Integrating computational skills in undergraduate Microbiology curricula in developing countries

Abstract

The employability of young graduates has gained increasing significance in the labour market of the 21st century. Universities turn out millions of graduates annually, but at the same time, employers highlight their lack of the requisite skills for sustainable employment. We live today; in a world of data, and therefore courses that feature numerical and computational tools to gather and analyse data are to be sourced for and integrated into life sciences’ curricula as they provide a number of benefits for both the students and faculty members that are engaged in teaching the courses. The lack of this teaching in undergraduate Microbiology curricula is devastating and leaves a knowledge-gap in the graduates that are turned out. This results in an inability of the emerging graduates to compete favourably with their counterparts from other parts of the world. There is a necessity on the part of life science educators to adapt their teaching strategies to best support students’ curricula that prepare them for careers in Science. Bioinformatics, Statistics and Programming are key computational skills to embrace by life Scientists and the need for training beginning at undergraduate level cannot be overemphasized. This paper reviews the need to integrate computational skills in undergraduate Microbiology curricula in Developing Countries with emphasis on Nigeria.