Study volunteers were first year medical students at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM). Thirty participants were initially enrolled in the study, with ten assigned to each of three separate groups. A total of four participants in both the workshop (n = 1) and discussion (n = 3) groups withdrew at various points in the study, resulting in a total of 26 subjects. Subjects were randomly assigned into three groups: a workshop group (average age: 23.9; 3 males and 6 females), a small discussion group (average age: 23.2; 1 male and 6 females), and a lecture group (average age: 24.4; 2 males and 8 females) (Fig 1). To minimize randomization bias, subjects who reported extensive microbiology education or professional experience were excluded from the study. Effective randomization minimized the likelihood of one group having a greater competency baseline than the other groups. All study participants attended or streamed a lecture entitled “Bacteria: Structure and Physiology” where they learned about the structure of bacterial cell walls and the basic principles of the Gram stain procedure. This lecture was taught in 50 minutes and is a component of the course “Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine” given to the first year NYITCOM medical students as part of their curriculum. In addition to the lecture, the workshop group participants also completed a 1 hour practical exercise where they performed the Gram stain procedure and observed their stained slides using an upright Olympus CH2 light microscope (Olympus, Tokyo, Japan) under the guidance of a microbiology professor. The discussion group met for 1 hour with a microbiology instructor, interpreted pre-stained slides observed under a microscope and discussed why the bacteria appeared as they did, as well as attending the lecture. Both the workshop and discussion groups were free to ask the facilitator questions about the technique protocol, interpretation of the results, and their significance. The lecture group did not have an intervention, and their lecture-only learning followed the same Gram stain education method of the typical NYITCOM student. All participants were given the opportunity to watch a 10 minutes online NYITCOM-produced instructional video that guided viewers through each step of the Gram stain protocol. Additionally, they were instructed for 30 minutes in biosafety practices (BSL-1 and 2) for teaching laboratories as described by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) published guidelines (http://www.asm.org/index.php/education2/22-education/8308-new-version-available-for-comment-guidelines-for-best-biosafety-practices-in-teaching-laboratories). Each participant had previously taken an undergraduate microbiology course and been trained in the manipulation of BSL-1 microbes. For this study, BSL-2 guidelines were followed by the participants in the laboratory including standard laboratory practices (e.g. hand washing before and after the activity), personal protection requirements (e.g. safety glasses, gloves, coat, closed-toe shoes), and laboratory physical space requirements (e.g. biological safety cabinet (recommended), sink, eyewash station, lockable door to the room, etc.). The Institutional Review Board at NYITCOM approved this study (Protocol number: BHS 1138). All subjects provided verbal informed consent to participate in this study. Written consent was waived by the IRB because the study represented minimal risk for the participants.