Empire of the microbes
On this page
Explore the intriguing world of bacteria, viruses, and other microscopic organisms – an empire of creatures that extends into every facet of human life and the environment. Empire of the microbes is one of a series of short, flexible 10-credit courses introducing fascinating topics in science. It enables you to try out a new area of study before you commit yourself to a longer course, or top up your knowledge and skills between longer courses. This course has a choice of start dates, and you decide how long to take over your studies: eight to ten weeks, or up to five months.
Fees 2012
See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.
Course facts
An undergraduate course in Science.
| About this course: | |
|---|---|
| Course code | S171 |
| Credits | 10 |
| OU Level | 1 |
| SCQF level | 7 |
| FHEQ level | 4 |
| Course work includes: |
|---|
| End-of-module assessment |
| No residential school |
Register for the course
This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.
What you will study
What have flu pandemics got to do with beer? Both involve microbes. Since the birth of civilisation humans have had an uneasy alliance with the microbial world. These single-celled creatures have brought us terrible afflictions such as Black Death, pandemics and food poisoning, but at the same time they ferment our wine, help our bread rise and work in the soil to enable our crops to grow.
This course provides an introduction to microbes, explaining their importance in disease and environmental issues and their role in making and spoiling food.
You will learn how many microbes exist harmlessly on and in the human body with key beneficial roles, such as in the human digestive system, and how they can cause disease if this natural balance is disturbed. Microbes are used to manufacture the antibiotic drugs to treat these infections but bacteria can evolve to become resistant to such drugs, requiring continual scientific work to develop new antibiotics against these 'superbugs'.
Microbes play a major role in the environment, influencing climate and playing a vital part in recycling elements in the soil, the atmosphere and other natural systems.
On a more mundane level, microbes are involved in making cheese and pickled foods, fermenting beer and producing a huge variety of other foods. Food spoilage is also caused by microbes and is a major problem for food distribution and preservation.
Microbes are the most ancient of life forms on the Earth and have recently become a focus in the search for life on other planets. All these aspects will be covered in the course.
You will learn about: the biology of microbes and how they have been studied and cultured from historical times to the present; the efforts made to combat the negative effects of microbes in the health and food industries; how microbes are beneficially used to make drugs and food; the basic ideas behind genetic engineering; and some of the science behind the major environmental cycles in which microbes are involved. This will enable you to understand more about the role and importance of microbes in human society.
By the end of the course you will have developed a range of study skills associated with microbiology and its diverse practical uses from health to environment. You will be able to apply this knowledge to making your own assessments of the ways in which microbiology is reported in the media.
The course is based on a specially written OU study book, together with an online digital microscope which will allow you to explore the microbial world for yourself and develop a range of scientific and study skills through a series of structured activities and questions. Other practical activities will enable you to do your own experiments. The study book and website will provide questions and answers and activities to help test your understanding, and that you can use for self-assessment throughout the course.
Vocational relevance
The course will be of particular relevance to people working in the nursing and healthcare, food, and environmental sectors where knowledge of microbiology and microbial processes is especially important.
Entry
This course is designed for people who are new to the subject area, and although a little knowledge of general science would be useful, you will need little more than an interest in microbes and the motivation to discover more about these fascinating organisms.
You should be able to read and understand written English of a style and complexity characteristic of a professional magazine or quality newspaper, and you should be able to communicate your thoughts clearly and comprehensibly in a written format. Mathematically you need only to be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide simple numbers.
You can check that you have the appropriate background by trying out the interactive quiz Are you ready for science study?
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
A proportion of the course is delivered online via the website, so you will have to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer and the internet. The course relies heavily on coloured images delivered via an online digital microscope and this must be studied in order to complete the course. One of the learning outcomes of the course is that students should develop an ability to interpret images of microbes and examine their structures. No textual descriptions of diagrams will be available and the use of a sighted assistant to interpret the images would conflict with this learning outcome. However, the assessment will only require students to demonstrate that the majority of the course learning outcomes have been achieved. You should consider if you will find achieving these learning outcomes challenging and contact the OU for advice if necessary. Written transcripts are available for the video components.
You may be required to draw diagrams or to annotate diagrams that you download, and then to use either a scanner or a digital camera to produce electronic versions of these drawings for inclusion in your assessment. Alternatively creating diagrams electronically will be acceptable. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in operating a computer or the internet and have any concerns about accessing the types of study materials outlined you are advised to talk to our Student Registration & Enquiry Service about support which can be given to meet your needs.
Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and scientific or diagrammatic materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Other alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting your needs.
You can also find information about accessible study materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Study materials
What's included
Study book, study guide, online digital microscope and video sequences, website.
You will need
Basic scientific calculator; access to some household items to conduct practical activities.
You may be required to draw diagrams or to annotate by hand diagrams that you download, and then to use either a scanner or a digital camera to produce files of these diagrams for inclusion in your assessment.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Teaching and assessment
Study support
You can contact a team of expert science study advisers by telephone or through an online discussion forum, and they will be able to help you with academic questions to do with the course and the assessment. There will also be an online discussion forum that you can use to get in touch with other students.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You must use the online system to submit your end-of-module assessment (EMA).
For each course presentation there is a choice of two alternative dates by which you have to submit the single piece of written work for assessment: February course start completes end of April or end of July; May start completes end of July or end of October; September start completes end of October or end of January; November start completes end of January or end of April.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
This course starts in February, May, September and November of each year. We expect it to be available at the same time four times each year.
Fees 2012
See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.
Course facts
An undergraduate course in Science.
| About this course: | |
|---|---|
| Course code | S171 |
| Credits | 10 |
| OU Level | 1 |
| SCQF level | 7 |
| FHEQ level | 4 |
| Course work includes: |
|---|
| End-of-module assessment |
| No residential school |
Study explained
- Financial support
- - find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about distance learning with the OU.
Student Reviews
I found this course fascinating. I hadn't studied science for a long time (Biology O level many years ago). It ...
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This was my very first course and I really enjoyed it! The study book was very well written and structured. ...
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Your questions
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Or contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90+44(0) 845 366 60 35
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