A POGIL Based Laboratory Manual for Undergraduate Biochemistry

Abstract

Current laboratory practices often involve students coming to lab having read a detailed protocol, performing the experiment, and leaving the lab rarely understanding the meaning behind the methods or the connection to research in general. They lack a conceptual understanding of the process and often do not understand how to manipulate data. Traditional methods do not provide students opportunities to think through the underlying scientific principles. Not only does this laboratory format not represent ‘real’ science, it leaves students unprepared for the often unpredictable and intimidating nature of experimental design. Research suggests that inquiry‐based pedagogical techniques can help promote student engagement and improve educational outcomes. Here, we present portions of a newly developed laboratory manual with which students will participate in the building of experimental protocols, implementing the experiments, and processing the data. Through this process, students will develop an understanding of scientific principles and data analysis, and think creatively in regards to experimental design. These practices have also been shown to increase student engagement in the laboratory. Current laboratory manuals, do not emphasize the building of these essential skills for anyone pursuing further education or a career in biochemistry, molecular biology, or related fields. We hope to bring these high impact learning practices to the biochemistry laboratory providing inquiry‐based experiments to better develop and engage our students in the biochemistry lab. In order to train the next generation of scientists, we must allow students to explore the scientific world in a safe, engaging, and meaningful way. It is our hope that the lab manual will be a pioneering advancement in the way educators approach undergraduate laboratories. This manual will be of great utility at both large institutions where access to a research environment is limited to a small population of the students and small institutions where resources are limited.