- Examples and descriptions of some the courses I participated in while at the University of Melbourne are listed below. Click on the linked headings to go down to further details.
- Honours Microbiology Course, 526400
Molecular Microbiology Techniques Practical, 526321 [sole coordinator]
Microbial Cells and Genomes, 526301 [co-coordinator]
Biotechnology I, 526301 [co-coordinator]
Environmental Project Practical, 526322
Environmental Microbiology, 526307
Origin and Early Evolution of Cells, 606-313
[co-coordinator]
Principles of Microbiology, 526201
Practical Microbiology, 526221
Environmental Microbiology, 526-204
Engineering Biotechnology, 411334
[526-321. 6 weeks, 54 hr contact time, 60 students]
This was the main practical course for students wanting to major or proceed to honours level in the department, and despite 'techniques' in the name, I kept this course very much research oriented. Each student took responsibility for analysing the molecular characteristics of a novel, clinical isolate of Streptococcus pyogenes. The course material was outside my research field, and required considerable annual updating of the laboratory notes, papers studied, techniques used. I employed 6 demonstrators and liaised closely with the practical room preparation staff. I gave all the lectures, took photographs of the student results, produced a website that was updated during the course for students to access all the data. I used Dreamweaver and a university template, then coded the rest. I set the exam and marked that, and the final student reports. Over the years we discovered many new emm-types of S. pyogenes, and their sequences were deposited in Genbank, One of the strains was deposited with CDC (USA), and is a reference emm type. Student feedback scores were uniformly high (4+ out of max. 5), and many past students would tell me later that this was the best course they ever took during their degree. Example lecture handouts (pdf). [and yes, I did all the artistic header pictures, like the one at the top of this section.]
[526-301. 12 weeks, 36 lectures, 53 students] [course schedule, 2007]
I was one of three staff co-ordinating this 3rd year B.Sc. lecture unit, and contributed 8 lectures, as well as exam setting and marking. It was a first semester biotechnology unit that covered aspects of the science underlying microbial biotechnology, and fed into a second semester unit that focussed on real examples in this field. Example lecture (ppt) and handout (pdf)
[526-201, 12 weeks, 36 lectures, >300 students] [course schedule, 2007]
I was one of several staff lecturing into this course of introductory microbiology for students from various faculties (eg. Science, Food&Land). The classes were very large. I gave 4 lectures on environmental microbiology. In previous years I had additional topics, such as biotechnology bacterial genetics, and bacteriophages. Here is an example lecture (ppt) and handout (pdf) outlining the diversity of Bacteria.
[Disc sensitivity test. One of the pictures I took during the 3rd year prac class]
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