MCB 3020, Section 3365, Fall’11
INSTRUCTOR: Sharon Ogden, Ph.D.
Office: Room 1047, MCSB
E-mail: sdogden@ufl.edu
OFFICE HOURS: Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10 AM – noon, by appointment. To ensure student’s privacy,
grade/exam issues should only be discussed on an individual basis in my office. Questions on lecture material can
involve groups and will be addressed during official office hours as well as during Q & A sessions or via discussion
boards on Sakai.
TIME LIMITS TO ADDRESS GRADE ISSUES: Students have 1 week from the time that a grade (on a quiz, activity
or exam) is posted to address any issues about the grade. After 1 week, grades are locked down and cannot be
changed.
MEETING TIME: Period 1: Mondays: Class orientation on Aug. 22 and Q & A sessions before Wednesday exams;
Wednesdays: Weekly Q & A sessions and Exams 1 and 2; Fridays: Exams 3 and 4. The optional Final exam is scheduled
for Dec. 14 at 8 PM in NPB 1001.
COURSE DESCRIPTION (from catalogue): Structure, nutrition and growth of microorganisms; characterization of
representative microorganisms and viruses; metabolic properties and introduction to microbial genetics, immunology
and pathogenesis of microorganisms.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: Provide student with a foundation in microbiology and explore current areas of
interest.
TEXT/MATERIALS: The textbook for this course is Prescott’s Principles of Microbiology (Willey, Sherwood and
Woolverton, 2009). This text is a reference that students can use to provide auxiliary information, to help students
prepare for the lectures, or to supplement the lectures. Many students will not need the text, while others will find it
very helpful. There is a Text website where students can register and use the animations, self-tests, flash cards, etc.
Several copies of the text are available for checkout at the Science Library.
WEBSITE/E-MAIL: The class is an E-learning in Sakai class. The class syllabus, powerpoint presentations, audio
recordings of lecture material, practice exams, quizzes and graded activities, and other materials will be posted on ELearning. Administrative details and clarifications about class policy will be posted online in the Announcement
section. Students should check for announcements once a day.
GRADING/TESTS: The final class grade is based on accumulated points, not %.
The course is based on 500 points, 400 points from exams and 100 points from online quizzes and submitted
activities.
There will be four exams throughout the course and an optional comprehensive final exam, each worth at least 100
points. The lowest grade of all 5 exams will be dropped. Students who take all 4 regular exams and are satisfied with
their grades do not have to take the comprehensive/cumulative final exam. All questions on all regular exams are
worth 3 points each and points accumulate. The comprehensive final will consist of 50-51 questions, each worth 2
points. There are no make-up exams for this course. If an exam is missed, this will be the score that is dropped.
Online quizzes and activities must be finished according to the Due Dates schedule posted online. The points of
quizzes (including the course quiz) and the submitted activities are combined. The maximum number of points that
will be awarded for these online activities is 100 total points. Approximately 150-160 total points will be available
during the term, so students who miss a deadline for any reason can easily make-up points for a missed quiz or
activity submission.
Grading scale (accumulated points):
A
450 - 500+ points
A-
440 -- 449 points
B+
430 – 439 points
B
400 – 429 points
B-
390 -- 399 points
C+
380 – 389 points
C
350 -- 379 points
C-
340 – 349 points
D+
332 – 339 points
D
300 – 331 points
D-
290 – 299 points
E
< 290 points
EXAMS: Exam material will come from lectures. In some cases information presented in class may conflict with
information from other courses or other, especially Internet-posted, material. In these cases exam questions will be
based only on the information presented during the lectures and exams will be graded accordingly. Question-answer
periods will be held prior to each exam (except the comprehensive final) to help students prepare and old practice
exams/answers will be posted online. However, each term is different to some degree and the practice exams do not
necessarily reflect exactly what will be on the actual exams. Students should focus on learning the material presented
instead of trying to figure out what to study from the posted exams.
The comprehensive final does not include a review session or practice exams.
Exams 1-4 for all sections begin promptly at 7:20 AM and end at 8:10 AM. Doors to the exam room will close at 7:30
AM and students will not be admitted after this time. Phones may not be used in the exam room on exam days and
students will not be allowed to exit and re-enter the exam room during an exam.
