Overview
On successful completion of this unit, you will have a sound understanding of the fundamentals of microbiology. You will be able to explain the principles by which microbes are classified, the relationship between form and function, the mechanisms by which genetic change occurs and the dynamics of growth and multiplication. Mixed mode and Rockhampton students must attend a compulsory residential school or on-campus laboratory classes in order to achieve the learning outcomes.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Corequisite: BIOL11099 Living Systems or BIOL 11100 Functional Biology or SCIE11022 Introductory Science or BIOH11005 Introductory Anatomy and Physiology or BMSC11001 Human Body Systems 1 or BIOL11102 Life Science Laboratory or BMSC11007 Medical Anatomy and Physiology 1 or BMSC11010 Human Anatomy and Physiology 1.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2025
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE
Students found the residential school useful to their learning.
The residential schools will continue in their current format.
Feedback from Personal student feedback.
Internal students would prefer weekly labs to residential schools.
Internal weekly laboratory session will be investigated for feasibility.
Feedback from SUTE
Public health / environmental health students stated that some of the content was not relevant to them.
There will be consultation with Public Health staff regarding the relevance of the content.
- Explain the principles by which microbes are classified, using traditional and molecular approaches
- Describe the relationship between form and function in the major groups of microbes
- Describe the mechanisms by which genetic exchange occurs in bacteria, fungi and viruses
- Explain the dynamics of growth and multiplication of the major types of microbes, and the methods by which these can be investigated in the laboratory
- Demonstrate basic practical microbiological procedures in the laboratory in a safe and efficient manner
- Interpret the results of laboratory experiments in the context of the underlying microbiological principles.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 25% | ||||||
| 2 - Practical and Written Assessment - 25% | ||||||
| 3 - Online Test - 50% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Textbooks
Microbiology: an introduction
Edition: 14th (2024)
Authors: Tortora, Funke, Case, Weber, Bair
Pearson
Upper Saddle River Upper Saddle River , New Jersey , USA
ISBN: 9781292737423
An eBook version can also be purchased from the publisher. Also, Mastering Microbiology can be purchased separately or in a bundle with the textbook. Mastering provides additional animations, tutorials and quizzes, and is useful for those who would like more support with their study. More information on this, including links, will be available on the Moodle site.
Paper copies, including a bundle which includes the eBook can be purchased at the CQUni Bookshop here:
http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code).Binding: Paperback
An eBook version can also be purchased from the publisher. Also, Mastering Microbiology can be purchased separately or in a bundle with the textbook. Mastering provides additional animations, tutorials and quizzes, and is useful for those who would like more support with their study. More information on this, including links, will be available on the Moodle site.
Paper copies, including a bundle which includes the eBook can be purchased at the CQUni Bookshop here:
http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code).
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing styles below:
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
s.makiela@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction, laboratory safety, laboratory techniques.
Chapter
Tortora, chapters 1 & 3.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Prokaryote structure and function.
Chapter
Tortora, chapters 4, 10, 11.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Eukaryote structure and function.
Chapter
Tortora, chapters 4, 10, 12.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Viruses.
Chapter
Tortora, chapter 13.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Microbial metabolism and culture.
Chapter
Tortora, chapters 2 & 6.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online test 1 - opens 9am AEST 11th April (Friday), closes in 24h.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Microbial growth and control of growth.
Chapter
Tortora, chapters 6 & 7.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Microbial ID and genetics.
Chapter
Tortora, chapters 8 & 10.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Human and microbial ecology.
Chapter
Tortora, chapter 14.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Module A or Module B or Module C.
(see Term Specific Information)
Chapter
Specific readings for each module will be provided on the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online test 2 - opens 9am AEST 16th May (Friday), closes in 24h.
Residential school Rockhampton (1). If attending this residential school, pre-lab quizzes due on day 1. Post-lab quiz due two weeks from day 3.
Module/Topic
Module A or Module B or Module C.
