Division of Health Profession - Know Critical Course Information with SCUHS

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES
COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND INTEGRATIVE HEALTH

DIVISION OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS

COURSE INFORMATION

Course Title: Microbiology
Course Number: BIO120M and BIO330
Term: Spring 2016 2nd Block

Faculty: M. Reza Mirbolooki, MD, PhD

Email: [email protected]

Phone Number: TBA

Office Hours: TBA

Time Requirement: (hours/week)

Lecture Hours: 37 Laboratory Hours: 30 Total Units: 4

CRITICAL COURSE INFORMATION:

Lab Instruction
• Follow all lab instructions. Special attention to safety is mandatory and essential.
• PPE (Personal Protection Equipment)

  -UVEX Goggles
-Flame resistant Lab Coat/Apron
- Nitrile gloves

• Students are required to wear long, cotton pants and closed-toed shoes.  
• No shorts, heals or flip-flops will be allowed in the laboratory.  
• Hair longer than shoulder-length must be pulled back and  held with a clip or rubber

band.

Studying Activities
• Be prepared to spend about 20 hours a week outside of school studying and completing
homework assignments.
• It is important to read about each lecture’s chapter before coming to class.
• It would be a good idea to form study groups.

COURSE PURPOSE

Course Description

This course will serve as an introduction to the microbial world. A thorough survey of bacteria,
archae, viruses, and microbial eukarya will be offered, citing variety in structure and function.
Aspects of biotechnology will be discussed, including recombinant DNA technology and cloning.
Microbial growth and genetics will be a focus, as well as an introduction to pathology,
epidemiology, immunology, and facets of the immune system response.

University Learning Outcomes

1. Evidence-Based Knowledge: The student will utilize foundational health science
knowledge; and critically appraise and apply relevant scientific literature in
professional healthcare practice.

2. Communication: The student will effectively engage patients/clients, colleagues, and
the public using appropriate verbal, non-verbal, and written communication.

3. Professionalism: The student will demonstrate leadership, integrity, respect, and self-
reflection while employing ethical and legal standards in professional and community
interactions.

4. Integrative Healthcare: The student will serve as an effective member of a healthcare
team, collaborating with other professionals to improve community health and patient
outcomes for the health of individuals and the community.

Course Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, a successful student should be able to:

1. Explain the diversity of microbes.
2. Compare various metabolic and replicative processes
3. Classify various microorganisms
4. Apply the principles of microbial genetics
5. Understand the basics of biotechnology equipment and principles, including

recombinant DNA methods.
6. Understand pathogenicity and epidemiology.
7. Identify the components of the immune system and describe the process of immune

response in detail.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

Optional Text

Microbiology: An Introduction to Microbiology, 11/E Tortora, Funke & Case
ISBN-10: 0321767381 ; ISBN-13: 9780321767387

Required Text

Microbiology: A Laboratory Manual, 1/E
Mirbolooki MR


Provided Materials: Laboratory materials

Required Laboratory Attire: No open toe shoes allowed

TEACHING METHODS AND ACTIVITIES

Format
There are 8 hours of lecture and 5 hours of lab each week for 4 weeks.
The laboratory will be held on Fridays from 5PM-10PM. The lecture component of this course
will be held on Saturdays from 10AM-6PM.
The course requires a significant time commitment from students. This commitment is both in
terms of reading before lectures and preparing before labs, as well as reviewing the material
and doing problems after the lectures and labs. In the four weeks of classes, we will cover the
first eighteen chapters of the book. Not every topic will be covered in great depth, but
students are expected to study each topic in greater detail through completing the homework
and the labs.

Homeworks
There will be a test given online that will be available on MySCU from Tuesday at 10AM to
Saturday at 10AM. There will be 20 questions which come directly from the text book chapters
to be covered on the next lecture and questions may come in the form of multiple choice,
free response, or fill in the blank. Students will have unlimited time to complete each test.
These homeworks need to be completed by students before coming to the lecture on
Saturday.

Lab. Reports
Lab. reports are found in the laboratory manual and are required to be completed during the
lab. While students may work in pairs to complete labs, each student must submit his or her
own lab. experiment questions.

Exams
There will be a test given online that will be available on MySCU from Saturday at 6PM to
Tuesday at 6PM. There will be 50 questions which come directly from the text book chapters
and in-class lectures and questions may come in the form of multiple choice, free response,
or fill in the blank. Students will have 75 minutes to complete each test.

Final Lab Exam
There will be a final lab exam given on the fourth Friday. There will be 15 questions which
may come directly from previous lab lectures and lab assignments. Questions may come in a
form of multiple choice, free response or fill-in. Students will be given 20 minutes to
complete the exam. The students will be given 2 hours for their Lab. practicum.

