Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education最新文献

{"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,&nbsp;Kathryn M. Williams,&nbsp;Ann E. Hagerman","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21880","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21880","url":null,"abstract":"<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":"53 2","pages":"209-217"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bmb.21880","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":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Remodeling pedagogical evaluation tools to incorporate student self-efficacy and sense of belonging in scientific research","authors":"Richelle L. Tanner,&nbsp;Nicholas P. Burnett,&nbsp;Emily E. King,&nbsp;Anne E. Todgham","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21881","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21881","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Curated undergraduate research experiences have been widely used at colleges and universities for decades to build student interest, technical preparation, and confidence in the pursuit of scientific careers. Educators often employ standardized survey instruments to evaluate learning outcomes for research experiences, but many of these assessments consider only technical skill development and career interests and are not rooted in discrete pedagogical theories. As higher education aims to create inclusive and equitable learning experiences for students, we argue that pedagogical assessment tools for undergraduate research experiences need to expand to consider outcomes such as increased science literacy, confidence in relational “soft” skills, and a sense of belonging to a community that values scientific inquiry. We report on and critique a survey instrument that uses validated metrics to evaluate student sense of belonging and the relational skills developed during an undergraduate research experience. We also provide a revised survey instrument that is founded in social and emotional learning principles and expectation disconfirmation theory. We describe best practices for remodeling the undergraduate research environment to prioritize these inclusive learning objectives alongside publishable research output that is sought by research advisors. Survey tools, like the one described here, are critical for helping colleges and universities train students in science while evolving to promote inclusivity, self-efficacy, and sense of belonging. Higher education programs will continue to produce scientists, but a focus on confidence-building and soft-skill development is essential for creating a general population that is scientifically literate and supportive and trusting of the scientific process.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"53 2","pages":"117-125"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bmb.21881","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142943636","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":"Perspectives on postbaccalaureate PEERS: Advocacy and empowering communities","authors":"Robert Miintzuoh Kao","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21882","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21882","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The impact of Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically shifted the education landscape between recent college and university graduates and pathways to graduate degrees. In my perspective article, I wish to share the challenges, reflections, and a call-to-action framework in ways we can support and advocate for postbaccalaureate persons excluded because of their ethnicity of race, or from a structurally marginalized community or <i>PEERS</i> through the lens of mindfulness, humility, reflection, and deep listening. Through cross-institutional community network support, culturally responsive mentoring of postbaccalaureate PEERS is one of the key dimensions in empowering communities toward health, environmental, and social justice.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"53 2","pages":"126-130"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143622389","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":"On the comprehensive forensic analysis of the equity-minded classroom","authors":"Bryan Dewsbury","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21879","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21879","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;As institutions of higher education continue to invest in helping instructors cultivate equity-minded classrooms, interest has grown in the adaptation and improvement of current assessment structures to better reflect equity-mindedness. There are two questions that present both a challenge and an opportunity for how we collectively consider assessment design. These are (a) how do we define what an equity-minded classroom is (structures, roles, strategies)?, and (b) what constitutes success when it is implemented? I define equity-minded teaching as a variation of what has been described by Artze-Vega et al.&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; It is an approach to course design that supports students from their current state of readiness, leading them to a place where they clearly see their potential. This mindset means that instructors must possess skills that transcend subject matter expertise, and design into their pedagogies mechanisms to cultivate and sustain intrinsic motivation. What is considered a successful outcome from a teaching approach that reflects this view is therefore more complex. Traditionally, discussions of assessment of college teaching, even with approaches labeled as inclusive, still focus narrowly on mechanisms associated with grading content, or whether grading should happen at all. While this is a useful conversation, it still reduces the ways in which we conceive the value of the course experience to the measurement of only one of its stakeholders. Defining &lt;i&gt;what&lt;/i&gt; constitutes a successful experience makes clear the specific things that need to be interrogated in order for the experience to get closer to the transformative potential it hopes to attain.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In 10 years of conducting professional development on equity-minded teaching I have been privileged to commune with faculty who largely have beautiful, civically minded visions for who they want their students to become. When appropriately pressed, instructors articulate goals for students beyond intellectual growth. They espouse grand visions for their students to become engaged voters, morally driven community members, and critically conscious citizens who are able to transfer classroom cultivated skills to behaviors associated with engaged participants in an evolving democracy. Knowing if these lofty goals are dutifully addressed in the present however, requires assessment mechanisms that do more than measure how well students understand subject matter.