(see Term Specific Information)
Chapter
Specific readings for each module will be provided on the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Residential school Rockhampton (2). If attending this residential school, pre-lab quizzes due on day 1. Post-lab quiz due two weeks from day 3.
Module/Topic
Module A or Module B or Module C.
(see Term Specific Information)
Chapter
Specific readings for each module will be provided on the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Residential school Bundaberg. If attending this residential school, pre-lab quizzes due on day 1. Post-lab quiz due two weeks from day 3.
Residential school Rockhampton (3). If attending this residential school, pre-lab quizzes due on day 1. Post-lab quiz due two weeks from day 3.
Module/Topic
Module A or Module B or Module C.
(see Term Specific Information)
Chapter
Specific readings for each module will be provided on the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Online test 3 - opens 9am AEST 10th June (Tuesday), closes in 48h.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
You will notice in the Schedule that there are different module choices in weeks 9-12. Each module has different topics; this is done to make the unit more relevant to your discipline area. Later in the term, you will need to choose which module you want to do using a choice activity on the Moodle site. You only need to complete one module and its associated online test.
1 Written Assessment
You are required to design a microorganism which is best suited to a particular environment. You must choose one of the following scenarios:
- An opportunistic human pathogen of the urinary system, which causes burning pain and proteinuria.
- A blood-borne human pathogen,which is transmitted by fleas and causes lethargy and sweating.
- A commensal microbe of the large intestine, which produces vitamin B12 and helps to regulate cortisol.
Please note that you are designing a hypothetical organism. Your microbe cannot be identical to an existing microbe. In your paper, you will be required to:
- Decide on the type of organism (bacterium, fungus, or protozoan, no viruses allowed).
- Select the features of your microorganism based on your knowledge of microbial form and function, physiology and ecology. These features should enable your microorganism to survive and be successful in its environment (in the case of a disease, you may also choose additional symptoms).
- Rationalise your choices based on relevant literature.
- Name your microorganism, both genus and species.
Suggested length: 2000 words.
More detailed instructions will be provided on the Moodle page.
A note on the use of AI:
Student are permitted to use Generative AI for this assessment in the following ways:
- developing literature search strategies
- compiling suitable literature sources and locating data
- guidance for structuring the assignment
Please refer to the Generative AI Permission document available under this assessment task on your Moodle site for further guidelines on the acceptable and unacceptable use of Generative AI in this assessment.
If Generative AI is used in any way, it must be cited as per the CQU Guidelines (Academic Learning Centre). These guidelines will be available on the unit Moodle site. All students must submit an AI Use Declaration form with this assessment, even if you did not use AI. The form is available under this assessment task on your Moodle site.
As per academic writing requirements and assessment criteria; citations of information should be of the primary source (i.e statistics returned by AI must be fact-checked and referenced from their original source as well as the AI source). Failure to cite primary sources as well as AI sources could be considered breach of academic integrity.
Week 8 Monday (5 May 2025) 11:59 pm AEST
Week 10 Monday (19 May 2025)
The complete assessment rubrics will be available on the Moodle site, and will be on the following criteria:
- Knowledge of theory (30%)
- Selected features and rationalisation (40%)
- Presentation (10%)
- Clarity of expression (10%)
- Referencing (10%)
- Explain the principles by which microbes are classified, using traditional and molecular approaches
- Describe the relationship between form and function in the major groups of microbes
2 Practical and Written Assessment
This assessment is in 3 parts:
Part 1 - pre-lab quizzes. You are required to do online quizzes based on the laboratory manual and provided instructional videos before coming to the laboratory. There are 5 quizzes in total, and all will be open from the start of term. You will do them all before coming to residential school. Each quiz will consist of 5 questions (multiple choice) and will be timed (15 min). You can have 2 attempts at each quiz.
