NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Course title: Microbiology for Nonscience Majors

Course prefix, number, and section number: BIOL 2420 0341

Semester/Year of course: Spring 2024

Semester start and end dates: 1/16-5/11

Modality (Face to face/Synchronous or Asynchronous online/Hybrid):  Online

Class meeting location, days, and times: Online

Lab meeting location, days, and times: Online

Semester credit hours: 4

Course description: This course covers basic microbiology and immunology and is primarily directed at pre-nursing, pre-allied health, and non-science majors. It provides an introduction to historical concepts of the nature of microorganisms, microbial diversity, the importance of microorganisms and acellular agents in the biosphere, and their roles in human and animal diseases. Major topics include bacterial structure as well as growth, physiology, genetics, and biochemistry of microorganisms. Emphasis is on medical microbiology, infectious diseases, and public health. This course covers basics of culture and identification of bacteria and microbial ecology. This course is primarily directed at pre-nursing and other pre-allied health majors and covers basics of microbiology. Emphasis is on medical microbiology, infectious diseases, and public health. 48 lecture hours + 48 laboratory hours.

Course prerequisites: None

Required course materials: 

• Laptop
• Reliable internet connection
• Course Book

Microbiology: Basic and Clinical Principles 2^nd ed., Norman-Mckay ISBN 9780136785750

Access code for Modified MasteringMicrobiology to accompany the 2^nd edition textbook

Connect Online Access Code for Microbiology Virtual Labs ISBN 9781264053889

Name of instructor: Mattie Shah

Office location: Denton Campus, 100A.1

Telephone number: N/A

E-mail address: mshah@nctc.edu

Office hours for students:

Tuesday 2PM-5PM (virtual)

Thursday 12PM- 5PM (in person)

***If you will be attending office hours, either virtual or in person, please email me ahead of time that you will be attending***

SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER

The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and/or writing.

SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

List of graded assignments: Quizzes, Labs, Exams, Videos

Final grade scale: 

A= 1000-900 points

B= 899-800 points

C= 799-700 points

D= 699-600 points

F= 599 or less points

Late work policy: Late work will not be accepted under any circumstances, however, I will drop the two lowest exam grades. The final exam will not be dropped.

SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.

COURSE POLICIES

Academic Integrity Policy: Consequences for academic dishonesty in the course may include:
1) grade (“0”) on the assignment. If the assignment is within a group in which the lowest
assignment is dropped, the assignment will not be able to be count as a dropped score. It will
count as part of the grade.
2) A “Scholastic Dishonesty Report Form” will be submitted regarding the incidence.
3) Students may be dropped from the course with a failing grade (letter grade of “F”)

Attendance Policy: A traditional lecture and lab course requires students to meet face-to-face for a total of 48 contact hours each for the semester. We are responsible for meeting the same number of hours as those traditional courses, which does not include outside homework and studying. Students are required to complete all components associated with each laboratory session by the designated deadline. It is the responsibility of the student to amend their professional/personal schedule to meet the class expectations. Students who elect to quit
working in the course or who decide to no longer attend are required to complete the drop slip
with the registrar’s office. Students who fail to participate and complete the drop slip will
accumulate a grade of “0” on all incomplete assignments. The instructor also retains the right to dismiss any student who exhibits behaviors distractive to the learning environment.

Withdrawal Policy

A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.

Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is: April 1^st   

Student Learning Outcomes: Lecture Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

1. Describe distinctive characteristics and diverse growth requirements of prokaryotic organisms compared to eukaryotic organism.
2. Provide examples of the impact of microorganisms on agriculture, environment, ecosystem, energy, and human health, including biofilms.
3. Distinguish between mechanisms of physical and chemical agents to control microbial populations.
4. Explain the unique characteristics of bacterial metabolism and bacterial genetics.
5. Describe evidence for the evolution of cells, organelles, and major metabolic pathways from early prokaryotes and how phylogenetic trees reflect evolutionary relationships.
6. Compare characteristics and replication of acellular infectious agents (viruses and prions) with characteristics and reproduction of cellular infectious agents (prokaryotes and eukaryotes).
7. Describe functions of host defenses and the immune system in combating infectious diseases and explain how immunizations protect against specific diseases.
8. Explain transmission and virulence mechanisms of cellular and acellular infectious agents

Laboratory Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course the student will be able to:

1. Use and comply with laboratory safety rules, procedures, and universal precautions.
2. Demonstrate proficient use of a compound light microscope.
3. Describe and prepare widely used stains and wet mounts, and discuss their significance in identification of microorganisms.
4. Perform basic microbiology procedures using aseptic techniques for transfer, isolation and observation of commonly encountered, clinically significant bacteria.
5. Use different types of bacterial culture media to grow, isolate, and identify microorganisms.
6. Perform basic bacterial identification procedures using biochemical tests.
7. Estimate the number of microorganisms in a sample using methods such as direct counts, viable plate counts, or spectrophotometric measurements.
8. Demonstrate basic identification protocols based on microscopic morphology of some common fungi and parasites.

Core Objectives:

Critical Thinking

Communication

Teamwork

Empirical and Quantitative Analysis

COLLEGE POLICIES

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.

ADA STATEMENT

NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations.  See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.

STUDENT SERVICES

NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students.  See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS