Course content

The Microbiome & Health MOOC will cover introductory and latest scientific information. The microbiome´s influence on plant, human and planetary health will be discussed and novel techniques and methods for data analysis will be presented. The MOOC is structured in the following chapters:

INTRODUCTION

• Microbiome definition
• Importance of microbiome research
• General rules and concepts of the microbiome

TECHNIQUES AND METHODS

• A combination of methods is always necessary
• Case study: metabarcoding
• Case study: data analysis

THE PLANT MICROBIOME

• The plant microbiome in facts
• The apple example
• Managing the plant microbiome

THE HUMAN MICROBIOME

• The human microbiome in facts
• Understanding your own microbiome - early life
• Understanding your own microbiome - adult life
• Tiny Biome Tales - an educational game about the human microbiome

RESISTOME AND EXPOSOME

• The importance of multi-resistant pathogens
• The natural resistome
• The exposome

MICROBIOME RESEARCH FOR PLANETARY HEALTH AND SDGs

• Microbiome and planetary health
• Microbiome and SDGs 

Learning goals

After finishing all chapters, you will have acquired advanced knowledge about the microbiome and related topics in the field of plant and human research. You will be aware of state-of-the-art methodologies including bioinformatic data processing. The importance and potential of the microbiome to combat current global issues, such as biodiversity loss, the spread of multi-resistant pathogens and climate change, will be conveyed, and the need for preservation strategies to protect microbial diversity and functions should be appreciated. 

Prerequisites

Basic biological knowledge, but mainly interest in this novel research field and the opportunity to gain insight into current findings! 

Course schedule

Each of the six chapters consists of a written introductory part, two to three videos or other interactive elements and a (multiple choice) quiz. For successful completion of the Microbiome & Health MOOC, you need to answer at least 75% of the questions in each of the six quizzes correctly. Once you have achieved that, you are  rewarded with a certificate and a badge!  

For actively participating in the course you will receive an automatic conformation of participation (certificate) which includes your username, the course duration as well as the hours required to complete the course. We want to point out that this certificate merely confirms that the user answered at least 75% of the self-assessment questions correctly. 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons - gleiche Weitergabe 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Additional content

Information for students

The successful completion of this MOOC is an essential prerequisite for the examination of four different lectures given by Institute of Environmental Biotechnology. Thus, you must reach at least 75% correctness in each of the six quizzes and pass the lecture examination to gain ECTS-points for the following TU Graz/NAWI  lectures:

• Microbiome in Health and Environment (MOL.971UF)
• Biodiversity and Applied Microbiology (MOL.731UF/PLA221UF)