool.
    Turn on your Canvas announcement notifications. I regularly make time-sensitive announcements through Canvas, and it is your responsibility to read and understand these announcements. You may contact me (within a reasonable time period) to clarify any announcement after it has been posted.

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.
o   View and identify characteristics of eukaryotic microorganisms.
o   Grow bacteria and analyze colony morphology.
o   Assess the efficacy of antibiotics and disinfectants using a zone of inhibition.

  •    Learn to apply course material to improve thinking, problem solving, and thinking.
o   Conduct experiments and examine the results to identify an unknown sample.
o   Statistically analyze data. 
o   Inoculate and isolate a bacterial species on media.

  • Develop specific skills, competencies, and points of view needed in related fields.
o   Learn proper use of the compound microscope.
o   Cultivate microbes using proper aseptic techniques.
o   Perform a Gram stain to detect the type of cell wall and to view bacterial shapes.

Course Requirements

  • Course Requirements
            Requirements                                            Due Date
1.Commenced attendance Quiz                         Sep 02 @ 11 AM
2.Lab safety quiz: 10 pts                                     Sep 09 @ 11:59 PM
3.Lab quiz: 8 @ 30 pts                                        Every Tuesday at 11:59pm                                                                                             
4.Clinical Unknowns: 75 pts                              Nov 11 @ 11: 59 PM
5.Research/Magazine Article: 100 pts               Dec 03 before class
6.Participation: 10 @ 8 pts each                        No submission; attend lab
                                                                                                                                                                                                   
** Collaboration during lab is encouraged but all quizzes must be done individually. This is a face to face lab.Participation is expected and required.

  • Description of the course requirements
1.Commenced Attendance quiz: Mandatory quiz for continued attendance in lab
2.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.
3.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. In the event that you miss lab, the Lab Quiz must still be completed on time. All Lab quizzes will be due every Tuesday after lab (see Canvas for exceptions).      
4.Clinical Unknowns: 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.  
5.Research Magazine/Article: You will find an interesting microbiology research project that highlights a beneficial microbe and summarize it in a short “magazine” article. Further instructions and an example are available on Canvas.
6.Participation: No submission; must attend lab, follow safety rules, bring required materials, label tubes/plates,clean up, follow instructions,  
 




  • Grading
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. The grade is not subject to change more than 7 days after its initial posting.

Course Outline

Labs                         Lab Topic                           
27-Aug             No Labs due to partial week 
03- Sep            Lab Safety       
10-Sep             Epidemiology                                                                                                     
17-Sep             Microscopy                                                                                 
24-Sep             Gram Stain      
01-Oct              Food Microbiology    
08-Oct              Differential Stain               
15-Oct              Pandemic II (Virtual Lab)                  
22 -Oct             Clinical Unknown #1 (Practical Test)                                                                                 
29 -Oct             Clinical Unknown #2 (Practical Test)                                                                                  
05-Nov             Clinical Unknown #3 (Practical Test)                                                                       
12-Nov             Control lab                                                                                                 
19-Nov             Parasitology Lab                                                    
26-Nov             No Labs Thanksgiving break 
03-Dec            Present Research/ Magazine Article  
*Read each lab (posted on Canvas) PRIOR to class!
* Each Lab Quiz in the above outline is due the Tuesday, 11:59 PM after lab.

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

  • Be aware of your health and DO NOT ATTEND LAB IF YOU ARE SICK.
  • Lab participation is required. Please contact me if you will be missing lab.
- You may attend a different lab section if needed (See Attendance Policy : Emergencies and Excused Absences)
  • The LAB QUIZ must be completed on time even if you miss lab. Late quizzes will be deducted 10% per day.There is no extra credit.
  • I accept late work with a 10% deduction per day late, starting 1 minute after the due date.
  • Lab quizzes must be completed on time, even if you miss lab.

Attendance Policy

1.         ATTENDANCE IN GENERAL: Regular attendance is required at all class meetings. A sign in/out sheet will be used to track your attendance. 
2.         EMERGENCIES AND EXCUSED ABSENCES:
  •  Please do not come to lab if you are sick! Although lab attendance is required, contact me and I will arrange an accommodation for you.
  • 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.
  • If you can’t be at lab for excused reasons, please contact me at least 1 week before.
Excused absence policy link: https://www.suu.edu/policies/06/30.html
  • I am willing to make reasonable accommodations or make ups for emergencies and excused absences, at my discretion and/or if space available in other labs. 
  • 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, etc.

Safety

  • Safety is critical in the microbiology lab! Failure to strictly adhere to the safety guidelines, includingclean-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.
  • The teaching assistant or professor must SIGN YOU OUT before you leave lab!
  • Read the safety guidelines at the end of the syllabus and in the lab manual.

Mental Health

  •  Resources for mental health can be found here:
  • If you are experiencing mental health challenges that are interfering with your ability to succeed in this class or in other areas of your life, please promptly seek help either through the SUU student mental health website listed above or by reaching out to me.

Contacting Me

  • I respond to emails and Canvas messages within 1-2 business days. I cannot guarantee a response to your emails in less than 1 business day, so be proactive and begin assignments with plenty of time to ask me questions.
  • Please do not send the same message to both my email and my Canvas inbox – choose one or the other.
  • Please include your full name, course number, and section number in your emails.
  • If you email me requesting information that is clearly specified on the syllabus, my response will likely be delayed.

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.