IQUIBICEN   23947
INSTITUTO DE QUIMICA BIOLOGICA DE LA FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS EXACTAS Y NATURALES
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY (IBAM): AN INNOVATING COURSE FOR UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL
Autor/es:
LAURA J. RAIGER IUSTMAN; NANCY I. LOPEZ; SANDRA RUZAL; DIANA VULLO
Lugar:
Mar del Plata
Reunión:
Congreso; X Congreso Argentino de Microbiologia General SAMIGE 2014; 2014
Institución organizadora:
SAMIGE
Resumen:
In our country, emergent biotechnological processes are focused on agriculture, health and environment. Biotechnology courses are chosen by Chemistry and Biology students of the Faculty of Sciences (FCEN-UBA) eager to acquire tools for industrial activities. Until 2009 two courses were offered, but mainly dedicated to animal or agrobiotechnology. To cover a curricular deficiency, IBAM was implemented ever since as a 128h-course, optional, in first instance, either for undergraduate or graduate students. The learning objectives of IBAM are to introduce the basis of the industrial application of prokaryotes, to update students about daily problems with biotechnological processes and train them in finding solutions, to improve both intellectual and manual skills to be applied in fermentation and bioremediation technologies and to stimulate the critical criterion, both in technical aspects and in ethical implications. Based on the hypothesis that students are not trained in solving problems that integrate topics, IBAM was planned as an innovative approach. IBAM is organized in theoretical-practical classes, with a simultaneous combination of lectures and 8 lab exercises. The challenge is the evaluation of comprehending experimental methodology and the training in result analysis instead of appealing to memory to reproduce taught topics. The average of two written exams with the contribution of lab performance, reports and oral expositions should surpass 8 over 10 points; if it does not, an integrated final exam is required. In spite of the declared extra effort and the difficulty of the exams, the number of students has been increasing from 12 to 40, with 6-10 graduated students. Proof of IBAM effectiveness is the students´ performance and opinions. Surveys revealed that for students some of the topics are new (23%) and others are more deeply discussed and taught in an integrated way than in other courses (68%). IBAM helped with the understanding of industrial application of bacteria (94% students), in bacteria and environment (45%) and metabolism and its regulation (45%). As a 97% of students would strongly recommend IBAM to peers, an increase of their number is expected for 2014.