MICR 202: Introductory Microbiology 2 credits
Spring 2014
Course Description
In this class, we will study the characteristics and importance of microorganisms with the emphasis
on their identification, control, and relationships to health and disease.
Course Goals
1. To give students a brief historical background of microbiology and cause them to learn how
microorganisms affect all aspects of their lives, positively and negatively.
2. To evaluate classic microbiological experiments that will serve to demonstrate experimental
design and data interpretation.
3. To provide students with a basic understanding of microbial cell structure and function as well
as an understanding of microbial classification schemes.
4. To make students aware of the rapid growth of microbial populations and how this growth can
be encouraged (beneficial microbes) and discouraged (harmful microbes).
5. To provide students with a basic understanding of microbial genetics, biotechnology, and
recombinant DNA techniques allowing them to appreciate the numerous beneficial applications
of microorganisms.
6. To provide students with a basic understanding of how the human body interacts with
microorganisms in health and disease and to provide students with an understanding of the
specific and nonspecific defense mechanisms of the human body against microbial infections.
7. To provide students with an understanding of the indispensable functions of microorganisms in
the environment and industry.
8. To enhance students’ comprehension of microbiological principles through the writing of a
scientific paper.
Instructor
Rachel Richman, MS
Van Es Hall 123
Phone: (701) 231-7184
Email: Rachel.L.Richman@ndsu.edu
Office hours are by appointment; however, please do not hesitate to seek assistance!!
Course Information
MICR 202: Introductory Microbiology
Spring 2014
2 credits
Class #7652
-Lecture meets Tuesday & Thursday at 11:00-11:50 A.M. in Gate City Bank Auditorium
-Attendance is expected (class activities, pop quizzes, and exams cannot be made up if absent).
-Lecture/video outlinesand “open-note” scheduled quizzes (post-lecture quizzes & 20
pt quizzes) will be available online at the Blackboard website (Bb) https://bb.ndsu.nodak.edu .
Required Textbook
Microbiology: An Introduction. Second Custom Edition for NDSU-MICR 202.
Tortora, G. J., Funke, B. R., and Case, C. L. (2013) 11th edition
There are copies of the textbook on reserve at the NDSU library.
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General Education
The course goals, outlined previously, are designed to meet the General Education requirements
in the Science and Technology category based upon the following learning outcomes:
Outcome #5: Comprehend concepts and methods of inquiry in science and technology and
their applications for society.
Methods of Inquiry: A number of classical microbiological experiments will be evaluated in this
class. These evaluations will serve to demonstrate experimental design and data interpretation.
Applications for Society: In this introductory microbiology course, the significant impacts of
microorganisms on society, both good and bad, will be addressed. Students will be made
familiar with the widespread use of microorganisms for biotechnology, bioremediation, and
fermentation. Students also will learn about the negative impacts microbial pathogens have
had, and continue to have on our society. Some microbial disease outbreaks, such as plague
and influenza, will illustrate the historical significance of infectious diseases. More contemporary
microbial diseases, such as AIDS, West Nile encephalitis, and E. coli O157:H7, will serve to
demonstrate the continuing problems of infectious diseases in our society.
Outcome #6: Integrate knowledge and ideas in a coherent and meaningful manner.
Writing assignments will motivate students to assimilate microbiological principles learned in class
and gathered from additional sources. Students will gain experience researching microbiological
subjects utilizing scientific journals, news journals, or the internet. The writing of this paper will
enhance student comprehension of lecture topics by requiring them to integrate their
microbiological knowledge into a coherent manuscript. In addition to writing assignments, the
overall design of this introductory microbiology class will support the integration of knowledge
and ideas. The course combines both microbiological fundamentals and applications. Such a
blending of theory and practice will encourage students to assimilate the information in a
meaningful manner.
Academic Honesty: All students taking any course in the College of Agriculture, Food Systems,
and Natural Resources are under the Honor System (http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/academics/honorsystem-1). The Honor System is a system that is governed by the students and operates on the
premise that most students are honest and work best when their honesty, and the honesty of
others, is not in question. It functions to prevent cheating as well as penalize those who are
dishonest. It is the responsibility of the students to report any violations of the honor pledge to the
instructor, honor commission or the Dean of the College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural
Resources.
All work in this course must be completed in a manner consistent with NDSU University Senate
Policy, Section 335: Code of Academic Responsibility and Conduct
(http://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/335.pdf).
Familiarize yourself with what plagiarism is at http://www.plagiarism.org/plagiarism-101/what-isplagiarism
“All of the following are considered plagiarism:

turning in someone else's work as your own

copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit

failing to put a quotation in quotation marks

giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation

changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit

copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you
give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules)
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

