Enzymes, enzymatic kinetics, and enzyme inhibition are topics covered in undergraduate biochemistry textbooks, having perceptible relevance to everyday life. The experimental use of enzymes involved in basic physiologic processes may be of utmost pedagogic interest because they bring evidence on how a significant number of drugs are used to…

Dynamic biochemical processes are often difficult for students to grasp in the classroom using static images or models, or even through watching simulation videos. This is particularly true for protein-folding and enzyme catalysis, two key biochemistry concepts. The author has developed and tested two 3D, dynamic, and interactive classroom models,…

The field of biosensors is a burgeoning area of research and employs a large number of chemistry graduates. The impact of strip tests in detecting coronavirus was palpable during the recent COVID-19 pandemic and will further drive the biosensor industry. Despite their common usage, a coherent introduction to the basics of sensing remains missing…

This undergraduate laboratory experiment is designed for first-year general chemistry students with the goal of introducing the brilliant colors and magnetic properties of transition metal complexes within a bioinorganic/cell biology context. In the first laboratory period, a coordination complex formed from ferric chloride and maltol is…

In order to succeed in biochemistry, students must transfer and build upon their understanding of general chemistry and introductory biology concepts. One such critical area of knowledge is bioenergetics. Student misconceptions around energy and free energy must be addressed prior to learning more advanced topics, such as energy flow in metabolic…

A biochemistry class was transformed to implement student-centered, active-learning pedagogies to help improve competencies associated with the scientific method. In responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the course content switched from the biochemistry of nucleic acids to the science of the newly discovered virus, SARS-CoV-2. This provided a…

Digestion is a fundamentally important process for an individual's life. However, the physical process of digestion is hidden inside the body, making it challenging to understand and a particularly difficult topic for students to learn in the classroom. Traditional approaches to teaching body processes include a mixture of textbook teaching and…

The aim of this online workshop is to familiarize biomedical faculties students with the principle of RT-PCR method. The following assumption is made, students participating in the workshop: (1) are already familiar with the principle of PCR reaction; (2) can distinguish PCR from RT-PCR; (3) know the basic possibilities of using the above…

For many students biochemistry is a demanding course because they are expected to apply previously learned foundational concepts to new biological contexts. These foundational concepts serve as a scaffold onto which to build threshold concepts such as the physical basis of interactions. Unfortunately, many students possess misconceptions or gaps…

"Didn't understand or not fully understand" is the most common situation that students experience when they learn medical biochemistry and molecular biology (MBMB). Therefore, the primary task of teaching MBMB is to help students overcome the difficulties in "conceptual understanding." The core of the solution to these problems…

Many large, undergraduate science courses, which still heavily rely on traditional lecture-based dissemination of content, passive learning, and exam-based assessments, have been forced online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the challenges facing students in regards to engagement, self-directed learning, and the development of soft…

Many laboratory courses consist of short and seemingly unconnected individual laboratory exercises. To increase the course consistency, relevance, and student engagement, we have developed a research-inspired and project-based module, "From Gene to Structure and Function". This 2.5-week full-day biochemistry and structural biology module…

Retrosynthetic analysis is a topic that presents significant conceptual challenges to students. To enable a more active learning of introductory retrosynthesis, we implemented a flipped approach, delivered over a 4 year period, to a class size of between 18 and 29 biochemistry students per year. This provided more time for in-class peer group…

A semester-long, project-based series of laboratory exercises is described that provides practical experience of the upstream and downstream processes involved in monoclonal antibody production. This 6 week project is aimed at final year undergraduate students undertaking primary degrees in biotechnology, biochemistry, or related disciplines.…

With biochemistry forced to transition to remote-teaching online, the cooperative active learning and problem-solving normally in labs have been limited. With little ability to perform experiments with laboratory equipment, determining how to mimic the qualities integral to these labs in an online environment is necessary. We propose one possible…