Project-based learning on functional microorganisms helps to cultivate undergraduates' scientific research literacy

Abstract:

Cultivating undergraduates' scientific research literacy is of great significance to their academic careers. How to improve undergraduates' skills in scientific research and foster their scientific research literacy has become an important issue that needs to be explored in the current higher education. We conducted project-based research on the screening, isolation, identification, and functional characterization of microorganisms from special habitats to cultivate the scientific research literacy of undergraduates with microbial knowledge background based on their interests. Such student-centered independent research can stimulate students' enthusiasm for learning and cultivate their scientific research literacy. The project-based research can cover the basic content involved in the traditional course of experimental microbiology, which improves students' basic skills of performing microbial experiments. Moreover, students' initiative and teamwork ability can be initiated by the group research. Each group can isolate target microorganisms and complete the research on the basic characteristics and functions of target microorganisms. Finally, the students can publish a review paper on a topic of microbiology, which cultivates their scientific research literacy. In conclusion, the project-based research on the screening and characterization of special functional microorganisms is an important subject for cultivating the scientific research literacy of undergraduates.