6 EC
Semester 1, period 2
5224MIEC6Y
1. Global content
Microbes make up most of life on Earth, and their importance for the planet's ecosystems and processes cannot be overstated. Microorganisms exhibit a high degree of genetic and functional diversity, essential for maintaining life on Earth. Earth's evolution is closely linked to the growth and activities of microbes. The significance of microbial ecology for human society and the environment is becoming increasingly evident, from its role in food production, human health, and energy supply to its contribution to understanding and predicting climate change.
Despite their importance, much about microbial diversity and function remains unknown. This is largely due to the complexity of microbial communities and the difficulties in observing, isolating, and cultivating microorganisms in laboratory settings. Fortunately, applying molecular biology and genomics methods has provided new avenues for studying microbial diversity and activities in their natural environment.
This course offers an in-depth introduction to microbial ecology, focusing on the ecological principles that govern microbial communities. It begins with a foundational overview of microbial ecology, followed by discussions on microbes’ roles in global elemental cycles and the mechanisms behind community assembly and function. Real-world examples will illustrate how microbial ecology helps address pressing issues such as human health, pollution, and the effects of climate change.
Hands-on laboratory sessions will reinforce these concepts, offering experience with experimental microbial communities and modern techniques such as high-throughput sequencing for analyzing microbial diversity and function.
2. Intended learning outcomes
By the time the course is completed, the student should be able to:
3. Teaching methods
The course starts with a series of lectures (hoor-colleges) on different topics in microbial ecology. Parallel to the lectures, students will work on a practical in groups of 2 or 3 and at the end present the results.
4. Attendance
Lecture attendance is highly recommended, mainly because the subject matter will be questioned during the exam. Attendance at the practical and presentations is mandatory (from the Teaching and Examination Regulations).
5. Assignments
The assignment is a presentation of the
6. Course materials
The lecture handouts will be placed on Canvas. In addition, the textbook Brock-Biology of Microorganisms (15th edition) is recommended as supplementary material. We will hand out protocols for the practical.
7. Timetable and course structure
[Copy the link to the timetable in DataNose. Mention the study load for the contact hours and self-study. 1 EC is 28 hours of study.]
|
Lectures (hoor-colleges) |
28 hours |
|
Seminars (werk-colleges) |
20 hours |
|
Practical training (practical) |
30 hours |
|
Self-study, including preparing the presentation |
83 hours |
|
Presentations |
4 hours |
|
Exam |
3 hours |
8. Assessment and inspection of assessed work
The information taught in the lectures will be assessed in a written exam of open and multiple-choice questions. The course instructors and students will evaluate the literature study, i.e., the movie. The movie will be assessed on four criteria: (1) scientific content, (2) originality, (3) use of image and sound, (4) overall impression. Scientific content is essential and will be weighted extra (see Rubric). The final mark for the course is the mean of the marks for the exam (70%) and the literature study (30%) (see table below). The excursion and practical will not be assessed but are mandatory.
|
Component |
Deadline |
Weight % |
Minimum grade |
Compensation |
Resit (grade doesn’t expire, expires, resit is possible) * |
|
Final exam |
16/10/2024 |
70 |
5 |
|
Yes |
|
Resit written exam |
01/07/2025 |
70 |
5 |
|
n.a. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Presentation |
25/10/2024 |
30 |
5 |
|
No |
* Grades for interim components are valid until the end of the academic year.
At least twenty working days after the announcement of the results of a written examination, the student can, on request, inspect his/her assessed work, the questions and assignments set, and the standards applied for marking. The place and time will be announced via Blackboard (from the Teaching and Examination Regulations).
9. Fraud and plagiarism
This course uses the rules and regulations on fraud and plagiarism control of the University of Amsterdam. Plagiarism or fraud means copying another student's work or copying scientific sources (for example, from books, magazines, and the Internet) without mentioning the source. Plagiarism is prohibited. It is carefully monitored and strictly acted upon. Upon suspicion of plagiarism, it will be noted by the Board of Examiners. When the Board of Examiners is confident that there has been plagiarism, this can lead to a maximum exclusion of all education for an entire calendar year. For more information on fraud and plagiarism rules at the University of Amsterdam, see www.uva.nl/plagiarism.
10. Application and further information
The maximum number of applicants is 30. Admission to the course will depend on the total number of applications and the individual student's background.
If the number of applications exceeds the capacity of the course, students may be selected, and priority will be given in the following order:
This course uses the Canvas website. Here, you’ll find all the necessary additional information, such as grouping for seminars, information on the assignments, and additional literature. Therefore, check out the site regularly!
Evaluation to improve the course
At the end of the course, you will receive a form to evaluate the course. In addition, we will have a session to discuss the things that are good and, more importantly, the things that can be improved. We always carefully listen to your comments and try to incorporate your wishes into the course for next year. So, please don’t forget to fill out the form and give your frank opinion on the course, which will result in a better course for future students.
11. Contact
|
Coordinator and lecturer |
Prof. dr. Meike Wortel |
|
Address: |
Science Park 904, room C3.264 |
|
E-mail: |
m.t.wortel@uva.nl |
|
|
|
We will hand-out protocols for the practical.
We will use R and bash programming. Introductory materials will be provided.
Hand-outs of the lectures will be placed on Canvas
The course starts with a series of lectures (hoor-colleges) on different topics in microbial ecology. Parallel to the lectures, students will work on a practical in groups of 2 or 3 and at the end present the results.
|
Activity |
Number of hours |
|
Lectures (hoor-colleges) |
28 hours |
|
Seminars (werk-colleges) |
20 hours |
|
Practical training (practical) |
30 hours |
|
Self-study, including preparing the presentation |
83 hours |
|
Presentations |
4 hours |
|
Exam |
3 hours |
|
Zelfstudie |
92 |
Additional requirements for this course:
Attendance at lectures and the literature discussion is highly recommended. Attendance at the excursion and practical is mandatory (from Teaching and Examination Regulations). The literature study will be done by the students as a self-study.
| Item and weight | Details |
|
Final grade | |
|
0.7 (100%) Tentamen |
The manner of inspection will be communicated via the digitial learning environment.
For at least twenty working days after the announcement of the results of a written examination, the student can, on request, inspect his/her assessed work, the questions and assignments set, as well as the standards applied for marking. The place and time will be announced via Blackboard (from Teaching and Examination Regulations).
Groups of 2-3 students will conduct a practical, analyse data and present the results. The final presentation will be graded.
The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl
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| 5 | ||
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| 7 | ||
| 8 |
This course uses the Canvas website. Here, you’ll find all the necessary additional information, such as grouping for seminars, information on the assignments, additional literature. Therefore, check out the site regularly!