Course Essentials
Canvas
All course materials are available on Canvas. Everything needed for the course will be available on Canvas such as lectures, readings materials, assignments, etc. If there is any update, I will make an announcement on this platform as well. You are responsible for keeping up with these updates.
The discussion board is also available on Canvas. Feel free to post all questions related to this course on the discussion board. I highly encourage you to participate on the discussion board by posting questions or leaving comments to make our community active.
Lecture
Textbook
Microbiology: An Introduction 14th Edition
by Gerard J. Tortora, Berdell R. Funke, Christine L. Case Warner B. Bair, and Derek Weber
ISBN-13: 978-0137941612
ISBN-10: 0137941617
The textbook is optional and is not required to succeed in this course. The textbook is available to help for some difficult concepts. Reading the textbook is not mandatory.
Optional textbook
Students may find below the OpenStax Microbiology online textbook as a valuable supplementary reference, available for free.
In-Person Lecture
Lecture slides are posted on Canvas before each lecture. You will also have to complete lecture questions and submit them by Sunday night at 11:59 PM directly on Canvas.
In-class Engagement Questions
In-Class Engagement Questions are awarded during lecture through a Canvas quiz based on timely submission and thoughtful responses rather than correctness. This is to encourage students to engage with the lecture material. Full credit requires presence during the designated quiz windows and submission of complete responses.
You're the Professor!
You’re the Professor! is an assignment that relates to the lecture of the week. You have until Sunday night at 11:59pm to turn it in. Your goal for this assignment is:
- Step 1: Write two questions relevant to this week’s lectures on the Canvas discussion board. The goal is to try to write your own question that could potentially be on the quiz.
- Step 2: Pick an unanswered “You’re the Professor!” question and provide a correct answer on the discussion board. Type your answer as a reply to the post containing the question. You only need to answer one question.
Assessments
All quizzes and exams in this course may be taken only in-person. These assessments will test your knowledge on the lecture materials only.
The final exam may be taken only in-person on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM. It will be cumulative.
All quizzes and exams are to be completed individually without assistance from classmates or other people. Violation of these rules will result in a “0” on that quiz or exam and constitutes academic dishonesty.
The final exam may replace one of your three exams. This is possible if you score higher on your final exam in terms of percentage than one of your exams. It cannot replace a quiz with low score. This is your only chance to make-up any low exam grade. No additional extra credits will be given.