The Sci-Fi Microbe: Reinforcing Understanding of Microbial Structures and their Significance Through a Creative Writing Exercise

Abstract

By blending storytelling with topics in biology, a fun activity can be created for students to strengthen their scientific knowledge. The “Sci-Fi Microbe” writing assignment lets students create an altered version of a known microorganism, and write a story describing an unusual observation that leads the characters discovery of their new microorganism. The Sci-Fi Microbe exercise is appropriate for any microbiology course where the instructor has previously reviewed structures, metabolism, and growth conditions of microorgan-isms. Since students are responsible for developing and writing their own stories, the activity allows for the instructor to assess students’ understanding in an exercise where they are required to articulate the connection of the microbe to its environment – thereby discouraging simple memorization of facts