The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The teaching of biochemistry in higher education presents several challenges, including the complexity of molecular visualization, the use of technical terminology, and the vast amount of content covered in courses. This systematic review explores current research on biochemistry teaching at the higher education level published between 2012 and 2024, focusing on the teaching resources and methods used. A total of 271 articles selected from the ERIC and SciFinder databases were analyzed, categorizing the teaching resources and methodologies employed, highlighting the main contributions of the works to the teaching of biochemistry. Most of the identified didactic resources involved the use of digital technologies, primarily to assist in spatial visualization of the molecular structures of biomolecules and to improve the understanding of fundamental concepts. Considering teaching methodologies, lecture-style classes still predominated, although innovative approaches such as the flipped classroom, problem-based learning, and team-based learning are increasingly being integrated into biochemistry education. Furthermore, the techniques of virtual and augmented reality, interactive multimedia, and digital simulations are emerging as promising ways to enhance student understanding and engagement. This review gives teachers a comprehensive overview of recently published knowledge concerning biochemistry teaching, providing a foundation for the implementation of innovative and effective educational practices.
In medical education, particularly in biochemistry, crafting high-quality assessment questions is a primary challenge. Each item necessitates a thorough evaluation, for the identification of student abilities is crucial. This study aims to enhance assessment quality in biochemistry medical education by implementing Item Response Theory (IRT). This approach addresses Classical Test Theory (CTT) limitations, specializing in Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ). Recognizing the critical role of question quality in the learning process, the study investigates how IRT can more holistically and equitably assess student abilities. Employing a mixed-method research approach, this study combines comparative quantitative analysis with qualitative ICC curve analysis in the first exam to the second exam in presenting the theta (θ) value. It focuses on routine biochemistry exam data scores from medical students (n = 89). Significant improvements were observed in both question quality and student scores. Prior to IRT implementation, the average initial exam score was 56.1, which increased to 74.1 in the subsequent exam. The IRT evaluation indicated that the exam questions achieved a more effective differentiation between students of varying abilities. This improvement was evident from the increased person reliability and through Wright Map visualizations, which helped identify highly difficult questions via the Item Characteristic Curve (ICC). The study advocates for integrating IRT as a standard method in biochemistry and medical assessments and identifies the students' gaps in ability.
Proteins are essential in biological systems, acting in transport, catalysis, and immune defense processes. However, these biomolecules' structural and functional complexity makes teaching and understanding these topics challenging. To address this difficulty, this study aimed to develop tutorials that facilitate learning and teaching about proteins based on structural analysis and molecular visualization through the interactions of the antigen–antibody complex. Thus, the ChimeraX platform was chosen as the central tool due to its intuitive interface and features that allow the manipulation and visualization of three-dimensional molecules, such as proteins, DNA, and chemical compounds, in .pdb format. The software combines visual and analytical functions, covering from basic to advanced aspects, adapting to the user's level of knowledge. The study presented three practical tutorials: (i) presentation of the tool, (ii) focusing on immunology, and (iii) addressing aspects of biochemistry. These tutorials demonstrated how to use ChimeraX to explore the relationship between protein structure and function, highlighting topics such as molecular interactions and other relevant biochemical processes. In addition, the Tutorials 1 and 2 were validated through the application in a microbiology undergraduate class, followed by a questionnaire and CVI analysis, which confirmed their clarity, relevance, and applicability, reinforcing their role as effective resources for integrating bioinformatics into health-related courses. Thus, the study contributes to disseminating knowledge methods and tools that enable more dynamic and accessible learning through visual and interactive approaches.