Changing the words of an original source is not sufficient to prevent plagiarism. If you have retained the
essential idea of an original source, and have not cited it, then no matter how drastically you may have
altered its context or presentation, you have still plagiarized.”
The above information was quoted/copied from www.plagiarism.org as viewed on January 2, 2014.
Students with special requirements: Any students with disabilities or other special needs, who
need special accommodations in this course are invited to share these concerns or requests with
the instructor as soon as possible. The instructor may ask for verification and that, plus other
assistance, can be requested from Disability Services in Wallman Wellness Center 170 (231-8463).
http://www.ndsu.edu/disabilityservices/.
Veterans and military personnel: Veterans or military personnel with special circumstances or who
are activated are encouraged to notify the instructor as early as possible.
Grading (No Extra Credit Is Available for This Course)
Examinations
There will be three examinations worth 100 points each. Examinations may consist of
multiple choice, matching, diagram identification, and true/false questions based on
lecture material, videos, and reading assignments. It is your responsibility to arrive on time
(11:00 a.m.) to take the examinations. If you arrive late and another student has
completed and handed in an examination, you will not be allowed to take the
examination.

You are required to bring a scantron for each exam. They will not be provided.
You will need a total of 3 scantrons for the semester. You will also need to know
your student ID # as it will be needed to fill in that information on your scantron.
Quizzes
In addition to the three scheduled 100 point examinations, there will be 3 unannounced
pop quizzes worth 10 points each during lecture (no outside resources can be used). You
will not be allowed to make up any missed pop quizzes i.e. attendance is important.
On the Blackboard website, there will be 3 online quizzes worth 20 points each totaling 60
points. These online quizzes will be available prior to each of the 3 formal exams and be
made unavailable after that particular formal exam. It is your responsibility to take the
online quiz within the time frame allotted. These Blackboard online quizzes are intended to
prepare you for the upcoming lecture exam and are to be taken using your course
lecture notes.
On the Blackboard website, there will be a total of 12 post-lecture quizzes worth 5 points
each totaling 60 points for the semester. These PL quizzes will be available weekly after
Thursday’s lecture with questions that come directly from that week’s lecture material and
assigned readings and are “open-note” quizzes. The dates for these post-lecture quizzes
are found on page 6. They will be available for approximately 5 days only (Thursday
through Tuesday). These post-lecture quizzes are intended to quiz you over the major
concepts covered during that week’s lecture as well as the assigned readings. It is your
responsibility to complete these during the time frame allotted. You will have two
attempts to take the PL quizzes so quiz resets will not be needed if your computer crashes
or your browser closes. Do not use a wireless connection to complete these.
Class Activities
There will also be 6 unannounced class activities worth 5 points each totaling 30 points for
the semester. These are not quizzes, but rather activities that may require critical thinking,
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group work, your opinion on a current issue, or a summary of the lecture, etc. You will not
be allowed to make up any class activities i.e. attendance again is important.
Writing Assignment
Students will be required to write one paper worth a maximum of 20 points. Topic choices
can be found on our course Blackboard site in the Assignment folder along with additional
instructions. Late papers will be accepted, but one point will be deducted from the
