Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education最新文献

{"title":"Reading science: A mixed-methods study of alternative grading with a molecular biology journal club.","authors":"Ashley Russell, Laura Cruz","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21890","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21890","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Researchers and practitioners have identified the ability to read scientific literature effectively as a core competency in undergraduate STEM education, but comparatively little research has been conducted on how students engage, both cognitively and affectively, with advanced scientific research. This mixed-methods study assesses the process through which students engaged with a series of scaffolded, alternatively graded assignments focused on reading Molecular Biology research articles (the \"journal club\"). The results of the study suggest that alternative grading can be implemented strategically to address affective barriers in how and why students read science, with potential implications for addressing gender inequities.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143456794","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":"Combining the Folch method with a simplified alternative fat extraction technique for use in a colorimetric assay to measure the degree of unsaturation in fat samples in a biochemistry laboratory.","authors":"Vimoshini Pragash, Meran Keshawa Ediriweera","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21891","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21891","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Folch method is a commonly employed, simple biochemical procedure used to extract fat from food items and biological samples in biochemistry laboratories. The iodine number of fat reflects its degree of unsaturation. In the present study, the iodine number of fat extracted using the Folch method from cow milk, goat milk, chicken egg yolk and coconut milk was determined using a simple colorimetric procedure that comprises an iodine solution in ethanol and a starch solution, replacing the Wijs reagent and conventional titration procedures with sodium thiosulfate standard solutions. Resembling the Folch method, a low-cost alternative approach, utilizing kerosene oil, isopropyl alcohol, and water, which can be used to extract fat from commonly consumed liquid food items, was also developed in the present study as a simple and reliable approach. The extracted fat from the proposed method can be sent to a biochemistry laboratory to determine the iodine number using the proposed 96-well plate-based colorimetric procedure. The proposed methods are suitable for laboratories in low-income settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143405056","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: Use of the virtual reality app Nanome for teaching three-dimensional biomolecular structures.","authors":"Melanie B Berkmen, Melisa Balla, Mikayla T Cavanaugh, Isabel N Smith, Misael Eduardo Flores-Artica, Abby M Thornhill, Julia C Lockart, Celeste N Peterson","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21892","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21892","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biochemistry and molecular biology students are asked to understand and analyze the structures of small molecules and complex three-dimensional (3D) macromolecules. However, most tools to help students learn molecular visualization skills are limited to two-dimensional (2D) images on screens and in textbooks. The virtual reality (VR) App Nanome, designed for collaborative drug discovery, allows users to visualize, build, modify, and interact with molecules in 3D. Here, we describe our pedagogical approach for using Nanome to teach biomolecular structure concepts in the classroom. After introducing students to the Meta Quest VR hardware and training students to use Nanome using its built-in tutorials, we used Nanome to review molecular structure. We provide five detailed Nanome exercises that address a variety of key learning objectives in biochemistry and molecular biology including reviewing protein structure (secondary, tertiary, and quaternary), properties of active sites, chirality of amino acids, and ligand-enzyme interactions. The exercises we designed include built-in assessment to monitor student learning in Nanome. In addition, we supply instructor resources for starting with Nanome and implementing the exercises. After the VR exercises, we used surveys to assess student impressions. All students reported that the activities were somewhat or very helpful in learning about molecular structure. Most students (85%) reported that the activities increased or moderately increased their interest in biomolecular structures. We also discuss student perceptions of the technology and the advantages and challenges they cited to using VR to review biomolecular structure.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143397873","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":"Assessment of an activity that promotes community building, inclusion, and perseverance in introductory college biology courses.","authors":"Julie M Bocetti, Valentina Alvarez, Donald E Elmore, Adam G W Matthews","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21885","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21885","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Community, inclusion, and perseverance are essential for student success in STEM. To promote these values, we developed two discussion-based activities for implementation in introductory college STEM courses. Both activities incorporate watching videos that portray scientists telling the stories of their career trajectory, in-class discussions, and individual reflection. The first activity addresses community building and inclusion in the classroom, while the second activity focuses on perseverance and student definitions of success. These activities were fully implemented into sections of introductory biology during the 2020-2021 academic year. We assessed how effectively these activities addressed their learning goals through analysis of student written responses and a survey given before and after activities. Overall, the activities were successful helping students achieve learning goals related to community, inclusion and perseverance.