2024 ASM Conference for Undergraduate Educators

Many students struggle with basic microbiological concepts, like the formation of biofilms, even though this knowledge is relevant to their careers like public health (nursing, pre-med, dental hygiene, surgical technology, etc.). To get students more engaged with the course materials, the creation of a biofilm assay and subsequent laboratory exercise were designed with three intentions: one of improving student interest, understanding and retention about biofilms, two to give students practical experience in designing and performing labs, and three a way for students to contribute to the curriculum of the course. First, a group of former microbiology students met over the summer to assist in the setup of the biofilm assay based on a protocol by O’Toole. Then two students completed a practice run to troubleshoot the linguistics. Once some changes were implemented, these students led the other students in our group in the exercise. Some of the students wrote up the process that was published in our Journal of Emerging Scholarship and presented at a state STEM conference. The students who participated in this exercise had an increased interest in research and had more insights on what goes into course design and how much this exercise would have improved their understanding of biofilms by having real-life examples. In the future, a case study and exercise will be developed for implementation in the classroom. The purpose of this poster is to highlight the relevance of this work, the logistics, the results, and lessons learned after completing the design.