Introducing First-Year Undergraduate Students the Fundamentals of Antibiotic Sensitivity Testing through a Combined Computer Simulation and Face-to-Face Laboratory Session

Layla Mahdi; Gareth Denyer; Connie Caruso; Maurizio Costabile

doi:10.1128/jmbe.00041-22

Introducing First-Year Undergraduate Students the Fundamentals of Antibiotic Sensitivity Testing through a Combined Computer Simulation and Face-to-Face Laboratory Session

J Microbiol Biol Educ. 2022 Jul 19;23(2):e00041-22. doi: 10.1128/jmbe.00041-22. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Authors

Layla Mahdi^{1

2}, Gareth Denyer³, Connie Caruso^{1

2

4}, Maurizio Costabile^{1

2

4}

Affiliations

¹ University of South Australia, Clinical and Health Sciences, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
² Centre for Cancer Biology, University of South Australia and SA Pathology, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
³ University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning (C3L), University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

Abstract

Determining the antibiotic sensitivity of disease-causing microorganisms is a fundamental process in a clinical microbiology laboratory. With the continued use of antibiotics, the emergence of antibiotic resistance has become a significant health issue. However, the principles and laboratory testing to determine antibiotic sensitivity are generally not taught to first-year undergraduate students. This is partly due to the limited time to cover the fundamental biology of microorganisms and the mechanism of action of antibiotics in an introductory course. We overcame these limitations by teaching first-year students the fundamental principles of antibiotic sensitivity using an online data generator/simulation. Using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test, students replicated the effects of antibiotic dose on bacterial growth and determined the antimicrobial susceptibility testing of their allocated bacterium. After 2-3 weeks, the antimicrobial sensitivity testing was replicated in an authentic face-to-face laboratory setting over 2 days. The impact of the intervention on student learning was assessed using a written laboratory report and a short questionnaire containing Likert and free-text questions. Student self-reported understanding of the content rose significantly, with nearly all students passing the written assessment. The approach was found to be enjoyable and interactive and facilitated authentic learning in first-year students. This cohort of students will continue to use more advanced versions of this simulation in future years, allowing for the long-term benefits of this approach to be assessed.

Keywords: antibiotic sensitivity; hybrid teaching; microbiology; online; simulation; undergraduate.