The best aspect of this course was the incredible hands-on experience students got to have in microbiology. Students were given the freedom to do independent research by two very approachable professors. While most students loved the course, they found the labs frustrating because they were often thrown into the experiments with little instruction and a short time constraint. The class could be improved if more teaching assistants were available because the large class size made it hard for everyone to understand the instructions. The class could also be improved if there was some kind of pre-lab lecture that helped streamline the experiments before they had to be performed. Prospective students should know that this is a great course which offers hands-on microbiology experience and requires no prior experience.

Students liked the hands-on experience in a lab, and appreciated how the instructors assisted them as needed. However, students disliked needing to start over if an experiment failed, and found that lab work took up a lot of their time. Suggestions for improvement included giving better and more detailed instructions for the lab procedures. Prospective students should know that the workload is about average, and that students found the materials interesting. Students did not need to be science majors to appreciate and understand the materials.

Students praised this course for allowing students an independent and hands-on experience in a lab setting with approachable instructors who could assist students. However, some students disliked how they could be forced to redo parts of an experiment if things didn’t go as planned. Students also found the course ate up a fair amount of their time when working on lab work. Suggestions for improvement included a desire for greater clarity on procedures when performing experiments in the lab. Prospective students should know that students found the course interesting with a manageable workload. Students also found that the course was approachable for non-science majors.

Students praised this course for being a semester-long research project that gave students’ hands-on experience working mostly independently in a lab. Students reported few issues with the course, although some students found that completing assignments could lead to long stretches in the lab. 27Suggestions for improvement varied although multiple students wanted more directions on how to write a research paper. Prospective students should know that students found the course had a moderate workload and was recommended to any student regardless of whether he or she had a science/laboratory background.

Students praised this course for being a semester-long research project that gave students’ hands-on experience working mostly independently in a lab. Students reported few issues with the course, although some students found that completing assignments could lead to long stretches in the lab. Suggestions for improvement varied, although multiple students wanted more directions on how to write a research paper. Prospective students should know that students found the course had a moderate workload and was recommended to any student regardless of whether or not they had a science/laboratory background.