Learning Activities and Teaching Methodology

The Microbiology course consists of three modules that have been designed in an integrated manner. Throughout the course, students will be required to relate the content and activities of these modules in order to achieve the course learning outcomes.

The three modules are as follows:

THEORY MODULE

Students are expected to acquire the scientific and technical knowledge specific to this course by attending lectures and complementing them with independent study of the topics covered.

At the beginning of the course, students will receive a schedule of the topics to be covered throughout the semester, together with the bibliography required for preparing each lecture and for the independent study of the theoretical content.

Some topics may be prepared independently by students and subsequently discussed during lecture sessions through question-and-answer activities.

PROBLEM-SOLVING AND CURRENT TOPICS IN MICROBIOLOGY MODULE

This module consists of sessions conducted with small groups of students in which:

a) Methodological and current issues in Microbiology will be addressed.

b) Understanding of the concepts presented in lectures will be reinforced.

c) Students will develop their ability to design basic microbiology experiments.

d) The module serves as a bridge between participatory lectures and laboratory practical work, with the aim of integrating theoretical and practical knowledge.

At the beginning of the course, students will receive a schedule detailing the content of each session and the bibliography that should be consulted. They will also receive a workbook containing a set of problems to be developed throughout the course.

The sessions will take place in the classroom and will focus on methodological aspects, the resolution of basic microbiological problems, and current topics in Microbiology.

LABORATORY PRACTICAL MODULE

At the beginning of the course, students will receive a laboratory manual containing the practical work to be carried out throughout the semester. The objectives of these activities are:

a) To facilitate understanding of the concepts explained in lectures.

b) To practice the experimental designs developed in the problem-solving sessions.

c) To acquire practical laboratory skills.

d) To interpret experimental results.

e) To integrate theoretical and practical knowledge.

Attendance at laboratory practical sessions is mandatory in order to acquire the competencies associated with this module.

To attend the laboratory sessions, students must demonstrate that they have passed the biosafety and laboratory safety tests available on the Moodle platform and that they are familiar with and accept the operating regulations of the Faculty of Biosciences laboratories.

To achieve satisfactory performance and acquire the competencies associated with this activity, students are required to read and understand the laboratory protocols before attending each practical session.

As part of the supervised activities of the course, group and individual tutorials may be organized to support the learning activities described above.

Independent learning activities for this course include study, reading scientific texts, problem-solving, and preparation of materials for seminar sessions on current topics in Microbiology.

Additional information: To facilitate successful completion of the course, students will have access through the Moodle platform to all documentation referred to in the sections above.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

The assessment of the course will be individual and may be based on either continuous assessment or a single-assessment system, through the following evaluation activities.

Continuous Assessment Activities

1. THEORY MODULE (60% of the final grade)

Two written examinations will be scheduled throughout the course for the assessment of this module. The first examination will account for 24% of the final grade and the second for 36%. These examinations are cumulative; that is, the second examination will include ALL theoretical contents of the course.

To pass this module, the weighted average of the two examinations must be at least 5 out of 10.

If a student obtains a higher grade in the second examination than in the first, the final grade for this module will be the grade obtained in the second examination.

Each examination will include one or two short-answer questions (worth up to 2 points out of 10) and a maximum of 60 multiple-choice and/or true/false questions (worth up to 9 points out of 10).

Students who do not pass this module may take a resit examination at the end of the semester. In this case, the maximum possible grade will be 8 out of 10.

2. PROBLEM-SOLVING AND CURRENT TOPICS IN MICROBIOLOGY MODULE (20% of the final grade)

Assessment of this module will consist of:

a) In-class resolution of proposed problems, worth 1.5 points out of 10.

b) Presentation of current topics in Microbiology, worth 1.5 points out of 10.

c) A written examination consisting of a maximum of 20 multiple-choice questions on methodological aspects and the resolution of up to six problems, worth 7 points out of 10. This examination will take place on the same date as the first written examination of the Theory Module.

