Frequently Asked Questions
Besides identifying unknowns, what other applications can the software be used for?
 
VUMicro has several obvious uses:

  1. Extending opportunities to experience (albeit by simulation) lab topics outside of normal lab hours. If you have limited resources (and who doesn't!), students may find opportunities to get hands-on work in the lab very limited. How else but with this lab simulation can students get this caliber of additional experience? The lab is now available when students want it!

  2. Teaching about media and biochemical tests in a graphical and hands-on way using the software's reference files. Whether in lab OR lecture, VUMicro allows you to work with a variety of common media and tests in an inexpensive and safe way. And the resources are available anytime for repeated use.

  3. Homework assignments to insure students come to lab better prepared. Students can be held accountable for pre-lab preparation by having them turn in their software-generated lab reports on the assigned work (learning about how sugar fermentation tests work, for example), with assurance that only someone with access to a student's account was able to obtain the lab report (they contain a computer-generated "signature").

  4. Assessing student competencies. Schools adopting the University Lab software have this added bonus... By configuring the software so the Help references are unavailable and then assigning students to do specific tests or identify an unknown outside of class, an instructor can determine from the lab report how well students have mastered the material.

  5. Makeup work. It is often impractical to give makeup work in a microbiology lab, whether for teaching a biochemical test, a technique, or a practical exam. VUMicro provides a mechanism by which this can be done.

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Site Modified: Friday, March 26, 2004