Developing team‐centered independent research skills in an advanced biochemistry laboratory course

Abstract

Traditional biochemistry laboratory courses emphasize exercises designed to reinforce concepts presented in lecture courses and to expose students to common techniques in biochemical studies. However, other skills required for biochemistry graduates (particularly those starting careers in industry) include experimental design, ability to work independently and the ability to work in teams to achieve scientific goals. Thus, we modified an advanced biochemistry laboratory course to allow students to design and execute independent experiments in a team setting centered on heterologous expression and purification of his‐tagged proteins. Each semester, the class as a whole has a goal to express and purify protein for structural or kinetic studies. The class is organized into teams, and each team is responsible for developing a protocol for a different variant of the protein of interest, and each individual student project focuses on optimizing a specific secondary purification column. Students work in their teams to explicitly define their team and individual goals and to write progress reports throughout the semester. Attitudinal surveys completed before and after implementing the team‐centered approach indicate students value the team experience while appreciating learning fundamental protein purification skills.