The class teaches students how to handle microorganisms aseptically, isolation of microbes, testing and identification of bacterial species and introduces techniques for the biochemical and genetic manipulation of bacteria. Bacteriology 304 emphasizes experimentation as opposed to exercises and is modeled after a research lab. Students are encouraged to think. The typical class day may contain an occasional lecture to introduce a new experiment and the performance of protocols as outlined in the lab manual.
Students record their observations in a separate lab notebook.
After all the data for an experiment is collected a discussion is written analyzing the results. When performing labs students would dutifully follow the protocol, get excellent results, and present them in their lab notebooks clearly. But when it came time to discuss the data, their analysis was superficial. A significant number of students were not understanding the point of performing the experiments, the basis of the techniques, or what the results really meant. In the first experiment we have the students isolate bacteria from the environment using two different types of media.