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143381601","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":"The use of molecular and cell biology scientific news to facilitate learning and scientific thinking.","authors":"Laura C Giojalas, Leticia García Romano, Giuliana Lingua, Rocío B Martín","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21878","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21878","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Molecular Cell Biology (MCB) should be taught according to the scientific practices, avoiding cumulative and memory knowledge construction, but favoring scientific thinking. A way to achieve this goal is to apply activities involving scientific news, which construct knowledge through significant learning and the development of critical thinking. The study aimed to evaluate the implementation of learning activities involving scientific news in the MCB course at the undergraduate level. The perspective of design-based research was applied, whereas the cognitive and interpersonal aspects were evaluated by means of the professors' narration, class registration, questionnaires answered by the students, and the evaluation of the activities carried out by the students. Results showed that the activity involving scientific news reinforces the construction and integration of new knowledge with that previously acquired and consolidates the acquisition of scientific thinking. Even though the completion of the activity involved a complex process, according to the professor and students' opinion, the students observed positive aspects such as the application of biological and scientific language and the motivation to search for related information. Regarding the cooperative learning strategy, students perceived that it is a methodology that facilitates their learning. In summary, incorporating scientific news into MCB courses will enhance professors' effectiveness in achieving didactic goals while also fostering scientific thinking in students, equipping them for future roles as biologists and professors in biological sciences.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143187642","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":"\"Pancreata: The Keto Struggle\": an innovative educational tale-based game for diabetic ketoacidosis revitalizes collaborative learning, learner's engagement among undergraduate medical students.","authors":"Krishna Mohan Surapaneni","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21886","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21886","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Traditional didactic teaching methods in medical education, while foundational, often lead to passive learning and insufficient engagement. \"Pancreata-The Keto Struggle,\" an educational tale-based game for diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), was developed to address these challenges by promoting collaborative learning, enhancing student engagement, and improving knowledge retention through an interactive and narrative-driven approach. This study involved 150 first-year medical students divided into 25 small groups of 6 each. Participants were assessed before and after engaging with the game through a structured formative assessment, a validated questionnaire measuring engagement and learning effectiveness, and a confidence level questionnaire. In-depth small-group interviews were also conducted for qualitative feedback and thematic analysis was performed. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 17. The introduction of \"Pancreata-The Keto Struggle\" resulted in significant improvements in students' formative assessment scores, from a mean of 19.2 ± 1.9 before the game to 39.3 ± 2.2 out of 50 after the game (p < 0.0001). Notably, students demonstrated the highest confidence gains in managing DKA and interpreting laboratory results. Qualitative analysis identified seven common themes reflecting the game's impact on learning: collaboration, retention of concepts, internal drive, self and peer assessment, joyful learning, beyond books, and aesthetic content. Over 95% of students reported increased engagement and learning effectiveness due to the game's intrinsic motivation, narrative, and group learning mechanics. \"Pancreata-The Keto Struggle\" effectively revitalizes collaborative learning in medical education by integrating game-based learning with traditional teaching methods. The game not only facilitates a deeper understanding of complex clinical conditions like DKA but also broadly improves students' clinical management skills and confidence. These findings underscore the potential of educational tale based games to enrich medical education and advocate for their broader application across curricula.