Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education最新文献

{"title":"Developing and Trialing an Employability Framework for Science Graduate Employability.","authors":"Charlotte Fleming, Scott Chadwick, Kirsty Kitto, Wilhelmina Huston","doi":"10.1002/bmb.70080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.70080","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Graduate employability is a priority for many sectors of the community, including higher education, government, and the students themselves. However, science graduates have gaps in identifying skills gained from their undergraduate degree and what they see as important for their chosen career. Therefore, it's important that curriculum and teams supporting student learning provide explicit opportunities for students to build awareness of their learned skills relevant to employment that are developed within curricula. This study aimed to develop a science employability framework to help undergraduate science students identify and understand the skills they gained from their studies and their relevance to their future careers. Firstly, analysis was conducted to determine if employability skills are embedded into current curricula at the study site. Secondly, the currency of these skills was evaluated by a body of work to identify newly articulated skills in recent position descriptions for jobs targeted by the courses. These analyses were completed using tools developed using Natural Language Processing (NLP). The skills from these two bodies of work were then organized into a three-pillar framework (professional, knowledge, and technical skills) for common relevant positions. Using the employability framework, we made \"Employability Cards\" which were implemented into an interactive workshop activity designed to enhance students' awareness of job opportunities relevant to their degree. Pre- and post-workshop surveys were conducted on participating students to determine the current knowledge and perceptions on employability.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149179390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Observed Learning Gains During an Inquiry-Based Molecular Visualization Intervention in Secondary Biology.","authors":"Argyroula N Zafeiropoulou, Issidora S Papassideri, Panagiotis K Stasinakis","doi":"10.1002/bmb.70086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.70086","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This quantitative classroom study examined changes in students' cognitive scores following a four-hour inquiry-based biology intervention using authentic molecular visualization resources (iCn3D and Protein Data Bank structures). Participants were 83 Greek eleventh-grade students assessed using a one-group pre-test/post-test design. For each student, mean proportions of correct responses were calculated for Group 1 items, Group 2 items and all 18 cognitive items. Paired-samples t-tests showed higher post-test scores for Group 1 (Mpre = 0.32, Mpost = 0.83, Cohen's dz = 2.37), Group 2 (Mpre = 0.47, Mpost = 0.69, dz = 1.12), and all items (Mpre = 0.40, Mpost = 0.76, dz = 2.21; all p < 0.001). Girls had higher absolute composite scores at both time points, but pre-post gains did not differ significantly by gender (p = 0.523); therefore, the data do not support gender-specific instructional recommendations. Students also reported positive perceptions of the intervention and the visualization tool. These findings document short-term within-cohort score gains; because the study did not include a control group, they should not be interpreted as causal evidence of instructional effectiveness.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149179318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Idea to Explore: AI-Supported Digital Twin Laboratory for Risk-Reduced and Immersive Biochemistry Education.","authors":"Jihoon Shin, Juhyung Son","doi":"10.1002/bmb.70082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.70082","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biochemistry education faces persistent challenges in equipping students with the skills required to manage complex laboratory protocols, advanced instrumentation, and analytical procedures, particularly in high-risk or resource-intensive experimental settings. Traditional hands-on training is constrained by limited access to equipment, safety concerns, and high operational costs, hindering institutions from providing realistic and scalable laboratory experiences. However, Digital Twin technology presents a transformative alternative. It creates simulations of real biochemical laboratories, providing immersive, scalable, and cost-efficient environments unconstrained by physical limitations. This approach supports interactive, avatar-mediated engagement that bridges conceptual knowledge with applied practice. In this study, we aimed to introduce BioDTLab, a custom Digital Twin framework for biochemistry education that integrates Virtual Reality, Internet of Things, robotics, data analytics, and an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven Virtual Chat-GPT Tutor. BioDTLab synchronizes physical and digital domains to provide high-fidelity simulations of biochemical processes and instrumentation, while the AI-driven Virtual Chat-GPT Tutor evaluates student engagement, comprehension, and procedural accuracy. Our findings demonstrate that Digital Twin frameworks, such as BioDTLab, can redefine biochemistry education by making advanced experiential learning more accessible, safe, and scalable, while reducing reliance on costly physical resources. BioDTLab integrates immersive simulation, real-time data synchronization, and AI-driven feedback to provide a sustainable model for future science education that enhances conceptual understanding and practical competence. In addition, its adaptability makes it suitable for instructional models, such as the flipped classroom, where pre-laboratory virtual practice can complement and enhance in-person laboratory training.