Course Development & Lecturing

Course Development & Lecturing

1. 2019, 2022 Applied Microbiology BSc(Hons), SU 10483-774 

2. 2020 Biology Fundamentals for Bioinformatics BSc(Hons), SU 14166-788

3. 2021-2023 Science in Practice University Practice UP176, 1st Year Extended Degree Program, SU 64007-176

Course Development Philosophy

Applied Microbiology BSc(Hons)

I developed and taught a course in Applied and Environmental Microbiology to the Honours students of 2019 and 2022. The central concept in the course was to teach them (1) about microbes in the applied environment,  and (2) about microbiologists in an applied environment.

The course included sessions on: 

1. Harnessing Microbial Environments: Local & International Case Studies, Businesses

2. The Environment & Experimental Design: Integrity, Rigour, Modelling & Statistics, Timelines and Research Rhythms

3. The Scientist’s Environment: Collaborations, Funding, Communication, Knowledge Transfer

I contextualised the course in real-world project examples, based at the Water Institute, emphasising collaboration and preparing them for the challenge of garnering funding. In 2019, I took them on an excursion to visit Vinlab, an ISO accredited wine and water quality laboratory in Plankenbrug, established by Hanneli Smit in 2001. She generously shared her experience of starting a laboratory and described what it costs, as a person, to practice science as a business. Her excellent and rigorous work ethic and staff-centred approach was a privilege for me to observe, too. Two remarkable points that I took from her team management include the re-investment of profit into sending staff on international training courses and investing immediately into new technology based on their fact-finding missions, and her emphasis on staff well-being, including an on-site gym and extended maternity leave, which she is passionate about. In 2022, I took them on an excursion to Bethlehem farm in Pniel, a critical hotspot in terms of water management, where wastewater treatment, commercial agriculture and social justice collide. I have been in conversation with them about dam revitalisation, and they were generous enough to allow me to host an outdoor class on science in context there, in order to circumnavigate some of the COVID indoor limitations. 

Biology Fundamentals for Bioinformatics BSc(Hons)

In 2020, I was tasked by Dr Marnel Mouton to coordinate compressing first year biology material into a two-week online crash course for Bioinformatics honours students, for Prof Hugh Patterton. These students have a scientific background, without a background in biology.  The excellent material had already been uploaded onto SUNLearn by multiple lecturers (cytology, genetics, biochemistry and evolution) due to the 2020 shift to online learning. My role involved streamlining and organising the material, and developing online assignments to test the students' knowledge.  I have included two of the assignments, to demonstrate the translation of biological concepts for bioinformatics students. 

Some challenges during this course design included

1. Being unable to gauge student familiarity with the concepts

2. Being unable to introduce them to physical laboratories, and forced to rely on on-line laboratory videos

Some particular joys during this course design included

1. The opportunity to learn to navigate SUNLearn and Camtasia, through the excellent material produced by Biology 1 lecturers

2. The opportunity to creatively design tasks that were accessible on-line, challenging to an honours student, but covering relatively simple biological concepts

I can provide direct access to the SUNLearn course page for further understanding of the setup and design, upon request. 

Science in Practice (University Practice UP176)

The University Practice 176 course introduces the Extended Degree Program students to life skills, to equip them for tertiary education. The course fortuitously sources students from Natural Sciences, Agrisciences and Engineering, the three faculties that I am involved in.

During this course, they have a 6-session mini-course on Science in Practice, which I developed according to the following framework:

1. What is science? The scientific method

2. What is science? Fundamental vs applied science

3. Tutorial 1: Exploring your relationship with the rivers of Stellenbosch

4. Tutorial 2: Exploring the scientific infrastructure at Stellenbosch

5. What is science? Collaboration

6. Science communication and storytelling: Literature and media

7. Storytelling in your scientific fields: Engineering, agriculture and science

8. Tutorial 3: Exploring scientific stories

The assignments are designed to encourage the students to

·     access the university Central Analytical Facilities as well as local businesses,

·     engage with article interpretation and referencing, and

·     encourage students to visit various points in local rivers, to support the science they learnt from the course and literature with experiential knowledge.

This first-semester course is the foundation for a full second-semester project, exploring the science and socio-economic dynamics of the water system in Stellenbosch. I co-ordinated this scientific aspects in collaboration with the Language Centre (Mrs Ydalene Coetzee and Dr Arne Binneman). The project is an iterative endeavour, guiding the EDP students through the practice of research and writing, with repeated marking and feedback throughout the semester.

As I have a strong relational inclination, I struggled to teach this course via on-line platforms, yet was consistently surprised at how well some students engaged. The switch to in-person teaching was preferable, for me. I prepared all material in both Afrikaans and English. I write and read fluently in Afrikaans, and find it simple to prepare pre-recorded material, but do find teaching classes in my second language challenging.

1. https://vinlab.com/ 

Course Development Examples

Biology Fundamentals for Bioinformatics: Outline and Assignment Examples in Cytology and Evolution

Course Outline

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yTH_HYTVob8uotbM82R67gOdgAA4-Lpa/view?usp=sharing

Genetics Assignment: Life in the Laboratory 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OJWXSeyHalNV7aA7cV5ImVRWm_oEgt6h/view?usp=sharing

Evolution Assignment

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iRP6LryRpHuDZg8cZbOLyNpO6XN8sMu7/view?usp=sharing

University Practice 176: Science in Practice

Tutorial: Scientific Stories

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p4QOOHHvsD2gO1UylyQApf3sctBMO154/view?usp=sharing

Tutorial: Scientific Infrastructure

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WpLkCqHiZ40LYCxLyBOQ-1Wg-em6P474/view?usp=sharing