Pre-existing knowledge and interests in microbiology

Abstract

A survey was conducted to ask undergraduate students at Colorado State University what they know about microbiology and what they want to know. This project includes human research, meaning an application was completed and sent to the Institutional Review Board for approval. The survey included questions regarding general microbiology, immunology, bacteria, viruses, and vaccines. Each category had questions determining previous knowledge and potential topics of interest students could select. The results of the survey showed varied levels of knowledge which was expected. Some students had received previous knowledge, some from a previous class. However, there were a significant number of students that had very little knowledge of microbiology and had misunderstandings of information. A pamphlet was created to inform students about basic microbiology, focusing on information they should know, such as how vaccines function.