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149103829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Incorporating Scaffolded Signature Assignments Throughout the Curriculum to Evaluate Biochemistry Program Learning Outcomes.","authors":"Amanda Vines Garrett, Isabella Sibrian, Kristen Procko","doi":"10.1002/bmb.70085","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.70085","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A curriculum reevaluation in the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin led to changes in the biochemistry degree plan, which facilitated the development of signature assignments for program evaluation. Developed through backward design using program learning outcomes (PLOs), these signature assignments were used to track student achievement at multiple points throughout the degree plan. For a new laboratory course, we targeted introductory level skills through a slide-based presentation that involved molecular modeling. In the lecture course that followed, higher level skills were evaluated through a poster presentation-based signature assignment. These assignments targeted three PLOs, selected for their alignment with the course learning objectives: structure-function, flow and transformation of energy and molecules in biochemical pathways, and communication. While students in the lecture course attained the communication outcomes readily, students in the introductory laboratory course required an additional checkpoint to achieve higher levels of PLO attainment (74%). In the lecture course, PLO achievement for structure-function and flow of energy and molecules objectives dipped after transitioning from a partner project to individually prepared work. Following an instructional intervention, attainment of the structure-function PLO rose significantly from 39% in Fall of 2024 to 74% in Spring of 2025. This effort provides a framework for developing level-appropriate signature assignments, using them for program evaluation, and applying assessment results to improve instruction.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149073409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scaffolding a Low-Cost Experiential Bioreactor Module: Reducing Cognitive Load to Enhance Competency and Self-Efficacy.","authors":"Russell K Pirlo, Matthew Lopper, Justin C Biffinger","doi":"10.1002/bmb.70079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.70079","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Low-cost experiential modules are critical for democratizing biotechnology education, yet most undergraduates lack hands-on experience with continuous-culture bioreactor operations, which are fundamental to industrial bioprocessing. This study employed design-based research across two iterative cycles (Fall 2024, n = 8; Fall 2025, n = 11) to develop a cost-effective experiential laboratory module using Pioreactor technology (~$400/unit vs. > $10,000 for traditional systems). Iterative refinement revealed a critical design principle: front-loading hardware calibration before biological experimentation significantly reduces cognitive load, enabling substantial learning gains in complex bioprocess workflows. In this module, students cultured a strain of E. coli that could express green fluorescent protein in 20 mL vessels, progressing from baseline calibration to independent experimental design while acquiring skills and knowledge in batch and continuous culture operations, growth kinetics quantification, and regulation of recombinant protein expression. Employing a \"performance, perception, reflection\" assessment framework, the study triangulated Direct Observed Competency Assessment, retrospective pre-post-self-efficacy surveys, and qualitative thematic analysis to provide converging lines of evidence. Faculty observation documented improvement in 92% of competencies. Self-efficacy gains were large for advanced system mastery (Cohen's d = 3.50) and bioprocess execution and analytics (d = 2.79). Qualitative analysis with strong inter-rater reliability (83.3% agreement) revealed 82% of students linked the module to career preparation and 45% identified innovation as a key outcome. The resulting adaptable module, with publicly available protocols, offers institutions a low-cost framework for engaging students in dynamic biochemical processes, fostering technical proficiency and conceptual integration while addressing biotechnology workforce development needs.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149023814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Daily SPARK—A Comic Style eMicrolearning to Enhance Clinical Reasoning and Reinforce Conceptual Understanding in Biochemistry Promoting Its Application to Clinical Practice","authors":"Krishna Mohan Surapaneni","doi":"10.1002/bmb.70072","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.70072","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>eMicrolearning promotes retention through brief, repeated engagement and supports integration of knowledge over time; however, its use in medical education remains limited. Daily SPARK (<b>S</b>tudy <b>P</b>oints for <b>A</b>pplication, <b>R</b>easoning and <b>K</b>ey concepts) was developed as a comic-based eMicrolearning intervention designed to support conceptual clarity, clinical reasoning, and consistent reinforcement in biochemistry. Daily SPARKs were shared with 732 medical students from first year through internship for a period of 6 months. Evaluation included a 10-point quantitative Likert-scale questionnaire and qualitative feedback from volunteering students. Students perceived Daily SPARKs to have strengthened concepts, clarified misconceptions, enhanced exam readiness, offered new explanations, were visually engaging, sustained attention, and is a low-cost scalable learning method.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"54 5","pages":"507-512"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148618105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strategies for Greater Inclusion of Indigenous Students in College Science Programs","authors":"Jonathan D. Baker,&nbsp;Nievita Bueno Watts,&nbsp;Devon S. Isaacs,&nbsp;Matthew D. Johnson,&nbsp;DenYelle B. Kenyon,&nbsp;Racheal Killgore,&nbsp;Catherine Peltier,&nbsp;Jesse L. Peltier,&nbsp;Sasheen Shailee C. Raymond,&nbsp;Alan H. Savitzky,&nbsp;Hugh E. Smeltekop,&nbsp;Amy E. Sprowles,&nbsp;Melissa Tehee,&nbsp;Jennifer Yazzie,&nbsp;Mary Jo Ondrechen","doi":"10.1002/bmb.70067","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.70067","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The substantial underrepresentation of American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiʻian (AI/AN/NH) students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) majors at United States colleges and universities results from systemic barriers in higher education. Efforts to address inequities have thus far not led to increases in AI/AN/NH student participation in STEM at the national level. In fact, while the AI/AN/NH population in the United States is increasing, there was a 17.0% decrease in the number of bachelor's degrees awarded to Indigenous students in STEM during the period 2012–2021. This work reports on steps that can be taken in a variety of types of institutions of higher education to serve our Native students in STEM more effectively. These steps are reported as a series of rationales, followed by practical descriptions of implementations. Ideas for enhancing the Indigenous experience in the academy, together with examples of successful programs, are detailed. These include raising faculty and institutional cultural competency, addressing inequities in college preparation within the K-12 system, making college STEM courses more inclusive, improving one-on-one advising and mentoring, engaging students in research, helping students overcome isolation, and providing physical spaces to build community. Implementation of these strategies will bring vast new talent to the STEM workforce, contributing to increased technical innovation and economic growth.