The problem of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the note-test method and the traditional lecture method of teaching general introductory microbiology. The study was prompted by the desire to improve teaching strategies in microbiology in order to improve the attitudes of students taking microbiology at the Indiana College of Mortuary Science. The conclusions are that the note-test method of teaching is at least as effective as the traditional lecture method but is not better than the traditional method in regard to student achievement or student attitudes about the microbiology course to which they were assigned. Since the method requires less lecturing than the traditional lecture method used in this study, it may be used effectively by some instructors in certain subject matter areas and may hold promise in maintaining achievement and acceptable attitude levels.