Learn Microbiology
Understanding microbiology is fundamental to managing plant pathogens, soil health, compost technology, and many other aspects of horticulture. This course is a comprehensive introduction to both theoretical and applied microbiology. It helps you to better manage plant production, workplace safety and much more.
There are 9 lessons in this course:
Scope and Nature of Microbiology
Microscopes
Cultures
Microbial Taxonomy
Bacteria
Viruses
Other Microbes - Protists, Fungi, Helminths
Immunology
Applied Microbiology
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims of the course:
Discuss the nature and scope of microbiology and its potential application to human life and society.
Determine appropriate tools for studying microorganisms, and how to utilise those tools in a variety of different contexts.
Describe how to culture different microorganisms in a laboratory.
Differentiate between different types of microorganisms.
Determine appropriate ways of finding and applying current information to differentiate between microorganisms you are not familiar with.
Explain the taxonomy, function and significance of a range of different types of bacteria.
Explain the taxonomy, function and significance of a range of different types of viruses.
Explain immunity in plants, animals and humans.
Identify and explain different practical applications for an understanding of the applications of microbiology.
Why Study Microorganisms?
They impact directly upon our health and well being.
They impact upon the quality of physical world we live in.
They impact upon the other living organisms we depend upon: everything from crops and farm animals to our pets.
Studying them can give us insights into all life.
Given the scope and nature of microbiology, this course cannot hope to teach you about every type of microorganism. There are in fact so many different microorganisms that microbiology experts don’t know even a fraction of what is to be learned.
This is however such an important subject because microorganisms have a huge impact upon both us and the world around us.
The starting point is to become aware of the scope and nature of these organisms, to understand how they can be examined and the general characteristics of different types of microorganisms. The bulk of this course focuses on giving you that broad foundation, with a particular focus on some of the more significant types. Toward the end of the course you will explore some of the practical applications for microbiology.