For Instructors

Thanks for your interest in VirtualUnknown Microbiology lab simulation as a valuable tool for teaching microbiology labs. Our previous product, VUMIE 2012 gained a reputation as a solid contributor to positive learning outcomes for microbiology students. Skeptical? This peer reviewed article might shed some light on its effectiveness (BMC Medical Education (2021) 21:583. Baumann-Birkbeck et al. “Can a virtual microbiology simulation be as effective as the traditional wetlab for pharmacy student education?”).

Now our NEW product, VUMIE Online, provides even more value for delivering effective microbiology labs, supporting wet lab instruction (pre-lab prep, 24/7 access to practice, post-lab evaluation), and for institutions requiring an online microbiology lab solution.

If you are an instructor wanting to try our micro simulator, request VUMIE Online instructor access. We’ll verify your status as an instructor and provide free access to the VUMIE Online simulation with its built-in Administrative Console (“Admin Console“). Log in to open access to all student resources, along with the teaching resources to design, manage, and assess student work.

NOTE: If you have used our legacy product VUMIE 2012, please note that it is no longer available for purchase as of the Fall 2023 semester.  We recommend migrating to the much improved and more comprehensive VUMIE Online by that time. Here is a comparison for how the new VUMIE Online content compares with that from VUMIE 2012?

Helpful tools for instructors

VUMIE Online’s new integrated Admin Console for instructors saves you time and makes managing your students’ lab experience much smoother. All resources are accessible from a single login and location:

  • The award-winning VirtualUnknown Microbiology simulation for bacterial testing and identification.
  • More than 50 learning activities to choose from – basic microbiology skills and their application in common microbiology lab activities such as bacterial identification and fundamentals of infection and disease.
  • Scavenger Hunts that take your students beyond their course to see how microbiology is important in the world around them.
  • Help files with extensive video tutorials and information on tests, media, reagents, and microbes.
  • New content continues to be added, expanding coverage of some current topics and adding new simulations and content in the future. These become instantly accessible to you and your students!
  • No need for a lab manual. The content of VUMIE Online includes most of the expected content found in a micro lab manual. This becomes a very inexpensive substitute with added features.
  • Admin Console allows Instructors to group students into lab sections, assign custom unknown microbes and Case Studies, follow quality of student work (accuracy, aseptic technique, time on task) via the student lab reports, and reviewing student progress via auto-graded practicals and objective quizzes.

One package for designing, teaching, and evaluating the work done by students.

For questions about Instructor accounts and Instructor access, send us a message from the Contact Us form.