overall score for each day that they are late (due on Thursday, January 30th by 11:59pm
uploaded to Blackboard Assignment folder) --after this time papers will be considered
late). Prior to writing these papers, students will need to find a minimum of two related
articles supporting their assigned topic. These articles can be from various sources like
scientific journals or nonscientific journals such as news magazines, newspapers, the
internet, or appropriate textbooks. A works cited or reference page must be included and
is not counted in the 1 page length. Please use whichever citation style you feel
comfortable using (MLA, APA, etc.). Review how to correctly site a website as a reference
source by viewing the link provided on our course Blackboard site (NDSU’s Center for
Writers: Documenting Sources).
The content of the paper should be 1 full page in length with spacing at single or 1.5 lines.
Normal page margins should be used (0.8-1 inch) with a 10-12 point font such as Times
New Roman or Arial. Point allocation will be provided in a scoring rubric located in the
Assignment folder on the Blackboard site.
The writing assignment is designed to satisfy general education requirements regarding the
integration of microbiological principles and ideas in a coherent and meaningful manner.
In preparing this paper, students will gain experience researching microbiological subjects
by utilizing scientific journals, news articles, the internet, or textbooks. This writing
assignment will enhance student comprehension of lecture topics by requiring them to
assimilate their microbiological knowledge into an articulate manuscript. Since this is a
writing requirement, grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. will all be involved in scoring
your paper.
Point Distribution:
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Bb On-line 20 pt Quizzes (3)
Class Activities
Pop Quizzes (3)
Paper
Bb Post-lecture Quizzes
TOTAL POINTS
100 points (tentatively scheduled for 2/20/14)
100 points (tentatively scheduled for 4/3/14)
100 points (scheduled for 5/15/14)
60 points (available prior to each exam)
30 points (unannounced times in class)
30 points (unannounced times in class)
20 points (due January 30th, 2014 Assignment folder Bb)
60 points (weekly based on lecture notes and readings)
500 points
If all grades are posted on Blackboard for an exam, pop quiz, class activity, or a writing
assignment and you feel there is a discrepancy with your posted grade, you must contact me
within two weeks or your posted grade will stand. It is your responsibility to hand assignments in
on a timely manner, read emails sent to your NDSU account, read announcements posted on the
course Blackboard site, and take exams as they are scheduled. As a student, it is your
responsibility to contact me immediately if you encounter difficulties with the Blackboard site via
phone or email (after work hours).
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Final grades will be distributed as follows (THERE IS NO EXTRA CREDIT GIVEN IN THIS COURSE):
Total points
450-500
400-449
350-399
300-349
<300
Percent
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
<60
Grade
A
B
C
D
F
Tentative Examination Schedule
Exam 1, Thurs. 2/20/14
100 points (Ch. 1, 4, 5, 6; plus additional topics, videos, reading)
Exam 2, Thurs. 4/3/14
100 points (Ch. 7, 8, 9, 10; plus additional topics, videos, reading)
Exam 3, Thurs. 5/15/14, 8:00-10:00 am, 100 points (Ch. 14, 16, 17, 27; plus additional topics,
videos, reading)
Missed Examinations
Students will be expected to take exams on the days designated by the instructor. Exceptions will
only be made for legitimate reasons (e.g. illnesses, either personal or immediate family) and
written documentation (e.g. a doctor’s excuse) will be required. It is your responsibility to make
every effort possible to contact the instructor PRIOR to missing an examination.
If an exam is missed due to class cancellation by the university, the exam will be given at the next
