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This article was written by Dave Kushner, Ph.D., Miriam Markum, Ph.D., Glenn Patriquin, M.S. and MD., Sara Reynolds, Ph.D., Davida Smyth, Ph.D., and J. Jordan Steel, Ph.D. (authors of the  ASM Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate °®¶¹´«Ã½) to help readers understand how the guidelines have been updated since their original publication in 2012, and to highlight ways in which advances in the field of the microbial sciences has necessitated these revisions.



The ASM Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate °®¶¹´«Ã½ provide fundamental statements that help instructors design their class content to include essential skills and core concepts of microbiology. The fundamental statements, updated in 2024 by an ASM task force, serve educators as they aim to instill microbial literacy among the next generation of microbial scientists, students, researchers and the general public, while also supporting the future discoveries and knowledge-building of the microbial sciences. As such, the Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate °®¶¹´«Ã½ align with 3 goals of ASM’s new Strategic Framework: shaping the future of microbial sciences, connecting stakeholders worldwide and emphasizing the societal impact of the microbial sciences.  

ASM’s Curriculum Guidelines Have Fundamental Statements, Key Scientific Thinking Skills and °®¶¹´«Ã½ Laboratory Skills 

​​​The ASM Curriculum Guidelines offer recommendations for teaching critical concepts and skills in the field and examples of unifying curriculum learning objectives for general undergraduate microbiology courses. Originally published in 2012, the ASM Curriculum Guidelines included 27 fundamental statements, 4 key scientific thinking skills and 7 critical microbiology laboratory skills. The ASM Curriculum Guidelines also covered the 5 core principles of biology as described in and a sixth category, “Impact of Microbes.” The original guidelines were widely used and implemented in .  

Advances in the Field of °®¶¹´«Ã½ Necessitated a Revision 

Revision of the ASM Curriculum Guidelines is particularly timely. Over the past decade, microbiology’s role in society has been elevated to even greater heights with discoveries related to the critical role of the microbiome in health and disease; advances in biological technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas; novel approaches to vaccine design, formulation and delivery; the impact of artificial intelligence in drug design; and the emergence of . Microbiologists leverage new technologies, such as metagenomics, machine learning and computational and cultivation-independent analysis of microbial communities, changing the skills required of today’s graduates in the workforce.

The need for education and understanding of microbiology was center stage during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were widespread debates over transmission, the safety and utility of vaccines and whether facemasks would protect the public, among other issues. about core microbiology concepts spread rapidly, often in communities that . As a result, health care professionals, epidemiologists and microbiologists spent significant time and resources on outreach programs, K-12 education and undergraduate education initiatives. The goal of these initiatives was to build the public’s understanding of core microbiology concepts, to explain the interventions being used and to reinforce trust in the scientific process and expertise. The updated ASM Curriculum Guidelines support this work, as re-establishing the necessary fundamental microbial concepts and skills is foundational toward achieving microbiology literacy for all.

One notable update on recent advances in the microbial sciences is that the new ASM Curriculum Guidelines state that only a minority of microbes are pathogens (microbes often are good). Also, the guidelines statements have been broadened to focus on all microbes (the 2012 version focused on bacteria). The rationale for this was to encourage instructors to include examples of not just bacteria, but also archaea, viruses and viroids, fungi and other microbial entities when designing learning objectives that support the fundamental statements.

Using the ASM Curriculum Guidelines to Create Courses Based on Core Concepts and Skills  

Many instructors employ as a highly effective approach to instruction. Reserving in-class time for student engagement requires instructors to identify critical concepts to focus on and remove content that is less critical, which is challenging in a rapidly expanding (and fascinating) field like microbiology. The ASM Curriculum Guidelines offer instructors a framework to structure lessons that focus on core concepts instead of an extensive list of facts.

Any given fundamental statement could be the foundation for a variety of different learning outcomes. Courses centered around the fundamental statements will equip students with comparable knowledge that will facilitate transfer to another institution, yet allow instructors to tailor their microbiology course based on resources, course format and individual preference. Similarly, textbooks that are aligned with the curriculum guidelines, such as or the , can help instructors focus student readings on key concepts. To further assist instructors, ASM plans to revise an older set of learning objectives, like those that exist for . 

The updated guidelines can also be used to measure student learning. The original ASM Curriculum Guidelines informed the development of a , a set of multiple-choice questions that measures student learning in the course. Instructors can therefore and to tackle them. Many of the MCI questions probe for mastery of the updated fundamentals; this tool will be most helpful after it is realigned with the new guidelines. 

While the ASM Curriculum Guidelines are primarily for instructors, undergraduate students and educational administrators can use them too. Current and prospective undergraduate students in microbial or biological sciences can predict and assess the recommendations for their understanding of concepts and skills in microbiology. Educational administration and accrediting bodies for higher education may find these guidelines useful for determining a foundation for instruction in microbiology programs taught at the undergraduate level. 

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The ASM Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate °®¶¹´«Ã½ provide a set of concepts and skills applicable to any undergraduate general microbiology course. Read the ASM Curriculum Guidelines today to get started with planning for the next semester of teaching.