ABSTRACT
The Department of Microbiology offered only graduate degrees for many years, and served undergraduates through service courses and through a microbiology concentration within the biology major. It is a large class, and Microbiology majors make up about 10% of the enrollment. The pathogenic bacteriology experiment, for example, begins with the students reading a recent article from the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Before the Hewlett Project, the development of curricular-level student learning outcomes provided a vision of undergraduate learning for the department that focused subsequent change efforts including the introduction and dissemination of inquiry-guided learning. The realization of student learning outcomes through inquiry-guided learning also stimulated a broader strategic decision-making process within the department. While establishing a research agenda remains important, increasingly the department recognizes teaching as an area of excellence warranting recognition in the tenure process.
