Virtual Labs Survey

1. Please tell us about your lab course for the introductory microbiology course that you teach.
Is it hybrid, fully online, or in person?

2. What changes do you foresee in the future for the introductory microbiology course?

3. Who are your students? What are their goals for taking the course?

4. Do you currently use any online resources for your lab class to prep for or replace the wet
lab? If so, which online resources do you use?

5. Do you use a lab manual for this course? If so, which author/title edition? If you use a custom
or homegrown lab manual, please specify that as well.

6. Of the 57 experiments (plus appendices) listed on the next page, which experiments would
be most beneficial to have as a simulation/virtual lab? Please pick as many experiments as you
feel would be useful but please rank them with #1 being the experiment that would be most
useful as a simulation/virtual lab in your lab course, #2 as second most useful, etc.
Part 1 Microscopy
__ Use and Care of the Microscope
__ Examination of Living Microorganisms

Part 2 Handling Bacteria

__ Microbes in the Environment
__ Transfer of Bacteria: Aseptic Technique

Part 3 Staining Methods

__ Preparation of Smears and Simple Staining
__ Negative Staining
__ Gram Staining
__ Acid-Fast Staining
__ Structural Stains (Endospore, Capsule, and Flagella)
__ Morphologic Unknown

Part 4 Cultivation of Bacteria

__ Isolation of Bacteria by Dilution Techniques
__ Special Media for Isolating Bacteria

Part 5 Microbial Metabolism

__ Carbohydrate Catabolism
__ Fermentation
__ Protein Catabolism, Part 1
__ Protein Catabolism, Part 2
__ Respiration
__ Unknown Identification and Bergey’s Manual

Part 6 Microbial Growth

__ Oxygen and the Growth of Bacteria
__ Determination of a Bacterial Growth Curve: The Role of Temperature
__ Biofilms

Part 7 Control of Microbial Growth

__ Physical Methods of Control: Heat
__ Physical Methods of Control: Ultraviolet Radiation
__ Chemical Methods of Control: Disinfectants and Antiseptics
__ Chemical Methods of Control: Antimicrobial Drugs
__ Effectiveness of Hand Scrubbing

Part 8 Microbial Genetics

__ Regulation of Gene Expression
__ Isolation of Bacterial Mutants
__ Transformation of Bacteria
__ DNA Fingerprinting
__ Genetic Engineering
__ Ames Test for Detecting Possible Chemical Carcinogens

Part 9 The Microbial World

__ Fungi: Yeasts and Molds
__ Phototrophs: Algae and Cyanobacteria
__ Protozoa
__ Parasitic Helminths

Part 10 Viruses
__ Isolation and Titration of Bacteriophages
__ Plant Viruses

Part 11 Interaction of Microbe and Host

__ Epidemiology
__ Koch’s Postulates

Part 12 Immunology
__ Innate Immunity
__ Agglutination Reactions: Slide Agglutination
__ Agglutination Reactions: Microtiter Agglutination
__ ELISA Technique

Part 13 Microorganisms and Disease

__ Bacteria of the SKin
__ Bacteria of the Respiratory Tract
__ Bacteria of the Mouth
__ Bacteria of the Gastrointestinal Tract
__ Bacteria of the Genitourinary Tract
__ Identification of an Unknown from a Clinical Sample
__ Rapid Identification Methods

Part 14 Microbiology and the Environment

__ Microbes in Water: Multiple-Tube Technique
__ Microbes in Water: Membrane Filter Technique
__ Microbes in Food: Contamination
__ Microbes Used in the Production of Foods
__ Microbes in Soil: The Nitrogen and Sulfur Cycles
__ Microbes in Soil: Bioremediation

Appendices
__ Pipetting
__ Dilution Techniques and Calculations
__ Use of the Spectrophotometer
__ Graphing
__ Use of the Dissecting Microscope
__ Use of the Membrane Filter
__ Electrophoresis
__ Keys to Bacteria