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For traditional views of classroom instruction this may be a challenging paradigm. The conservative model of college pedagogy, even in ‘active’ scenarios' centers the instructor as the sole center of power. Through this lens, their adjudication and purview constitute all that is deemed worthy of how students show themselves in their own journeys toward academic excellence. A more dialogic view&lt;span&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;&lt;/span&gt; of the classroom experience makes clear that success depends on student engagement, but also, t","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"53 2","pages":"114-116"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143622388","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":"Potential of role play as an educational tool in biochemistry to facilitate medical education","authors":"Archana Nimesh","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21876","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21876","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Commonly used traditional didactic lecture in biochemistry being non-interactive has several disadvantages which students find boring and difficult to retain. This study reviews the potential of role play to teach biochemistry effectively. Studies published till June 2024 on the topic role play in medical education and biochemistry were searched using ‘Ovid Discovery’ software showing studies available in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases. Studies having matched keywords like ‘role play, roleplay, role-play, education, medical, biochemistry and genetics’ appearing in title or text article were included while studies that were irrelevant, in non-English language or duplicated studies were excluded. Literature search revealed 8 studies for reviewing the topic. Studies that have tested effectiveness of role play in biochemistry have shown that it can bridge the gap between theory and practice. Role play is dramatization of a theme simulating real-life scenarios evoking learner's critical thinking process, activation of cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. It creates lasting memory in retaining topics besides motivating student for self-directed learning. It also develops confidence, communication, and language skills among students. Role play can be a powerful tool to teach biochemistry for integrating knowledge of biochemistry with clinical concepts. The authors recommend that biochemistry lectures and practical sessions should be reinforced through role plays especially for topics having clinical relevance. The author proposes several applications of role play in biochemistry to demonstrate metabolic pathways, experimental skills, metabolic disorders, accidental emergencies in lab, do's and don'ts in labs, pre analytical errors affecting biochemistry lab results.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"53 2","pages":"200-208"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142913801","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: Using origami to learn molecular structure of biomolecules","authors":"Juan Carlos Vega-Garzón,&nbsp;Duverney Chaverra-Rodriguez","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21871","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21871","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The COVID-19 pandemic affected a large range of in-person education activities in Colombia. This created great limitations in academic performance for students with reduced access to communication technologies and deepened the educational gaps in the country. This was particularly true for sciences such as biochemistry. In Colombia, molecular structure is a subject traditionally taught through 2D drawings and static diagrams because software and 3D artifacts are not available to all students. Thus, it is essential to develop and apply strategies to study molecular structure; especially tools that are accessible and can be easily built and used at home in rural areas of the country. Here, we propose the use of origami as a tool to teach molecular structure to second year college students in Colombia. We describe the development and the implementation of the tool adjusted to students' needs regarding their visual, tactile, and other experiential learning. We included serious game elements during the implementation to engage participation and teamwork. Students' perception about the use and utility of origami to study molecular structure was favorable, highlighting its simplicity and powerfulness to help them grasp key concepts in chemistry. This motivates us to propose this idea to explore and continue improving the strategy in the classroom.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"53 2","pages":"147-154"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142906355","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":"Integration of online and offline teaching mode in biochemistry and molecular biology courses","authors":"Liucai Yang,&nbsp;Ya Yang,&nbsp;Yingling Zhu,&nbsp;Hu Zhang,&nbsp;Feixiang Teng,&nbsp;Xiumei Cheng,&nbsp;Xuan Shen,&nbsp;Yougen Luo,&nbsp;Xuebin Qu","doi":"10.1002/bmb.21877","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bmb.21877","url":null,"abstract":"<p>To enhance the effectiveness of integrating online and offline teaching, 1545 clinical and preventive medicine students from 2019 to 2021 were randomly allocated to two groups, A and B. The curriculum was divided into two segments. Initially, two groups were established for the first segment, covering an introduction to Biomolecular and Material Metabolism. The group A adopted a teaching strategy incorporating “massive open online course + a Social Media platform (WeChat) + Project/Problem-Based Learning + Flipped classroom”, integrating online and offline methods. The group B followed conventional teaching practices. In the second course segment, which included molecular biology and clinical biochemistry, the two groups had their instructional format switched. Comparative analysis of student satisfaction, learning attitudes, and academic performance between the groups was conducted. The satisfaction survey indicated that the group which adopted the online and offline mode outperformed the conventional teaching group in satisfaction rate, satisfaction scores, excellence rate, and total scores. While both groups exhibited an improvement in learning attitudes, the teaching reform group showed a significantly higher level of enhancement. Furthermore, the reform group achieved superior overall average scores, basic average scores, comprehensive average scores, and an increased rate of excellence compared to the conventional group. The results demonstrate that adopting a blended teaching model significantly improved instructional quality and positively influenced students' engagement and attitudes in biochemistry and molecular biology studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":8830,"journal":{"name":"Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education","volume":"53 2","pages":"171-180"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-12-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142880670","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}