Primer Design for Reverse Transcription-Quantitative PCR Simulation: an Online Lab Exercise Using a SARS-CoV-2 Model.

Since the start of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, many microbiology lab activities have been conducted online. We produced a simple PCR primer design and virtual PCR activity for introductory students to use as part of an online laboratory course or as an independent activity in a traditional laboratory setting. Most students are aware of basic PCR concepts but struggle with important details, such as how PCR is specific and how false positives and negatives can be generated in a diagnostic test that is not well designed. This exercise helps students review molecular biology concepts within the context of a test that was commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that nursing students and Biology and non-Biology majors were able to complete the worksheet as a group with minimal instructor input. This could be used as a stand-alone activity, as a warm-up for other bioinformatics exercises, or as a prelab activity for actual in-lab quantitative PCR experiments, such as the one offered by miniPCR bio. With minor modifications, it could also be used with more advanced students.

Beyond the Traditional Classroom: Increased Course Structure and Cooperative Learning Remove Differences in Achievement between Students in an In-Person versus Hybrid Microbiology Course.

The increase in online learning brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic will likely result in a greater availability of online and hybrid course offerings. In this study, students enrolled in parallel sections of a microbiology lab course with in-person labs and either face-to-face (F2F) or all-online lectures (hybrid, H). Course material and method of assessment in the two sections were identical; student demographics were similar. In the first year, F2F students scored significantly higher on two out of four exams. In the second year, two interventions were introduced: team-building activities (in both sections) and online group discussions (H only). Students in both the F2F and H sections reported similar positive teamwork reviews based on Comprehensive Assessment of Team Member Effectiveness (catme.org) and survey data. Although the COVID-19 pandemic eventually forced all learning online, exam scores from the two sections in the first half of the semester were similar, suggesting that the interventions were effective. In both sections, exam scores were positively correlated with entering grade point averages. This study adds to the body of literature supporting the effectiveness of hybrid learning.