Course overview
The interest in understanding the microbes that live in our bodies, shaping us and supporting or disrupting our well-being, is growing exponentially. The course “The microbiome in health and disease“, organised by EMBL’s Science Education and Public Engagement team, aims to give an overview and deep dive into the field of microbiome research and help educators teach the topic in class.
This free online course will take up around 14 hours to complete. Participants progress through the course material at their convenience. Upon completion, participants can earn a certificate of attendance by completing a short feedback questionnaire.
Who is this course for?
This course is aimed at formal and informal educators, as well as teacher trainers and teachers in training. It will also be useful for science professionals and anyone interested in learning more about our microbiome.
Learning format
All the course content is accessible online for the course duration. The course content is divided into three sections, depending on your level of understanding and interest:
- Introduction to the human microbiome
- Current microbiome research
- Teach the microbiome in class
The course workload is based on the time needed to cover the course “recommended” content in the form of pre-recorded talks and pedagogical materials that might be of interest to you. However, the time you spend on the course may vary based on your interests.
What will you learn in this course?
By the end of this course, you will:
- Gain insights into current developments in human microbiome research
- Discover research topics related to the microbiome in health and disease
- Get to know and practise exclusive hands-on, flexible teaching resources on the microbiome basics, phylogenetic trees and bioinformatics that can be used directly in the classroom.
- Broaden your resources for teaching the microbiome in secondary schools
How to access the course?
These course materials are available on our EMBL eCampus learning platform. Please note that the platform is freely accessible and free of charge. After clicking the "Enter course" button, you will be redirected to the EMBL eCampus website. If you are a first-time user, you will need to create an account. If you are already an EMBL eCampus user, you can access the course directly after logging in.
We hope to see you there!