To pass this module, students must obtain a minimum grade of 5 out of 10 in the written examination. If the module is not passed, the written examination may be retaken during the resit period at the end of the semester. In this case, the maximum possible grade will be 8 out of 10.

3. LABORATORY PRACTICALS MODULE (20% of the final grade)

Assessment of this module will consist of two components:

a) Practical skills assessment, based on the submission of various practical results to the teaching staff during each laboratory session.

b) A written examination consisting of a maximum of 20 multiple-choice questions on the laboratory work carried out.

These components will account for 4 and 6 points out of 10, respectively. To pass this module, students must obtain a minimum grade of 5 out of 10 in the written examination.

If the written examination is not passed, it may be retaken during the resit period at the end of the semester. In that case, the maximum achievable grade in the written examination will be 5 out of 10, to which the practical skills grade will be added in order to determine the final module grade.

General Considerations

To pass the course, students must obtain a final grade of 5 or higher in each module.

If, after the resit assessments, a student obtains a final grade of between 4 and 4.9 in any module, this grade may be averaged with the grades of the other modules. If the resulting overall average is equal or higher than 5, the course will be considered passed. In this case, the final grade awarded for the course will be 5 out of 10.

Students who have already passed the course and wish to improve their grade may take an improvement assessment, allowing them to retake the written examinations of each module. To do so, students must submit a written request to the course coordinator at least 72 hours before the scheduled resit date, specifying which examinations they wish to retake and therefore for which previous grades they waive their entitlement.

To be eligible for resit assessments, students must previously have been assessed in activities accounting for at least two-thirds of the total course or module grade. Therefore, students will receive the grade “Not Assessable” (NA) when the assessment activities completed account for less than 66.7 % of the final grade.

Any irregularity committed during an assessment activity (academic fraud, plagiarism, or misuse of Artificial Intelligence, unless explicitly authorized in the course guide) that could lead to a significant change in the grade will result in a mark of 0 for that assessment activity. If the course guide establishes that obtaining a minimum grade in that activity is a mandatory requirement for passing the course, or if multiple irregularities occur within the same course, the final grade for the course will be 0. In addition, disciplinary proceedings may be initiated against the student.

From the second enrollment onwards, students are exempt from completing Modules 2 and 3 if they successfully achieved the corresponding competencies during the previous academic year.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technologies

In this course, the use of AI is permitted exclusively for support tasks such as bibliographic or information searches, text correction, translations, or other purposes determined by the teaching staff.

Students must clearly identify which parts of their work were generated using AI technologies, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how these tools influenced both the process and the final outcome of the activity.

Lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in an assessed activity will be considered a breach of academic integrity and may result in a partial or complete penalty in the activity grade, or more severe sanctions in serious cases.

Single Assessment

The single-assessment system consists of one comprehensive examination covering all the contents of the course. It comprises three parts:

THEORY MODULE ASSESSMENT

This consists of a comprehensive examination covering all the content of the Theory Module. The examination will include short-answer questions designed to assess whether the key conceptual learning outcomes of the course have been achieved, as well as multiple-choice and/or true/false questions covering a large proportion of the course content.

The grade obtained in this part will account for 60% of the final course grade.

PROBLEM-SOLVING AND CURRENT TOPICS IN MICROBIOLOGY MODULE ASSESSMENT

This consists of a written examination focused on methodological aspects and problem-solving skills.

The grade obtained in this part will account for 20% of the final course grade.

LABORATORY PRACTICALS MODULE ASSESSMENT

This assessment is based on a written examination covering the activities carried out during the practical sessions (12% of the final grade) and on the student’s practical skills (8%), evaluated through the submission of practical results during each laboratory session.

Attendance at all practical sessions is therefore mandatory.

All written examinations will take place on the same day and at the same time as the second written examination scheduled for continuous assessment.

To pass the course, students must pass each part of the assessment separately with a grade of at least 5 out of 10.

Students who do not pass the course may take a resit assessment with the same characteristics as described above. To pass the course through the resit process, students must obtain a grade of at least 5 out of 10 in each part that was not passed on the first attempt.