In this article, we describe an in-house polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific priming (PCR-SSP) assay designed for undergraduate medical students as part of the experimental pathogen biology and immunology (EPBI) course. It screens human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR2 allotype from genomic DNA samples using a rapid and single-tube PCR…

Online engagement, or the use of online supplementary instruction and assessment, in high-structure courses is gaining popularity as a useful tool to facilitate instruction, assignments, and examinations. High-structure courses, which include regular pre- and post-class assessments and significant active learning during class, have been shown to…

Lack of motivation of students is a major concern for the instructors and administration in universities, and it is in their interest to address these issues in the most effective and efficient way. The purpose of this explanatory sequential mixed-method study is to examine the predictive power of the learning environment on student academic…

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the education of international students. The authors taught a molecular biology course using the DingTalk platform for international medical students (IMS) in the autumn semester of 2020. We assessed the effect of this online teaching based on an online questionnaire and by analysis of the final…

As colleges moved to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, many instructors found it difficult to maintain student engagement and classroom community in the virtual environment. We developed a semester-long activity for a molecular biology research methodology course where students created, and shared original memes related to course…

The time-resolved detection of very low intensity light emission has become an essential capability in many areas of science including molecular biology, fluorimetry, DNA sequencing, virus detection, nanoparticle research, and optical materials development. Among the most basic techniques for the detection of rapidly fluctuating low-intensity…

Experimental teaching is an important part of postgraduate training in basic and clinical medicine. While primary cell isolation and identification are among the most important research techniques for medical graduate students, most graduate students do not understand and master these techniques before starting their research experience. In…

Here we describe an approach and overall concept of how to train undergraduate university students to understand basic regulation and integration of glucose and fatty acid metabolism in response to fasting, intake of carbohydrates, and aerobic exercise. During lectures and both theoretical and practical sessions, the students read, analyze, and…

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic results in the suspension of universities' academic laboratory activities. This brought a difficult time for graduate students majored in molecular biology and their mentors, since the student's thesis progress relies on the data from wet experiments in the lab. Even facing the challenges during the pandemic,…

Purpose: This study isolates the effect of immersion on players' learning in a virtual reality (VR)-based game about cellular biology by comparing two versions of the game with the same level of interactivity and different levels of immersion. The authors identify immersion and additional interactivity as two key affordances of VR as a learning…

Teaching modalities such as Flipped Classroom Approach (FCA) are becoming increasingly popular in higher education. FCA requires that instructional content is completed outside the classroom, thus allowing active-learning activities to take place in class. In this article, we investigate the application of this approach to an undergraduate…

We present a course-embedded undergraduate research module that involves real-time polymerase chain reaction testing for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in environmental samples. A positive control RNA was constructed and two RNA extraction methods were compared and a range of primers were available to compare. Using a combination of published…

CRISPR is a technique increasingly used in the laboratory for both fundamental and applied research. We designed and implemented a lab experience for undergraduates to carry out CRISPR technology in the lab, and knockout the wing patterning genes "optix" and "WntA" in "Vanessa cardui" butterflies. Students obtained…

Three different experiments that allow the synthesis of the drug paracetamol are described; such experiments were designed for their implementation in undergraduate organic chemistry courses, considering the medical and economic importance of paracetamol. The experience wants to show the students some "real world" applications of organic…

The conference session on Postgraduate Education in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology consisted of wide-ranging presentations and discussions. Approaches, issues, and solutions for postgraduate education and training in countries ranging from the Philippines to Mongolia and the United States were covered. [Paper presented at the joint…