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"54 5","pages":"430-441"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bmb.70067","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148629326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cross-Institutional Collaborations to Cultivate Translational Scientists: Implications for Broadening Participation and Workforce Development in US Higher Education","authors":"Kevin W.-H. Lo","doi":"10.1002/bmb.70073","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.70073","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This perspective describes a cross-institutional collaboration designed to expand access to authentic translational science training between the University of Connecticut Health Center (UConn Health), part of the R1 research university of UConn, and the University of Hartford (UHart), a private university with a strong undergraduate teaching mission located in close proximity. The collaboration integrates selected UHart undergraduates into federally funded biomedical translational laboratories at UConn Health through co-mentorship and shared research activities, providing exposure to clinically relevant research environments that are often unavailable at undergraduate-focused institutions. The partnership has already produced student-authored publications, successful matriculation into graduate programs, and preparation for STEM careers. For UConn Health, the collaboration has expanded research capacity, broadened the trainee pipeline, and improved external funding competitiveness. We believe this collaboration represents a scalable, low-barrier model for developing the next generation of translational scientists and propose it as a scalable strategy to reduce barriers to research training and strengthen the US biomedical workforce.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"54 5","pages":"527-529"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148629337","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cultivating Enduring Changes in Assessment Through a Life Sciences Community of Practice","authors":"Ludmila Tyler,&nbsp;Peter J. Kennelly,&nbsp;Shelly Engelman,&nbsp;Jennifer Loertscher,&nbsp;Jennifer C. Bobenko,&nbsp;Yufeng Wei,&nbsp;Kirsten F. Block,&nbsp;Kathryn M. McCulloch,&nbsp;Vishwa D. Trivedi,&nbsp;Kimberly T. Lane,&nbsp;Kimberly J. Linenberger Cortes,&nbsp;Victoria Del Gaizo Moore,&nbsp;Daniel R. Dries","doi":"10.1002/bmb.70074","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.70074","url":null,"abstract":"<p>To provide instructors with personally relevant, discipline-based training in assessment, the Community for the Assessment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Learning (CABL) conducted a series of six participant-centered workshops between July 2020 and January 2024. Key features of the workshops included emphasizing backward design, peer editing, and the use of participant-generated questions and rubrics as teaching tools. Five of the workshops focused on summative assessment and one on alternative assessment, with half offered virtually and the latter half delivered in person. In total, 110 unique scientist-educators participated. To investigate how effective these CABL workshops were in fostering changes in assessment attitudes and practices, attendees completed an Exit Survey at the end of each workshop and responded to a single Follow-Up Survey administered in the spring of 2024. Six of the 48 respondents to the Follow-Up Survey participated in Focus Groups. Exit Survey responses indicated a high degree of satisfaction with the structure and content of the workshops and their immediate positive impact on knowledge about assessment. The Follow-Up Survey revealed lasting impacts: Sixty percent of respondents reported revising their overall approach to assessment, while nearly a third described specific actions they had taken to implement inclusive teaching practices. Focus Group participants noted that transformative change could occur through both adopting best practices and disseminating knowledge to their professional networks. Together, these findings suggest that the participant-centered CABL workshops catalyzed changes in assessment perspectives and self-reported practices among a substantive portion of attendees.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"54 5","pages":"473-484"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bmb.70074","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148705327","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metabolic Supercharging: Active Learning Strategies for Increasing Student Engagement With Metabolism","authors":"R. Jeremy Johnson,&nbsp;Lauren A. Genova,&nbsp;Catherine L. Grimes","doi":"10.1002/bmb.70077","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.70077","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Metabolism is a central component of biochemistry and biochemistry education. Metabolism, however, presents a challenge to students. Many students struggle to progress beyond rote memorization of enzymes, metabolites, and reaction steps and into understanding the underlying chemical logic and metabolic principles of metabolism. To better engage students in learning metabolism, metabolic principles can be taught within an active learning framework. Active learning is a broad category of pedagogical techniques, focusing on higher order thinking, critical analysis, and group work, wherein students move from passive receivers of knowledge to self-directed learners. Herein, we provide a systematic review of recent active learning activities related to metabolism and their pedagogical benefits. The review is structured around three common categories of active learning exercises: virtual metabolic activities, physical models and games, and problem-based learning. Within each category, active learning exercises are described that can be tailored to fit each instructor's learning goals, student population, and resource availability. Exercises are available with supportive Supporting Information to assist faculty with implementing these exercises. Metabolism remains relevant in modern biochemistry with applications in bioengineering, flux analysis, systems biology, and disease regulation, and active learning better engages students in learning metabolism.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"54 5","pages":"513-526"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148808267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}