regularly scheduled class period.
Technology
Please turn off cell phones prior to the start of class unless you are expecting an extremely
important call (turn ringer to silent). There will be no calculators, cell phones, iPods, MP3 players,
etc. allowed during any examination or quiz.
202L Introductory Microbiology Laboratory (Van Es 105 or 107)
If you are having trouble registering for a lab section, please see Ms. Janice Haggart (Van Es 124,
231-8345 or email Janice.Haggart@ndsu.edu).
Labs will meet briefly during the first week of the semester so it is necessary to attend the lab
section you are enrolled in.
Lab manuals are available at the NDSU Bookstore.
Gently used lab kits can be purchased the first day your lab section meets. New lab kits can be
purchased at the NDSU Bookstore.
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Micr 202 Tentative Class Schedule for
Spr 2012
Course Introduction
Date
Bb quizzes
Assigned Textbook
Reading
Clinical Case
Text Reading
p. 3 applications, 6-8
spontaneous gen &
biogenesis, 15-21
microbes & human
welfare
p. 76 comparing, 87
table 4.1,100 table 4.2,
108 euk summary
Clinical Case: A
Simple Spider
Bite?
Starts on p. 2
Jan. 14
Jan. 16
Jan. 21
Jan. 23
#1 (5 pts.)*
Jan. 28
Jan. 30
#2 (5 pts.)*
Feb. 4
Feb. 6
#3 (5 pts.)*
p. 123 Fig 5.11, 134
applications,142 clinical
focus, video outline for
ULE #3
Ch. 6 Microbial Growth
Feb. 11
Feb. 13
#4 (5 pts.)*
p. 160-161 biofilms, p.
171-177 direct vs indirect
measurements
Clinical Case:
Glowing in the
Dark Starts on
p.154
Additional Lecture Day
Feb. 18
Exam 1** Bring Scantron
Feb. 20
Ch. 7 Control of Microbial Growth
Feb. 25
Feb. 27
#5 (5 pts.)*
p. 182-184, 191-192
Principles, Types 192-199
Clinical Case: A
School Epidemic
Starts on p.182
Ch. 8 Microbial Genetics
Mar. 4
Mar. 6
#6 (5 pts.)*
p. 210 fig 8.2, 223
mutation, 231-239 transf,
conj, transduction, transp
Mar. 11
Mar. 13
#7 (5 pts.)*
p. 250, 251 PCR/Reversetranscription PCR, 265
clinical focus, 266 issues
Clinical Case: No
Ordinary
Checkup
Starts on p.245
p. 281-29(include
applications p. 282)
Clinical Case:
Full-Flavor
Outbreak
Starts on p. 273
Ch. 1 The Microbial World and You
Ch. 4 Functional Anatomy of
Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
Ch. 5 Microbial Metabolism
**Writing Assignment Due Jan. 30 via
Bb (see p.3-4 of syllabus/Blackboard
site)**
Ch. 9 Biotechnology and DNA
Technology
Clinical Case:
Infection
Detection
Starts on p. 76
Online #1
(20 pts.)
SPRING BREAK MARCH 17-21
Ch. 10 Classification of
Microorganisms
Additional Lecture Day
Mar. 25
Mar. 27
Apr. 3
Ch. 16 Innate Immunity: Nonspecific
Defenses of the Host
Apr. 8
Apr. 10
Ch. 14 Principles of Disease and
Epidemiology
Ch. 27 Environmental Microbiology
Additional Lecture Day
Online #2
(20 pts.)
Apr. 1
Exam 2** Bring Scantron
Ch. 17 Adaptive Immunity: Specific
Defenses of the Host
#8 (5 pts.)*
Apr. 15
Apr. 17
Apr. 22
Apr. 24
Apr. 29
May 1
May 6
#9 (5 pts.)*
#10 (5 pts.)*
#11 (5 pts.)*
#12 (5 pts.)*
p. 456-459 formed
elements/lymphatic
Fig 16.7
p. 487-488 Ag-Ab
binding, Fig 17.7, 17.8,
17.16 & 17.19, IL-12 p. 499
Clinical Case:
Missing in Action
Starts on p. 452
p. 401-406, epid 419-420
(up to descriptive), 422
CDC, 423 clinical focus
Clinical Case:
Bathroom Break
Starts on p. 402
p. 784-787 Water Quality,
Applications
Clinical Case:
Clean Water
Starts on p. 773
Online #3
(20 pts.)
May 8
Exam 3**: DURING SCHEDULED FINAL EXAMINATION TIME
Thursday, May15th from 8:00-10:00 AM at GATE CITY BANK AUDITORIUM
Bring Scantron
* Blackboard post-lecture quizzes will be available on scheduled Thursdays and available until lecture
meets the following Tuesday (5 days only). Announcements will be generated on Blackboard as
reminders. You have 2 attempts to complete this quizzes so if your computer or internet crashes, no
quiz reset will be provided. Wireless connections during quizzes are not always reliable…..using a
landline may be better (campus computer clusters).
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