A note for teachers and students

This course is for everyone who has an interest in learning more about microbiology. However, there are certain sections in the course which may be particularly useful for those teaching or studying biology in schools.

You’re welcome to download any of the University of Reading (UoR) content as you work your way though the course, we just ask that don’t modify the content and you attribute Small and Mighty: Introduction to Microbiology (with a link) if you share the materials more widely or use them in your teaching.

We’d love to hear at the end of the course if any parts prove particularly useful to you or if we can provide further information on certain topics.

A note for biology teachers

Microbiology is an integral component of most biology-related curricula (including GCSE Biology/ Science, A-level Biology and BTEC Nationals in Applied Science) and provides excellent opportunities for teaching practical techniques and developing students’ experimental skills. This course will help improve your confidence to teach microbiology-related topics and will be directly relevant to your students, some of whom may consider a career in microbiology.

You can download the videos to show in your class or upload to your virtual learning environment (eg Moodle, Blackboard) by clicking on the download icon at the bottom right of the screen. We’ve also provided downloadable worksheets and summary PDFs on many of the Steps. We hope that you find these resources useful and that they help to engage your students to learn more about microbiology-related topics.

A note for biology students

Microbiology is a fantastic area of biology to study, but we know that learning about all the topics can be a little daunting, especially with all the scientific terms and Latin names. We hope that the materials in this course will help you consolidate some of this knowledge and provide a useful revision guide for you.

We recommend building up a useful set of notes related to your studies as you work your way through the course, you may find this blog from FutureLearn on taking notes, helpful. We’ve also created supplementary documents and a course glossary for revision purposes, which you may like to download a keep.

If you’re looking at taking your studies further, you’re more than welcome to contact the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Reading with any questions about studying for a BSc in Microbiology, Biomedical Sciences, Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, or any of our other degree programmes.