Part 2 - practical competencies. You will be marked on 7 practical skills during residential school. These skills are: aseptic technique, pipetting, the four streak dilution method, microscope use, Gram staining, fungal slide preparation, and microbial identification. The marking will occur during the normal course of the residential school (it is not under exam conditions). Detailed descriptions and requirements for this task will be available on the Moodle site.
Part 3 - post-lab quiz. You are required to do an online quiz (short-answer questions) based on the results of the practical sessions. The quiz will open on the last day of your residential school. It consists of 5 questions and will be timed (45 min), and you have one attempt only.
The use of Generative AI and other like applications is not permitted to be used for completing these assessment tasks. Please note that these tasks are based on the laboratory material and/or the results obtained during the residential schools. As such, responses provided by internet search engines and Generative AI applications are likely to not be relevant to the assessment questions and/or residential school. If you choose to use Generative AI for this assessment, you will be reported for the use of GenAI and may be marked down accordingly.
Part 1 - 8:00am AEST the first day of your residential school. Part 2 - during your residential school. Part 3 - 11:55pm AEST 2 weeks after the last day of your residential school.
Part 1 - within half an hour. Part 2 - on the last day of your residential school. Part 3 - two weeks after the due date.
Part 1 is worth 5%, and will be marked as the total of all five quizzes (your highest mark of each).
Part 2 is worth 10%,and will be marked on how well you perform each competency and the result (final product). A detailed marks sheet will be available on the Moodle site.
Part 3 is worth 10%, and will be your quiz mark.
- Demonstrate basic practical microbiological procedures in the laboratory in a safe and efficient manner
- Interpret the results of laboratory experiments in the context of the underlying microbiological principles.
3 Online Test
An understanding of fundamental microbiological concepts is essential in many science based professions. Your knowledge of the content and concepts will be examined by three online tests held at intervals throughout the term. All test topics will be covered during lectures and tutorials. The first online test will be in week 5, and will cover the content of weeks 1-4. The second will be in week 9, and cover the content of weeks 5-8. The third will be during the review/examination period, and will cover the content of weeks 9-12. These online tests will be done as quizzes in Moodle, and will be a mixture of multiple choice and short answer questions. Each test will be open for 24h (unless otherwise stated), and will be timed. You may do your test at any time during this period. Details are as follows:
Online test 1 - Friday week 5 (11th April), opens at 9am AEST and closes in 24h.
Online test 2 - Friday week 9 (16th May), opens at 9am AEST and closes in 24h.
Online test 3 - Tuesday 10th June, opens at 9am AEST and closes in 48h.
These online tests will be done as quizzes in Moodle. You must undertake these tests as an indivitual and not with classmates or others. As with all other University assessments, colluding with other students on a non-group work task is considered academic misconduct and will be dealt with in accordance with the Student Academic Integrity Policy. For all short answer questions, you must cite your sources using the prescribed referencing styles (Harvard or APA). Failure to cite the source (or incorrectly citing your source) constitutes a breach of academic integrity and will be dealt with in accordance of the relevant policy.
Further details on how to cite your answers will be available on the unit Moodle site.
Gen AI can only be used for certain purposes in this assessment. Please refer to the Generative AI Permission document available under this assessment on the Moodle site for guidelines on the acceptable and unacceptable uses in this assessment.
Test 1 in week 5 on Friday, Test 2 in week 9 on Friday, Test 3 in the review period on Tuesday.
Marks for each online test will be finalised within 10 working days of the test date.
Marks will be awarded on correctness and completeness. Multiple choice questions in each online test will be marked automatically by Moodle. Short answer questions will be marked manually. Your total mark for this assessment will be the sum of all three online test marks.
No submission method provided.
- Explain the principles by which microbes are classified, using traditional and molecular approaches
- Describe the relationship between form and function in the major groups of microbes
- Describe the mechanisms by which genetic exchange occurs in bacteria, fungi and viruses
- Explain the dynamics of growth and multiplication of the major types of microbes, and the methods by which these can be investigated in the laboratory
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
