microbrew oral presentation
MICROBREW ORAL PRESENTATION Use of a Reading/Writing Assignment based on Popular Literature to Engage Students in Introductory Microbiology T. O’Connor and A. Colina Mount Royal University, Calgary, Canada Presenter: Tracy O’Connor [email protected]
Student learning is aided by personal engagement by the students with the subject matter. Research paper assignments are a traditional way of encouraging students to engage with a topic. However, junior students often struggle when writing research papers, producing work that fails to demonstrate understanding or coherence. Another way of engaging students is through narrative. For microbiology students, relevant narratives are available in the form of popular non-fiction books that tell the stories of important infectious disease outbreaks, the pathogens that cause them, and human attempts to control them. A combined reading/writing assignment was developed to engage introductory microbiology students in the subject and to help them improve their writing skills. Near the beginning of the semester, students choose a book to read from a selection provided by the professor. Shortly thereafter, students are required to complete a short open-book quiz on their book of choice, and to submit two or more questions related to the book that they might research for a brief written report. The professor provides feedback to each student to help them come up with a suitably focused question. Similarly, students are provided with feedback after the sequential submission of their annotated bibliography, outline, and rough draft. The final paper and the preceding submissions are graded according to a rubric that the students are given at the beginning of the semester, which is quite stringent regarding the final product but rewards effort throughout the early stages. Surveys administered at the end of the semester indicate that most students find the assignment both enjoyable and informative. Furthermore, most students taking the subsequent microbiology course a year later indicate that the reading/writing assignment they completed in the first course had been useful for their learning.
Student ___________________________ MIBI 2201 Winter 2014
Open-book Quiz on the Reading Assignment for the “Beyond the Book Report” Time: 20 minutes If you read “The Demon in the Freezer” do questions 1-5 below. If you read “The Hot Zone” turn the page over and do questions 6-10 instead. Only short answers are required. Direct copying of sentences or large parts of sentences from the book will be considered plagiarism, and will earn a grade of zero.
1. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) Briefly compare anthrax and smallpox in terms of their structure. a) Compare anthrax and smallpox in terms of how they are passed from one host to another.
2. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) What did Peter Jahrling find so unusual about the anthrax strain that had been sent through the mail to the American media building? b) What is a “ring vaccination” strategy?
3. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. b) How can one tell if a smallpox vaccination worked? About how long does immunity from a smallpox vaccination last? c) If a person was exposed to smallpox virus, would it be useful to get vaccinated after the fact? Explain why or why not.
4. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) What is a cytokine storm? b) How did the Australian scientists produce a strain of mousepox that killed vaccinated mice?
5. What was the most surprising thing that you learned from this book (other than anything addressed in questions 1-4)?
6.
Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) How is Biosafety Level 4 different from Biosafety Level 3? b) Describe two ways in which air pressure is used to prevent accidental exposures to a hot agent.
7. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) What virus did Gene Johnson think emerged from Kitum Cave? What was the evidence? b) How do Marburg virus and Ebola virus compare in terms of lethality? What is the approximate mortality rate (kill rate) of Ebola Zaire?
8. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) Compare Ebola Zaire and Ebola Reston in terms of their effect on humans. b) Compare Ebola Zaire and Ebola Reston in terms of how easily each is transmitted from host to host.
9. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) Why did Peter Jahrling initially think the monkeys were infected with Ebola Zaire? b) What two methods were used to decontaminate the monkey house?