Classroom Expectation

• Please be professional, prompt, prepared, and polite at all times.
• The professor will adhere to all polices as found in the BSBS Student Handbook and SCU

policy guide.
• Cellular phones must be kept on silent during class and lab times.
• Students may not use a phone as a calculator.

As a safety precaution, no food or drinks are allowed inside the lab, but there will be a
30 minute break for eating and drinking outside of the lab.

Best Practices for Studying Microbiology

• Read before and read after each class. Skim the chapter before it is covered in lecture
in order to become comfortable with some of the terms associated with each topic.
Review each chapter after it is covered in class to enhance your understanding of what
was covered in class.

• Participate during class by taking notes during class and looking over them afterwards.
Don't skip class, arrive late, or leave early. Ask questions for clarification when you
don’t understand the material.

• Stay on top of the homework and assignments. Do the assigned problems as close to the
time as when the topic is covered in the class to increase the depth of your
understanding of specific concepts and will help you learn the material more efficiently
and effectively.

• Do not wait until the night before the homework is due to start the assignment. You
will get more out of it if you take the time to really learn the concepts and review the
material without being rushed.

• Find a group of students to study with. Seek out students dedicated to doing well in the
course. This makes studying more fun and also helps you learn the material better by
teaching what you know and learning from your peers what you don’t know. Explaining
these chemistry concepts to others will help you learn the material even better

• Stay focused by finding an environment where you can study with few distractions.

EVALUATION OF STUDENT LEARNING

Grading procedures

Assessment Points Weight%
Lab-Reports (3 @ 50 points 150 15
each)
Homework (4 @ 25 points 100 10
each)
Exams (4 @ 100 points each) 400 40
Lab Practicum 200 20
Attendance (50 @ 3 points 150 15
each)
Total 1,000 100
5th week assignment (BSBS) 100 10

Grading scale:

Letter Grade Criteria Percentage
A Far exceeds the standard for all required work 90-100
B Exceeds the standard for all required work 80-89
C Met the standard for all required work 70-79
D Did not meet the standard for all required work 60-69
F Did not meet the standard for all required work; must retake ≤ 59

the course 0
I Incomplete 0
W Withdrawal

Registration

Students can add courses by logging in to the MySCU portal. All pre-requisites must be met in
order to enroll.

Withdrawal

Students can withdraw by submitting a formal withdrawal via electronic mail.

Disability

In keeping with the Americans Disabilities Act of 1990, SCU will accommodate a student’s
known physical or mental limitations in order to enable him or her to perform the essential
functions of the curriculum, to the extent the necessary accommodations are reasonable and
do not impose undue hardship to the University. Interested students should request
information regarding the services offered by the University. The Learning Resource
Specialists are located in the library and can assist with the documentation required to access
special services due to disabilities.

Student Policy Manual

The Policy Manual can be easily accessed by:
(1) going on to the University Homepage at: http://www.scuhs.edu/
(2) Then opening the link for MY SCU
(3) Logging on using your university supplied login and password
(4) Next, opening the header for “Department”
(5) Next opening the header for “Human Resources”
(6) Finally, opening the header for the “Policy Manual.”

Academic Dishonesty

Students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty. In this class,
cheating will not be tolerated. Plagiarism includes passing someone else’s ideas off as your
own without citing proper credit. Cheating includes looking at another student's test during an
exam, allowing other students to copy your work, use of unauthorized materials during an
exam, presenting lab reports that are not your original work, and recording laboratory data
that was not actually observed. These are all prohibited in this program. Collaboration and
discussion are encouraged, but it is important for each student to individually complete each
assignment. Any student who is academically dishonest material will receive a failing grade.

University Policies
Students are expected to spend at least two hours for each lecture or practicum hour and one
hour for every two laboratory hours of course time per week in activities and assessments
outside the classroom. Examples of activities include, but are not limited to: writing papers;
reading articles or text; small group work; presentations; completing assignments;
preparation for assessments; online activities and other activities that do not include direct
instructor interaction and involvement.

All university policies apply to this course and all others. For full policy information please
consult the university SCU Policy Manual. For a quick reference guide to the following
policies: make-up examination, F-challenge examination, grade posting, results of failing
grades, student support information, syllabus amendments, special needs, student conduct,
and attendance, please consult the
academic policies document housed on the Online Student Services [the preceding is a
hyperlink]

Microbiology Program Learning Outcomes:

Learning Objective Outcome
Basic Science Knowledge
Scientific Reasoning The course will begin with a survey of the types of microbes.
Information Literacy Biotechnology, as well as microbial growth and genetics will
also be a focus. Students will conduct experiments in lab and
submit pre-lab and post-lab assignments describing the
biological relevance of laboratory activities.

This class introduces students to more technical procedures
through laboratory assessments as well as theoretical
knowledge that can be utilized in future testing of claims and
assessing accuracy of other people’s assertions.

