Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education最新文献

{"title":"Use of mobile learning applications as an innovative method for the teaching of biochemistry","authors":"Aaser M. Abdelazim,&nbsp;Dalia A. Gaber,&nbsp;Khalid M. Adam,&nbsp;Ayman M. El-Ashkar,&nbsp;Hany W. Abdelmalak","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21774","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21774","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Traditional teaching methods of biochemistry provide effective tools for knowledge transmission, but are considered less engaging with students. Smartphone applications may provide suitable alternatives to compensate for the shortcomings of traditional teaching methods.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Purpose</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of smartphone applications as a complementary method for learning biochemistry.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methodology</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A total of 32 students, from the College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia, were recruited. Students used available mobile applications, and their performance was monitored through assignments, presentations, practical evaluations, and pre- and post-tests. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to survey the students' perceptions. It was validated by students enrolled at the College of Applied Medical Science, interns, and medical educators. It was checked for item appropriateness and comprehensiveness using face and content validity.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Around 75% of the students found the mobile applications useful in learning biochemistry, 50% believed that they were easy to use and 100% believed that the breadth of the knowledge presented by these applications was comprehensive. The pedagogical effect of the use of mobile applications in learning biochemistry showed statistically significant differences in student performances post-use and pre-use of mobile applications with P values of 0.000, 0.028, 0.023, and 0.000 for tests, assignments, practical evaluation, and presentations, respectively.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Students have a positive perception of the use of mobile applications, as it has significantly improved their academic performance in biochemistry.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"51 6","pages":"627-634"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10343676","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":"Making creativity explicit: A workshop to foster creativity in biomedical science education","authors":"Alice M. Kim,&nbsp;Jessica A. Gibbons,&nbsp;Caroline J. Speed,&nbsp;Janet O. Macaulay","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21776","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21776","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Previously we identified that biomedical science students commonly misunderstand “creativity,” mistaking it for “freedom.” In the present study, we describe and evaluate a workshop designed to increase students' awareness of creativity as a highly sought-after employability skill and cognitive process applicable to scientific endeavors. To achieve this, we developed and introduced students to a process called the “Diamond Model,” utilizing a case study to contextualize and signpost the creative processes of divergent and convergent thinking. This model was introduced to students in the first workshop of a 12-week undergraduate biochemistry unit (subject) within the Bachelor of Biomedical Science at Monash University, Australia. Students completed pre- and post-workshop surveys to gauge the impact of the workshop on their conceptions of creativity and Bloom's taxonomy of learning. In addition, reflective journals were completed by a small subset of students (<i>n</i> = 9) following the workshop. Following the workshop, over 65% of students indicated that their conception of creativity had changed. Thematic analysis of students' survey responses and reflections indicated that this change in the conception of creativity included broadening their definition of creativity, increased awareness of creativity as a skill and science as a creative process, and that creativity can be applied to different areas of life. Students attributed the signposting of creative elements as a contributing factor to their increased awareness. These results indicate the positive impact the workshop and our novel Diamond model had on student conception of creativity, highlighting the importance of explicit communication and signposting in skill development.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"51 6","pages":"644-652"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://iubmb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bmb.21776","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10044860","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":"Problem-based learning (PBL) application in ‘metabolic syndrome (MetS)’ among common diseases of the modern age: A case study","authors":"Tuğçe Günter","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21773","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21773","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The present study was to teach metabolic syndrome (MetS) disease through a scenario developed according to the problem-based learning (PBL) approach in the biochemistry class. The study was designed as a single group pre-test and post-test research. The study group consisted of first-year students (<i>N</i> = 183) from the nursing department within the health sciences faculty of a state university in Turkey. The study findings indicated that PBL increased students' understanding and learning performances about MetS. It may be suggested that those learned by the scenario developed according to the PBL are effective in learning about the MetS.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"51 6","pages":"616-626"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9974396","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":"Beating heart cells: Using cultured cardiomyocytes to study cellular structure and contractility in laboratory exercises","authors":"Stephen E. Asmus,&nbsp;Collin K. Wells,&nbsp;Hanna M. Montalvo","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21770","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21770","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Heart muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, exhibit intrinsic contractility in vitro. We found that commercially-available mammalian cardiomyocytes serve as an excellent model system for studying the cytoskeleton and cellular contractility, fundamental topics in undergraduate cell and molecular biology courses. Embryonic rat cardiomyocytes were plated on cell culture dishes or glass coverslips and visualized using an inverted phase-contrast microscope. The cardiomyocytes began contracting within 1–2 days after plating and continued to contract for many weeks, allowing their use in multiple laboratory sessions. Following background reading and instruction, students fixed and triple-stained the cardiomyocytes to examine the relative distributions of actin filaments and microtubules and the position of nuclei. Analysis and image capture with fluorescence microscopy provided striking examples of highly organized cytoskeletal elements. Students then designed experiments in which cardiomyocyte intrinsic contractility was explored. Changes in contraction rates were examined after treatment with signaling molecules, such as epinephrine. The addition of epinephrine to the culture medium, within a usable concentration window, increased the rate of contraction. These adaptable exercises provide undergraduate cell and molecular biology students with the exciting opportunity to study cardiomyocytes using standard cell culture and microscopy techniques.