10. What was the most surprising thing that you learned from this book (other than anything addressed in questions 6-9)?
Scientific Information
How to find review articles on your topic • • • • • • • • •
Go to the MRU library site click on “Find more” click on “Databases by name” click on “Scopus” Enter your search terms (you may need to try several searches with different terms) Limit to “Life Sciences” and “Health Science” Limit “Document type” to “Review” Find some titles that seem promising – write down the year, volume number, page numbers, etc. Check for a full-text article available through the MRU library using the information you wrote down
ANNOTATED LIST OF REFERENCES - EXAMPLE Dacheux, L., Wacharapluesadee, S., Hemachudha, T., Meslin, F.X., Buchy, P., Reynes J.M., Bourhy, H. (2010). More accurate insight into the incidence of human rabies in developing countries through validated laboratory techniques. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 11(4):765 • developed a new simple procedure for diagnosing rabies • easier to perform in developing countries than current techniques Laurent, P.E., Bourhy, H., Fantino, M., Alchas, P., Mikszta, J.A. (2010). Safety and efficacy of novel dermal and epidermal microneedle delivery systems for rabies vaccination in healthy adults. Vaccine, 28(36):5850-6 • intradermal (under the skin) vaccinations require less material than intramuscular • more affordable for developing countries • easier to perform • similar effectiveness EXERCISE: RECOGNIZING PLAGIARISM Source material – SafeAssign 100% matching An astonishing 80% of all antibiotics sold in the United States are administered to food animals, primarily for growth promotion and infection prophylaxis. There is good evidence that this practice has consequences to human health and has no clear benefit to farmers, although quantitation of this effect is not possible due to the enormity of the dispersal area from run-off and other sources of environmental contamination. The direct effect was noted >35 years ago, with high rates of antibiotic resistance in the intestinal flora of farm animals and farmers, and more recently with molecular methods that show that resistant bacteria in farm animals do reach consumers in meat products. The indirect impact is supported by observations that up to 90% of antibiotics given to animals are excreted in urine and stool and then widely dispersed through fertilizer, surface runoff, and groundwater, with a profound impact on the environmental microbiome. Bartlett J., Gilbert D and Spellberg B. Seven ways to preserve the miracle of antibiotics. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2013, 56:1445-1450 Version # 1 –SafeAssign 19% matching Unacceptable: Uncited paraphrasing, copying, no quotation marks. Surprisingly, 80% of all antibiotics sold in the United States are administered to farm animals to encourage their growth and prevent infections. Although the quantitative effects of this procedure haven’t been determined, there is good evidence that while the practice doesn’t benefit the farmer, it can be very detrimental to consumers. The direct impact of this practice was recorded more than 35 years ago, when high rates of antibiotic resistance bacteria were detected in the intestinal flora of farm animals and farmers. Furthermore, researchers have recently showed that resistant bacteria from farm animals can reach consumers via meat products. Indirectly, this procedure severely impacts the environmental microbiome because 90% of antibiotics given to animals are excreted in urine and stool and then widely dispersed through fertilizer, surface runoff, and groundwater.
Version #2. SafeAssign 0% matching Acceptable: Adequate restating of original arguments using different words, proper citation of sources of information. Several lines of evidence indicate that the misguided administration of antibiotics to farm animals critical plays a critical role in the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (reviewed in Bartlett et al., 2013). In an attempt to boost livestock growth and prevent infections, about 8 out 10 of the antibacterial drugs sold in the United States are used in agricultural settings (Bartlett et al., 2013). Alarmingly, investigations have revealed that up to 90 % of the administered drugs are excreted through the animal’s urine and faeces, and ultimately they are scattered to the soil, surface and ground waters (Bartlett et al., 2013). Consequently, this practice would create environmental conditions that promote the survival and growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In fact, an early effect of this procedure was reported 35 years ago, indicating the high prevalence of antibiotic-resistant microbes amongst farm animals and farmers (Bartlett et al., 2013). This trend has been recently confirmed with the help of molecular techniques, which strongly indicated that antibiotic-resistant bacteria from livestock can also reach humans through the consumption of animal food (Bartlett et al., 2013). Version #3. SafeAssign 49% Unacceptable: Copying; uncited quotations and ideas from original source, insufficient paraphrasing Alarmingly, 80% of all antibiotics sold in the United States are given to farm animals in order to promote growth and prevent infections (Bartlett et al., 2013). More than 35 years ago it was reported high rates of antibiotic resistance in the intestinal flora of livestock and farmers. Also, recently, molecular methods showed that “resistant bacteria in farm animals do reach consumers in meat products”. Moreover, the indirect impact is supported by observations “that up to 90% of antibiotics given to animals are excreted in urine and stool and then widely dispersed in the environment”, with a great impact on the microbiome. Version #4. SafeAssign 0% matching Excellent: Adequate restating of original arguments using different words, proper citation of sources of information. Integration of information from different sources that support the thesis of the paper. Several lines of evidence indicate that the misguided administration of antibiotics to farm animals critical plays a critical role in the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (reviewed in Bartlett et al., 2013; Smith, 2012). In an attempt to boost livestock growth and prevent infections, about 8 out 10 of the antibacterial drugs sold in the United States are used in agricultural settings (Bartlett et al., 2013). Alarmingly, investigations have revealed that between 60 and 90% of the administered drugs are excreted through the animal’s urine and faeces, and ultimately they are scattered to the soil, surface and ground waters (Smith, 2012; Bartlett et al., 2013). Consequently, this practice would create environmental conditions that promote the survival and growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In fact, an early effect of this procedure was reported 35 years ago, indicating the high prevalence of antibiotic-resistant microbes amongst farm animals and farmers (Bartlett et al., 2013). This trend has been recently confirmed with the help of molecular techniques, which strongly indicated that antibiotic-resistant bacteria from livestock can also reach humans through the consumption of animal food (Bartlett et al., 2013).
