Team-based learning (TBL) is a highly intense active learning pedagogy that uses a cycle of preclass preparation, formative assessment for readiness, mini-lectures, and complex team exercises. Consistent with the literature on active learning, prior research on TBL consistently shows its benefits for student outcomes as compared with previous…

Experimental courses for undergraduate students majoring in biochemistry or related subjects often do not provide students with systematic and research-based experiences. To help students develop abilities related to laboratory techniques, data analysis, and systematic thought in biology, we performed an exploratory program that employs…

In-class activities that use a collaborative learning approach were developed for a one-semester biochemistry course as a way to achieve higher student engagement. The redesign of this course from a traditional lecture to a format that incorporated a significant active learning component without reducing the amount of content is described. These…

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…

Contemporary research suggests an urgent need for educators to improve the quality of STEM teaching and learning. We developed a semester-long model curriculum for STEM teaching and learning. The overarching goal of this study was to establish an authentic inquiry approach to advanced laboratory courses that is interdisciplinary, collaborative,…

Helping preservice teachers use hybrid language representations in science is important if they are to become scientifically literate and able to engage in the discourse for understanding scientifiyc issues. Using hybrid language representations based on the framework of computer-supported collaborative learning, the teacher educator applied the…

The importance of advancing the 'employability skills' of students throughout their undergraduate education has been increasingly recognised by students and university instructors. Development of these essential skills is hindered by the lack of widely available assessment tools and shortage of detailed descriptions of effective instructional…

Students find it hard to understand acid-base homeostasis and the mechanisms involved in compensating for acid-base imbalances, including the role of the lungs and kidneys in this process. We have developed a laboratory activity based on collaborative problem-based learning and human patient simulators (HPSs) to teach this topic. Students (n=50)…

"Group Intelligence" is an active learning, inquiry-based activity that introduces prebiotic chemistry, emergent complexity, and diversity's importance to adaptability across scales. Students explore the molecular emergence of order and function through theatrical exercises and games. Through 20 min of audio instruction and a discussion…

The jigsaw technique has been used in a fourth-year biochemistry course to increase problem-solving abilities of the students. The jigsaw method is a cooperative-learning technique that involves a group structure. Students start with a "home" group. That group is responsible for learning an assigned portion of a task. Then the instructor separates…

The pedagogical value of having biochemistry and organic chemistry students build and manipulate physical models of chemical species is well established in the literature. Nevertheless, for the most part, the use of molecular models is generally limited to several laboratory exercises or to demonstrations in the classroom setting. A simple…

A journal-club-based class has been developed to promote active and cooperative learning and expose seniors in biochemistry and cellular molecular biology to recent research in the field. Besides giving oral presentations, students also write three papers: one discussing an article of their own choosing and two, discussing articles presented by…

Our peer-led collaborative learning groups, called Workshops, have now had extended success in two upper-level courses in chemistry and biochemistry. These Workshops are in turn supported by a third upper-level course for training peer-leaders. Our data confirm that the initial positive results from the introduction of Workshops in organic…

Biochemistry courses at Seattle University have been taught exclusively using process oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) without any traditional lecture component since 1997. In these courses, students participate in a structured learning environment, which includes a preparatory assignment, an in-class activity, and a follow-up skill…