Teacher story by: Dr Astrid Hendriks & Sandra Man-Bovenkerk (Bsc)

“Because not all procedures can be performed in an ML1 laboratory and some experiments are too time consuming, LabBuddy is used as a complementary solution. “

3rd year bachelor students

Biomedical Sciences

University of Amsterdam: Biomedical Sciences | Medical Microbiology (bacteriology)

The challenge

The Medical Microbiology course for sixty third-year bachelor students includes a bacteriological practical focused on vaccine development against Neisseria meningitidis. Because not all procedures can be performed in an ML1 laboratory and some experiments are too timeconsuming, LabBuddy is used as a complementary solution. Experiments are carried out partly physically in the wetlab and partly digitally in LabBuddy, allowing the complete set of experiments (digital and wet) to be completed in a logical, chronological order. Students also use LabBuddy to prepare experiments and process results, which improves their understanding and overview of the practical.

The transformation

LabBuddy has been used in this course for six years, with annual evaluations incorporating student feedback. Recently, a new digital component was added in which students determine the serogroup of ten clinical Neisseria meningitidis isolates. This experiment is carried out digitally in LabBuddy because it involves working with live meningococci, which is not permitted in an ML1 laboratory. Thanks to LabBuddy, this essential first step of the practical can nevertheless be fully incorporated into the curriculum.

The final result

LabBuddy helps students stay organized and provides a clear overview of the experiments. As part of their preparation, students create a workflow for each experiment, covering both the scientific background and the experimental methods. Instructors observe that students using LabBuddy enter the laboratory better prepared and, compared to previous years, show a stronger understanding of how the experiments are interconnected and how they collectively contribute to vaccine development.