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143078454","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":"Course-based undergraduate research experience impacts on student outcomes at minority-serving community colleges.","authors":"Jing Zhang, Sue Ellen DeChenne-Peters, David Hecht, Michael J Wolyniak, Misty L Kuhn, Courtney M Koletar, Nicole Galport, Rebecca M Eddy, Joseph Provost, Jessica K Bell, Ellis Bell","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21889","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21889","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) have beneficial impacts on students and the capacity to provide authentic research experiences that are accessible and beneficial to all students, especially those from Minoritized Groups. CUREs can be presented in a full semester format (cCURE) and shorter modules incorporated into laboratory courses (mCURE). In this study, protein-centric CUREs were implemented at two minority-serving Community Colleges (CCs) in introductory biology and chemistry courses. Using validated assessment tools, student self-reported gains, and institutional data, we examined student outcomes in three conditions: control, mCURE, and cCURE courses. We also examined whether there was a differential impact on student outcomes by Minoritized Group status. Our findings show that students from Minoritized Groups have improved scientific literacy compared to their White/Asian peers in the cCUREs, whereas students from Minoritized Groups in the control course had lower relative scientific literacy. There was no significant difference in STEM Career Interest between the three conditions. Most significantly, the one-year retention rate of students from the mCURE condition was 24% higher than that seen among control students. Furthermore, retention of students from Minoritized Groups in mCUREs was significantly higher than in control courses, whereas no significant difference was observed in White/Asian students. Taken together, these data suggest that CUREs can be an impactful practice in introductory courses at CCs, especially for students from Minoritized Groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143073596","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":"Metagenomics education in a modular CURE format positively affects students' scientific discovery perception and data analytical skills.","authors":"M C Morsink, E N van Schaik, K Bossers, D A Duijker, A G C L Speksnijder","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21888","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21888","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Targeted metagenomics is a rapidly expanding technology to analyze complex biological samples and genetic monitoring of environmental samples. In this research field, data analytical aspects play a crucial role. In order to teach targeted metagenomics data analysis, we developed a 4-week inquiry-driven modular course-based undergraduate research experience (mCURE) using publicly available Australian coral microbiome DNA sequencing data and associated metadata. Since an enormous amount of metadata was provided alongside the DNA sequencing data, groups of students were able to develop their own authentic research questions. Throughout the course, the student groups worked on these research questions and were supported with bioinformatics and statistics lessons. Additionally, practical aspects of data collection and analysis were addressed during hands-on field work on a nearby Dutch beach. Evaluation of the course indicated that the majority of students (1) achieved the intended metagenomics-based learning outcomes and (2) experienced scientific discovery while working on their research projects. In conclusion, the huge amount of data and metadata available in the coral microbiome data set facilitated the development of a strongly inquiry-driven course. Different groups of students were able to develop and conduct their own distinct microbiome research projects and our current mCURE format positively affected students' metagenomics data analytical skills and scientific discovery perception.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143057849","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":"Song: You need ATP (to the tune of \"You belong with me\").","authors":"Derek T McLachlin","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21887","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21887","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142999304","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":"Protein thermal stability in the undergraduate biochemistry laboratory: Exploring protein thermal stability with yeast alcohol dehydrogenase.","authors":"Alison Bates, Kathryn M Williams, Ann E Hagerman","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21880","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21880","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We created a novel laboratory experience where undergraduate students explore the techniques used to study protein misfolding, unfolding, and aggregation. Despite the importance of protein misfolding and aggregation diseases, protein unfolding is not typically explored in undergraduate biochemistry laboratory classes. Yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (YADH) is used in the undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course at Miami University as the model system to explore protein overexpression and purification, bioinformatics, and enzyme characterization. Using one model protein across the entire semester allows the students to independently link topics introduced in the individual experiments; for example, students might draw connections between the thermal denaturation experiment and the requirement to keep the enzyme cold during a kinetics experiment. Students quantitated changes in secondary structure resulting from thermal denaturation by analyzing circular dichroism data. Monitoring the turbidity of a YADH solution with a temperature-controlled UV-Vis spectrometer was a reliable and easy method for undergraduate students to observe the thermally-induced aggregation of YADH. Together these experiments provide undergraduate students with first-hand experience in techniques to study protein unfolding and aggregation.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142963733","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}