Textbook reading is assigned and students are required to do
many hours of independent learning. By asking questions on
readings and outside learning, to professors and peers,
students will gain more knowledge on how to find and
assimilate important information from sources.

Communication Through the utilization of in class discussions, lab reports,
Effectiveness online discussion board posts and responses, students will
learn how to share ideas and give constructive criticisms. Peer
Integrative Health and professor critiques will help students grow to become
Knowledge more effective collaborators and communicators.

The portfolio project ties together basic aspects of
microbiology in relation to specific integrative health areas.
This project helps students grow in understanding of
integrative health in general while seeing applications of the
specific biology coursework they are working on.

Microbiology I General Education Outcomes:

General Education Outcome
Objective
Lab assignments as well as online discussion board posts and
English & Writing responses focus on effective written communication.
Composition

Science & Mathematics Various physiological systems will be analyzed. Students will
conduct interactive activities in lab and submit pre-lab and
Computer Language post-lab assignments describing the structure and function of
various physiological systems.
History and Social
Science/ Online discussion board posts and responses as well as online
Social Behavior submission, online videos, self-check quizzes, and online tests
are accessed using the online platform for SCU, e-Racer. All
homework will be written through platforms such as Microsoft
Word.

Historical topics on anatomy and physiology in general are
introduced and examined through online discussions. The
time, significance for the time, and ways discoveries came
about are analyzed. Also, the reactions people of the time
had and some the cultural relevance and implications of the
discoveries.

2016 COURSE SCHEDULE

Week Description Chapter
Date s

Orientation: Laboratory Guidelines Chapters
19- 1-4,
Feb Laboratory: Microscopy and Simple Staining
(Optiona
Lab Report 1 Assignment Due l

Homework 1 Assignment Due Review:
Lecture 1: Characteristics and definitions of microbes, bacteria, Ch. 2, 5)
archaea, algae, fungi, protozoa, viruses
1 Lecture 2: Introduction to microbial classification.

Lunch Break
20- Lecture 3: Bacterial structural components: bacillus, coccus,
Feb spiral, glycocalyx, capsule, flagella, fimbriae, pili, cell wall,

membranes. Chemotaxis and phototaxis.
Lecture 4: Thermophiles, acidophiles, halophiles, biofilms.
Bacterial growth: lag phase, log phase, stationary phase, death
phase, control methods including disinfectants and antibiotics.
Exam 1 due 02-24-16

26- Laboratory: Differential Staining
Feb Lab Report 2 Assignment Due

Homework 2 Assignment Due

Lecture 1: Bacterial DNA structure. Chromosomes, plasmids,
supercoiling, genes, replication, transcription, translation, regulation of
gene expression, repression, induction.
6-9
2 Lecture 2: Missense mutation, nonsense mutation, frameshift
mutation.
27- Lunch Break
Feb
Lecture 3: Alkylating agents, intercalators, radiation, Photolyases,
BES.

Lecture 4: Vertical and horizontal gene transfer. Transduction,
transformation, conjugation. Recombinant DNA technology, GMO’s,
cloning, PCR, genomic libraries, colony hybridization, gene therapy.


Exam 2 due 03-02-16

04- Laboratory: Culturing, Subculturing, and differential culturing
Mar Lab Report 3 Assignment Due

Homework 3 Assignment Due 10-13
Lecture 1: Three-domain system, cell lineage, taxa,
identification methods.
3 Bacteria: protobacteria, actinobacteria, various other phyla.
05- Lecture 2: Survey of archaea, fungi, algae, protozoa.
Mar Lunch Break
Lecture 3: Viral structure, capsid, protein coat, relative sizes.
Lecture 4: Lytic cycle, lysogenic cycle, viroids, prions,
oncogenes.
Exam 3 due 03-09-16

11- Laboratory: Examine Cultures From Previous week
Mar Final Lab Exam

Homework 4 Assignment Due

Lecture 1: Pathology: etiology, pathogenesis, infection, disease,

Koch’s postulates, communicable vs. contagious disease.

4 Lecture 2: Epidemiology: descriptive vs. analytical, exotoxins,

12- endotoxins.
Mar Lunch Break

Lecture 3: The immune system: innate immunity vs. adaptive

immunity, formed elements in blood, lymphatic system, 14-18

phagocytosis, inflammation, antigens and antibodies, vaccines,

allergy, autoimmune disease, immunodeficiency.

Exam 4 due 03-16-16

Personal Reading Assignment

5 19- The students at BSBS program must study chapters 21-26 and take 21-26
Mar an online exam. The deadline to take the sam is March 19th 2016
at 11:55 PM.

Syllabus prepared by: M. Reza Mirbolooki
Date: Feb 15, 2016