The ultimate aim of all higher education programs is to produce work-ready graduates who can enter a number of career paths. Bioscience graduates are well suited to a multitude of career paths such as research, education or industry. Designing an undergraduate bioscience program that can prepare learners for this multitude of career pathways can be a challenge. Curricula design is a substantive piece of work that is often given to subject specialists who are very familiar with biological science as a subject, but perhaps less well versed in the underpinning pedagogical principles of teaching, learning and assessment. Academics can be left to design curricula alongside their existing teaching, research and administrative duties which leaves little time for thorough research into the theory behind the design process, and how this can be conducted to ensure a focus on employability as well as scientific proficiency. This article aims to provide a “how to” guide for academics who are engaged in designing or redesigning biological science curricula, and is based on experiences of redesigning a Biomedical Science undergraduate degree. It provides an overview of the key considerations to make in the overarching structure of the program, the needs of learners, employers and accrediting bodies, the theory underpinning the comparative strengths and weaknesses of different learning delivery and assessment strategies, and how these can all coalesce to provide a biological curriculum that encourages and enhances diverse postgraduation careers.
Well-trained scientists work collaboratively with people of various expertise, balancing their technical knowledge with many other factors when addressing complex problems. However, biochemistry courses are under pressure to cover a wide range of content and traditional pedagogy and may not address the development of this important skill. Deliberation, which is a facilitated conversation that encourages the consideration of different perspectives and approaches to complex societal issues, is one opportunity to engage students in applying their fundamental knowledge together with their lived experience. Here, we apply a polarity mapping model of deliberation to the question of releasing genetically modified mice to control tick-borne Lyme disease in Nantucket. Participants considered the tension between ecological preservation and genetic innovation in this case. Inductive thematic analysis of student responses to open-ended questions after the deliberation highlight positive learning outcomes along three key themes: collaboration, synthesis of ideas and information, and understanding of trade-offs and tensions.
Art-based learning (ABL) offers a transformative pedagogy for biochemistry education by bridging cognitive understanding with emotional and reflective engagement. Traditionally viewed as abstract and detached, biochemistry often risks becoming a rote exercise in memorization. ABL reanimates this learning space by inviting observation, creation, and interpretation through museum art, creative writing, performance, and multimedia. The different forms of ABL collectively cultivate visual reasoning, creative inquiry, and emotional engagement, enabling learners to approach biochemistry with curiosity and connection. Rather than memorizing molecular facts, students begin to interpret, question, and internalize concepts thereby bridging scientific precision with human meaning and fostering a deeper, more integrated understanding of life at the molecular level.
This study evaluates a reformed teaching model for biochemistry and molecular biology under New Medical Science, comparing traditional methods with a blend of online–offline learning, flipped classrooms, and humanistic integration. A quasi-experiment with 351 medical students showed that the experimental group (stomatology) outperformed the control (clinical medicine) in exam scores: 2020–2022 cohorts had mean score increases of 2.76–3.92 (all p < 0.05). Satisfaction surveys indicated 93.2% approved the evaluation mechanism, 94.9% linked biochemistry cases to ethical reflection, and 64.4% reported heightened research motivation. The model enhances academic performance and cultivates comprehensive competencies, meeting modern medical education needs.
One type of active learning technique that instructors can incorporate is the use of various drawing activities. This study investigates the impact of drawing during biology lecture classes on student learning. Undergraduate students in two lecture sections of an introductory cellular and molecular biology course completed worksheets that either required them to draw (learner-generated) or required them to interpret a drawing (instructor-generated). The four topics that were assessed were amino acid polymerization, nucleotide polymerization, cellular respiration, and photosynthesis. Student learning was assessed using multiple-choice and short-answer exam questions. Students who completed the learner-generated worksheet related to amino acid polymerization performed significantly better than students who completed the instructor-generated worksheet. Differences in student learning were not statistically significant for the other three topics; however, trends indicated that for some topics, the learner-generated worksheet increased student understanding while for other topics the students who completed the instructor-generated worksheet performed better. These findings indicate that it is important to carefully align the type of drawing activity with the complexity of the topic. When the drawings were too complex, students did not gain as much from creating their own images. Instructors are encouraged to thoughtfully integrate various types of drawing activities into their courses to increase student learning.
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