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"51 6","pages":"700-707"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9856103","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":"Demystifying PCR tests, challenges, alternatives, and future: A quick review focusing on COVID and fungal infections","authors":"Muhammad Sajeer Paramabth,&nbsp;Manoj Varma","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21771","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21771","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique is one of the most potent tools in molecular biology. It is extensively used for various applications ranging from medical diagnostics to forensic science and food quality testing. This technique has facilitated to survive COVID-19 pandemic by identifying the virus-infected individuals effortlessly and effectively. This review explores the principles, recent advancements, challenges, and alternatives of PCR technique in the context of COVID-19 and fungal infections. The introduction of PCR technique for anyone new to this field is the primary aim of this review and thereby equips them to understand the science of COVID-19 and related fungal infections in a simplistic manner.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"51 6","pages":"719-728"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9912702","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":"Remembering Don Voet (1938–2023)","authors":"Charlotte Pratt","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21768","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21768","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"51 5","pages":"474-475"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43271645","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: Engaging high school students in structure-function studies of bacterial sortase enzymes and inhibitors - A comprehensive computational experimental pipeline","authors":"Shivani Godse,&nbsp;Tanvi Sapar,&nbsp;Jeanine F. Amacher","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21769","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21769","url":null,"abstract":"<p>High school science fairs provide an exceptional opportunity for students to gain experience with scientific research, and participation has positive outcomes with respect to chosen careers in the sciences. However, it can be challenging to engage high school students in university-level research outside of formal internship programs. Here, we describe an experimental pipeline for a computational structural biology project that engages high school students. Students are involved at every step of the investigation and utilize freely available software to dock inhibitors onto protein homologues, and then analyze the resulting complexes. Bacterial sortases are transpeptidases on the cell surface of Gram-positive bacteria and are a potential target for the development of antibiotics. Students modeled inhibitors bound to sortases from several organisms, asking questions about affinity and selectivity. Their project was ranked in the top 10% at both regional and state science fairs. This project design is easily adaptable to countless other protein systems and provides a pipeline for collaborative high school student/university professor inquiry.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"51 6","pages":"606-615"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9882614","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 educational visual resource to support understanding of liquid–liquid phase separation","authors":"Margot Riggi,&nbsp;Janet H. Iwasa","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21766","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21766","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In collaboration with educators and researchers, we created an online resource called Phase Separation 101 to help undergraduate students understand the basics of liquid–liquid phase separation, an emerging and complex concept in cell biology for which visual resources are still scarce. This work presents the workflow and visual communication strategies that we followed to build scientifically accurate visualizations of dynamic processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"51 5","pages":"529-536"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9779055","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":"Identifying new small proteins through a molecular biology course-based undergraduate research experience laboratory class","authors":"Rommel J. Miranda,&nbsp;Cheryl Warren,&nbsp;Kathryn Mcdougal,&nbsp;Steven Kimble,&nbsp;Joseph Sanchez,&nbsp;Leann Norman,&nbsp;Virginia Anderson,&nbsp;Matthew Hemm","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21764","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21764","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We developed a curriculum for an upper-level molecular biology course-based undergraduate research laboratory class funded by a National Science Foundation CAREER grant that focuses on identifying new small proteins in the bacterium, <i>Escherichia coli</i>. Our CURE class has been continually offered each semester for the last 10 years, with multiple instructors collaboratively developing and implementing their own pedagogical approach while maintaining the same overall scientific goal and experimental strategy. In this paper, we delineate the experimental strategy for our molecular biology CURE laboratory class, describe a range of pedagogical approaches implemented by multiple instructors, and provide recommendations for teaching the class. The purpose of our paper is to share our experiences both in developing and teaching a molecular biology CURE laboratory class based on small protein identification and in creating a curriculum and support system that allows traditional, non-traditional, and under-represented students to participate in authentic research projects.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"51 5","pages":"574-585"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bmb.21764","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9826968","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":"An idea to explore: Introduction to research methods","authors":"Urmimala Basu","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21758","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21758","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A curriculum description of a general introductory biology course titled “Introduction to Research Methods” is presented here. The course aims to provide a glimpse of biomedical research to students who have had no or limited exposure to research to encourage them to do research as freshmen. Thus, this course aims to better equip and invoke interest of high school and college students to undertake research by addressing specific knowledge gaps, recruiting students from underserved communities, and promoting teamwork, community learning, and equity. The course covers in broad strokes key topics like forming a hypothesis, chemical safety, research practices, chemical calculations, cloning and so forth, that is useful for undergraduate trainees initiated to research. The course also aims to put each topic in a social context that provides room for contemplating science for young trainee scientists thus addressing the gap between science and society. Student feedback reveals a positive learning experience and self-reported improvement of knowledge on the various topics taught. As a result, the concepts and pedagogical tools used in this course can be adapted to increase students' involvement and retainment in biomedical research from underrepresented communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"51 5","pages":"566-573"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10125829","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}