Students should bring a picture ID (either Gator 1 card or valid, current driver’s license) and #2 pencil with them on
Exam days.
Scores for Exams 1-4 will be available on the E-learning site. The answers to the questions will be discussed during
the Q & A session following each exam. Students will be able to address exam grade issues only during the office
hours/by appointment for 1 week (or 3 class periods) following each exam review. Grades are then locked down and
cannot be changed. Due to time constraints, grades for the comprehensive final will typically not be available until just
prior to posting of final grades on ISIS.
ACADEMIC HONESTY: As a result of completing the registration form at the University of Florida, I assume that
every student has signed the following statement: “I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to
be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that
my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the
University.”
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students requesting classroom accommodations should register with the Dean
of Students Office. The office will provide documentation to the student, who can then bring the necessary material to
the instructor when requesting accommodation. Students who take exams at the DRC must take them as soon as the
DRC opens on exam days. DRC students must present documentation about their accommodations during office hrs.
during the first week of class.
UNIVERSITY SUPPORT SERVICES: Resources are available on campus for students having personal problems or
lacking clear career and academic goals that interfere with their academic performance. These resources include:
University Counseling Center, 301 Peabody Hall, 392-1575, personal and career counseling.
Student Mental Health, Student Health Care Center, 392-1171, personal counseling.
Sexual Assault Recovery Services, Student Health Care Center, 392-1161.
Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601, career development assistance and counseling.
MCB 3020 Fall’11
List of lectures and Topics
Date
Learning Module
Text material and topic
Aug. 22
Introduction
Syllabus – Introduction to class
Aug. 22
LM0
Ch. 1 – Introduction to microbes/Relevant biochemistry
Aug. 24, 26
LM01
Ch. 2 – Microscopic techniques
Aug. 26, 29
LM02
Ch. 3 – Prokaryotic cell structures
Aug. 31
LM03
Ch. 6, 7 – Microbial nutrition and growth
Sep. 2
LM04
Ch. 9, 10 – Microbial metabolism (catabolic and fueling processes)
Sep. 5
Labor Day
No class
Sep. 7
LM04
Sep. 9
LM05
Sep. 12
Q&A
Sept. 14
Exam 1
Sep. 16
LM 06-1
Ch. 12 – Replication
Sep. 19
LM 06-2
Ch. 12 – Transcription
Sep. 21
LM 06-3
Ch. 12 – Translation, folding and secretion
Sep. 23, 26
LM07
Ch. 13 – Regulation of transcription, translation, signal transduction
Sep. 28
LM08
Ch. 14 – Creation of genetic diversity
Sep. 30
LM09
Ch. 15, 16 – Biotechnology
Oct. 3
Q&A
Oct. 5
Exam 2
Oct. 7
LM 10-1
Ch. 17 -- Evolution
Oct. 10-12
LM 10-2
Ch. 18 – 20 --Taxononomy, representative prokaryotes
Oct. 14-17
LM 11-1
Ch. 4, 23 – Eukaryotic microbes
Oct. 17-19
LM 11-2
Ch. 5, 24 – Viruses and related species
Ch. 11 – Anabolic reactions
Oct. 21
LM 12-1
Ch. 25 – Microbial ecology
Oct. 24
LM 12-2
Ch. 26, 27 – Microbial interactions
Oct. 26
Q&A
Oct. 28
Exam 3
Oct.31-Nov.2
LM 13-1
Ch. 28 – Immunology (Innate)
Nov. 2-9
LM 13-2
Ch. 29 – Immunology (Adaptive)
Nov. 11
Veterans Day
No class
Nov. 14-16
LM 14
Ch. 30 – Mechanisms of Pathogenesis
Nov. 16-18
LM 15
Ch. 31-33 – Antibiotics and Clinical Immunology
Nov. 21, 28
LM 16
Pathogens in the news, history
Nov. 23
Class Holiday
No class
Nov. 24-25
Thanksgiving
No class
Nov. 30
Q&A
Dec. 2
Exam 4
Dec. 5-7
Study Days
Dec. 14
Optional Comprehensive Final at 8 PM for Section 3365 (held in normal lecture room)
No class