Student learning is aided by personal engagement by the students with the subject matter. Research paper assignments are a traditional way of encouraging students to engage with a topic. However, junior students often struggle when writing research papers, producing work that fails to demonstrate understanding or coherence. Another way of engaging students is through narrative. For microbiology students, relevant narratives are available in the form of popular non-fiction books that tell the stories of important infectious disease outbreaks, the pathogens that cause them, and human attempts to control them. A combined reading/writing assignment was developed to engage introductory microbiology students in the subject and to help them improve their writing skills. Near the beginning of the semester, students choose a book to read from a selection provided by the professor. Shortly thereafter, students are required to complete a short open-book quiz on their book of choice, and to submit two or more questions related to the book that they might research for a brief written report. The professor provides feedback to each student to help them come up with a suitably focused question. Similarly, students are provided with feedback after the sequential submission of their annotated bibliography, outline, and rough draft. The final paper and the preceding submissions are graded according to a rubric that the students are given at the beginning of the semester, which is quite stringent regarding the final product but rewards effort throughout the early stages. Surveys administered at the end of the semester indicate that most students find the assignment both enjoyable and informative. Furthermore, most students taking the subsequent microbiology course a year later indicate that the reading/writing assignment they completed in the first course had been useful for their learning.
Student ___________________________ MIBI 2201 Winter 2014
Open-book Quiz on the Reading Assignment for the “Beyond the Book Report” Time: 20 minutes If you read “The Demon in the Freezer” do questions 1-5 below. If you read “The Hot Zone” turn the page over and do questions 6-10 instead. Only short answers are required. Direct copying of sentences or large parts of sentences from the book will be considered plagiarism, and will earn a grade of zero.
1. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) Briefly compare anthrax and smallpox in terms of their structure. a) Compare anthrax and smallpox in terms of how they are passed from one host to another.
2. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) What did Peter Jahrling find so unusual about the anthrax strain that had been sent through the mail to the American media building? b) What is a “ring vaccination” strategy?
3. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. b) How can one tell if a smallpox vaccination worked? About how long does immunity from a smallpox vaccination last? c) If a person was exposed to smallpox virus, would it be useful to get vaccinated after the fact? Explain why or why not.
4. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) What is a cytokine storm? b) How did the Australian scientists produce a strain of mousepox that killed vaccinated mice?
5. What was the most surprising thing that you learned from this book (other than anything addressed in questions 1-4)?
6.
Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) How is Biosafety Level 4 different from Biosafety Level 3? b) Describe two ways in which air pressure is used to prevent accidental exposures to a hot agent.
7. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) What virus did Gene Johnson think emerged from Kitum Cave? What was the evidence? b) How do Marburg virus and Ebola virus compare in terms of lethality? What is the approximate mortality rate (kill rate) of Ebola Zaire?
8. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) Compare Ebola Zaire and Ebola Reston in terms of their effect on humans. b) Compare Ebola Zaire and Ebola Reston in terms of how easily each is transmitted from host to host.
9. Answer one of the following two questions. Circle the one that you are answering. a) Why did Peter Jahrling initially think the monkeys were infected with Ebola Zaire? b) What two methods were used to decontaminate the monkey house?
