Acknowledgements

The development of this laboratory manual would not have been possible without the guidance, support, and encouragement of many individuals and organizations.

I sincerely thank my colleagues Tamar Bell and Jared Ince at North Central Texas College for their support throughout the grant process. Their guidance as members of the OER Committee and their detailed technical writing reviews were invaluable at every stage of development.

Special thanks go to Dr. Michael Shipley of Midwestern State University for serving as the subject matter expert reviewer. His expertise and thoughtful feedback helped strengthen the scientific content and instructional clarity of this manual.

I’m grateful to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and the Open Educational Resources Grant Program (OERGP) for providing the funding that made this project possible. Their commitment to accessible, high-quality education benefits educators and students across Texas.

I’m thankful to Susan Decker in the Science Division at NCTC for sharing several illustrations that added to the manual. Likewise, I appreciate Yenny Mo and Josh Spradling from the NCTC eLearning team for creating videos that help connect the lab content to clinical practice in meaningful ways.

To the students who participated in the pilot during Fall 2024 and Spring 2025—thank you for your honest feedback and engagement. Your insights shaped this resource into a more effective and student-friendly tool. I also appreciate Dr. Diana Avila and Mattie Shah for piloting the manual in their classes and providing valuable instructional feedback.

Finally, I want to thank my husband for his unwavering encouragement and support at home—cheering me on through every late night and long revision.

This manual was written with students in mind, and I hope it serves as a helpful and meaningful resource for those studying microbiology and preparing for careers in the allied health sciences.