BIOL120 – Microbiology Applications

Portfolio Project Directions and Rubric

Overview

This Portfolio Project is worth 10% of your overall grade.

Completing this assessment will help you achieve the following:

Course Outcomes:

✔ Identify characteristics and types of common microorganisms.
✔ Examine modes of transmission and methods for preventing the spread of microorganisms.
✔ Explain treatment of infectious diseases, including antimicrobial medications and bacterial resistance.
✔ Categorize infectious diseases of body systems of current epidemiological concern.

Institutional Outcomes:

✔ Information Literacy and Communication – Utilize current technology and resources to locate and evaluate information needed to accomplish a goal and then communicate findings in visual, written, and/or oral formats.
✔ Relational Learning – Transfer knowledge, skills, and behaviors acquired through formal and informal learning to new situations.
✔ Thinking Abilities – Reflect on learning and practice to adjust learning processes for continual improvement.
✔ Quantitative and Scientific Reasoning – Apply scientific inquiry and mathematical reasoning to draw conclusions and make decisions.
✔ Community and Career – Engage in academic and professional communities for personal and career growth in a multicultural world.

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📌 Scenario

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has designated certain diseases as notifiable diseases. This means that local health departments MUST report cases of these diseases to the CDC to aid epidemiological tracking and control efforts.

These diseases are categorized as:

1. Notifiable Infectious Diseases (e.g., Legionellosis).
2. Notifiable Noninfectious Diseases (e.g., Carbon monoxide poisoning).

The CDC.gov website and the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS) provide public data on these diseases, which are published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

For this project, you will research a CDC-notifiable infectious disease assigned by your instructor.

Project Role:

Imagine that you work for your local health department and have been asked to give a presentation at a town hall meeting about an infectious disease that is currently a public health concern.

You will create a PowerPoint presentation with a voiceover that explains the disease, its epidemiology, symptoms, prevention, and treatment.

Additionally, you must collect and analyze incidence data for your disease for two different years:

1. Most recent full year (e.g., 2024).
2. Five years prior (e.g., 2019).

After collecting the data, you will provide a brief analysis of your findings.

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📌 Project Deliverables & Deadlines

Each component of this project has a specific deadline as outlined in your tracking calendar. Below are the details for each module submission:

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🔹 Module 2: Topic Selection

📅 Due Date: Refer to your tracking calendar.

✅ What to Do:

• Confirm your assigned pathogen with your instructor.
• Write a 150-word reflection about what you hope to learn from researching this pathogen.
• Submit your reflection.

📌 What is Expected?

• A well-thought-out response demonstrating curiosity.
• Clear writing and proper grammar.

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🔹 Module 3: Reference Selection

📅 Due Date: Refer to your tracking calendar.

✅ What to Do:

• Find at least three scholarly references on your assigned pathogen.
• Include one peer-reviewed journal article and two credible sources (e.g., CDC, WHO, Mayo Clinic).
• Format references in APA style and submit them for instructor approval.

📌 What is Expected?

• High-quality, reliable sources.
• Correct APA citation formatting.

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🔹 Module 4: Research Questions

📅 Due Date: Refer to your tracking calendar.

✅ What to Do:

• Create a PowerPoint (4-5 slides) covering:
  1. Basic Characteristics of the Organism:
     • Type of microbe, morphology, and reproduction.
     • Include an image of the pathogen.
  2. Etiology and Pathology:
     • Etiology: Mode of transmission, portal of entry/exit, infectious dose, virulence factors.
     • Pathology: Symptoms, targeted tissues, prevention, and treatment.
• Submit the PowerPoint to your instructor for feedback.
• Post the PowerPoint to the discussion board for peer review.

📌 What is Expected?

• Concise, bullet-point slides (NOT long paragraphs).
• Images and visual elements (properly cited).

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🔹 Module 5: MMWR Data Collection & Analysis

📅 Due Date: Refer to your tracking calendar.

✅ What to Do:

• Use CDC data tools to collect incidence rates for two years.
• Create a 2-line graph comparing the years.
• Write a brief analysis, describing:
  • Incidence trends over time.
  • Possible reasons for changes in incidence.

📌 What is Expected?

• Accurate data collection and a well-labeled graph.
• A clear, logical analysis of trends.

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🔹 Module 6: Portfolio Project Final Submission

📅 Due Date: Refer to your tracking calendar.

✅ What to Do:

• Revise your PowerPoint (based on feedback).
• Add a voiceover (4-6 minutes) explaining the content.
• Ensure your PowerPoint includes:
  • Title Slide (Your name, Course Title, Topic Title).
  • 5+ slides covering research & epidemiological data.
  • Graphs, images, and citations (APA format).
• Upload the final PowerPoint to your ePortfolio.

📌 What is Expected?

• Professional, polished slides.
• Engaging voiceover (speak clearly, avoid “um”/”uh”).

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🔹 Module 7: Project Presentation & Peer Review

📅 Due Date: Refer to your tracking calendar.

✅ What to Do:

• Submit your final presentation to the discussion board.
• Provide feedback to at least two peers based on:
  • Design and formatting.
  • Accuracy and depth of information.
  • Clarity for a general audience.

📌 What is Expected?

• Detailed, constructive feedback.

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🔹 Module 8: Final Reflection

📅 Due Date: Refer to your tracking calendar.

✅ What to Do:

• Write a 500-word reflection (APA format) on:
  • How the project helped demonstrate institutional outcomes.
  • The relevance of this research to your future career.
  • How this project meets course learning objectives.
• Submit via Blackboard.

📌 What is Expected?

• Well-organized, thoughtful writing.
• Proper APA formatting.

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🔹 Grading Criteria

✔ Content – Organism Research (45 points)
✔ MMWR Data & Analysis (20 points)
✔ Presentation Design & Writing (15 points)
✔ Oral Presentation Delivery (20 points)