10. What was the most surprising thing that you learned from this book (other than anything addressed in questions 6-9)?
Scientific Information
How to find review articles on your topic • • • • • • • • •
Go to the MRU library site click on “Find more” click on “Databases by name” click on “Scopus” Enter your search terms (you may need to try several searches with different terms) Limit to “Life Sciences” and “Health Science” Limit “Document type” to “Review” Find some titles that seem promising – write down the year, volume number, page numbers, etc. Check for a full-text article available through the MRU library using the information you wrote down
ANNOTATED LIST OF REFERENCES - EXAMPLE Dacheux, L., Wacharapluesadee, S., Hemachudha, T., Meslin, F.X., Buchy, P., Reynes J.M., Bourhy, H. (2010). More accurate insight into the incidence of human rabies in developing countries through validated laboratory techniques. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 11(4):765 • developed a new simple procedure for diagnosing rabies • easier to perform in developing countries than current techniques Laurent, P.E., Bourhy, H., Fantino, M., Alchas, P., Mikszta, J.A. (2010). Safety and efficacy of novel dermal and epidermal microneedle delivery systems for rabies vaccination in healthy adults. Vaccine, 28(36):5850-6 • intradermal (under the skin) vaccinations require less material than intramuscular • more affordable for developing countries • easier to perform • similar effectiveness EXERCISE: RECOGNIZING PLAGIARISM Source material – SafeAssign 100% matching An astonishing 80% of all antibiotics sold in the United States are administered to food animals, primarily for growth promotion and infection prophylaxis. There is good evidence that this practice has consequences to human health and has no clear benefit to farmers, although quantitation of this effect is not possible due to the enormity of the dispersal area from run-off and other sources of environmental contamination. The direct effect was noted >35 years ago, with high rates of antibiotic resistance in the intestinal flora of farm animals and farmers, and more recently with molecular methods that show that resistant bacteria in farm animals do reach consumers in meat products. The indirect impact is supported by observations that up to 90% of antibiotics given to animals are excreted in urine and stool and then widely dispersed through fertilizer, surface runoff, and groundwater, with a profound impact on the environmental microbiome. Bartlett J., Gilbert D and Spellberg B. Seven ways to preserve the miracle of antibiotics. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2013, 56:1445-1450 Version # 1 –SafeAssign 19% matching Unacceptable: Uncited paraphrasing, copying, no quotation marks. Surprisingly, 80% of all antibiotics sold in the United States are administered to farm animals to encourage their growth and prevent infections. Although the quantitative effects of this procedure haven’t been determined, there is good evidence that while the practice doesn’t benefit the farmer, it can be very detrimental to consumers. The direct impact of this practice was recorded more than 35 years ago, when high rates of antibiotic resistance bacteria were detected in the intestinal flora of farm animals and farmers. Furthermore, researchers have recently showed that resistant bacteria from farm animals can reach consumers via meat products. Indirectly, this procedure severely impacts the environmental microbiome because 90% of antibiotics given to animals are excreted in urine and stool and then widely dispersed through fertilizer, surface runoff, and groundwater.
Version #2. SafeAssign 0% matching Acceptable: Adequate restating of original arguments using different words, proper citation of sources of information. Several lines of evidence indicate that the misguided administration of antibiotics to farm animals critical plays a critical role in the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (reviewed in Bartlett et al., 2013). In an attempt to boost livestock growth and prevent infections, about 8 out 10 of the antibacterial drugs sold in the United States are used in agricultural settings (Bartlett et al., 2013). Alarmingly, investigations have revealed that up to 90 % of the administered drugs are excreted through the animal’s urine and faeces, and ultimately they are scattered to the soil, surface and ground waters (Bartlett et al., 2013). Consequently, this practice would create environmental conditions that promote the survival and growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In fact, an early effect of this procedure was reported 35 years ago, indicating the high prevalence of antibiotic-resistant microbes amongst farm animals and farmers (Bartlett et al., 2013). This trend has been recently confirmed with the help of molecular techniques, which strongly indicated that antibiotic-resistant bacteria from livestock can also reach humans through the consumption of animal food (Bartlett et al., 2013). Version #3. SafeAssign 49% Unacceptable: Copying; uncited quotations and ideas from original source, insufficient paraphrasing Alarmingly, 80% of all antibiotics sold in the United States are given to farm animals in order to promote growth and prevent infections (Bartlett et al., 2013). More than 35 years ago it was reported high rates of antibiotic resistance in the intestinal flora of livestock and farmers. Also, recently, molecular methods showed that “resistant bacteria in farm animals do reach consumers in meat products”. Moreover, the indirect impact is supported by observations “that up to 90% of antibiotics given to animals are excreted in urine and stool and then widely dispersed in the environment”, with a great impact on the microbiome. Version #4. SafeAssign 0% matching Excellent: Adequate restating of original arguments using different words, proper citation of sources of information. Integration of information from different sources that support the thesis of the paper. Several lines of evidence indicate that the misguided administration of antibiotics to farm animals critical plays a critical role in the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (reviewed in Bartlett et al., 2013; Smith, 2012). In an attempt to boost livestock growth and prevent infections, about 8 out 10 of the antibacterial drugs sold in the United States are used in agricultural settings (Bartlett et al., 2013). Alarmingly, investigations have revealed that between 60 and 90% of the administered drugs are excreted through the animal’s urine and faeces, and ultimately they are scattered to the soil, surface and ground waters (Smith, 2012; Bartlett et al., 2013). Consequently, this practice would create environmental conditions that promote the survival and growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In fact, an early effect of this procedure was reported 35 years ago, indicating the high prevalence of antibiotic-resistant microbes amongst farm animals and farmers (Bartlett et al., 2013). This trend has been recently confirmed with the help of molecular techniques, which strongly indicated that antibiotic-resistant bacteria from livestock can also reach humans through the consumption of animal food (Bartlett et al., 2013).
