This article discusses a variety of open resources that can be used to teach mycology. Many schools may not routinely teach a mycology class – and if they do, students might not want to invest in a textbook. Options for resale are probably much smaller than with a class in which more students routinely enroll. This article is important in showing both students and faculty how much information about fungi is available online. Some websites are transient, so the reader must carefully check them before use. The sites selected cover most topics that are typically covered in a mycology class. However, depending on faculty emphasis, not all of the information presented in the article may be relevant. These resources should enable faculty to achieve the major teaching objectives in a mycology class, enabling students to gain an appreciation of the diversity of fungi and a basic understanding of their biology, ecology, genetics, morphology, and taxonomy.

In traditional microbiology laboratory activities, different strains of bacteria are exposed to UV radiation for varying lengths of time. This article provides information that expands on these activities (or uses them alone) with Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism with which to study the effects of UV radiation. These activities might be used in an introductory class to teach students the basics of working with C. elegans . In cell biology and microbiology classes, students might learn about how UV radiation can damage cells and cause cancer. These activities can also be used to teach the students about how genetic background can affect the sensitivity to UV radiation. In the laboratory, the students design their own activities by altering the parameters of the basic UV radiation experiment. By performing these laboratory activities, students will learn about UV radiation and about all parts of the scientific process.

The author used digital photography to supplement learning of biotechnology by students with a variety of learning styles and educational backgrounds. Because one approach would not be sufficient to reach all the students, digital photography was used to explain the techniques and results to the class instead of having to teach each student individually. To analyze the effectiveness of this teaching technique, the students' responses on various examination questions were analyzed.