1. ISME needs your help with regard to Microbial Ecology Educational Resources

Since many ISME members are involved in either undergraduate or graduate student education there has been growing interest in expanding the activities of ISME to enhance the assembly and distribution of educational resources to help service the needs of our community.

One concept that has been discussed is to create a web-accessible resource site similar to the American Society for Microbiology Education and Resource portal but emphasizing microbial ecology where educators could share class materials.

Such teaching materials might include laboratory and field classroom experimental designs, virtual laboratory exercises, bioinformatics tools useful for classroom use etc.

In adition to resources for formal classroom use, we have considered that there may be interest in sharing the designs of so-called “outreach” activities that are intended to show the broader impact of research that is more and more commonly required by governmental agencies that support microbial ecology research.

Plans are also being made to include a session on education in microbial ecology at the up-coming ISME 14 meeting in Copenhagen in August, 2012.

At this early stage of development we need your feedback on several issues:

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* 1. What sorts of resources would you anticipate being of value to you in your teaching/outreach activities?

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* 2. Would you be willing to contribute resources to a shared educational resource depository? What sorts of items might you expect to be able to contribute?

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* 3. What are the “first principles” within your specialty essential to a well rounded microbiology undergraduate educational experience?

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* 4. Do you have recommendations or experience in how such resources can best be assembled and distributed?

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* 5. Would you be willing to participate in a steering committee to help ISME develop and implement an educational resources program?

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