Engaging biochemistry students virtually utilizing problem‐based learning and at home lab activities

Abstract

The unprecedented 2020 COVID‐19 pandemic prompted the rapid shift to online learning in higher education. For courses particularly in the natural sciences, this shift posed a challenge to adapt complex course material that relied on in‐person demonstrations and hands‐on laboratory experiences to successfully be mastered. Online learning continues grow in these fields where it was once limited. In this piece, we describe the rejuvenation of our problem‐based learning Introduction to Biochemistry for students in a virtual environment. We utilized Zoom for engaging discussions between student‐led discussion groups focused on their reading of primary literature, adapted labs with course content to enable them to be performed at home, and utilized the online format to connect with a scientist whose work we studied. In particular, our course centered around the mechanisms of antibiotics, beginning with Pasteur’s discovery of fermentation and ending with present day papers deconvoluting the synthesis of bacterial peptidoglycan and how different antibiotics inhibit this pathway. Throughout the course, we were able to utilize the online format and at home labs to connect science to everyday life in different ways than traditional classroom learning. Students overall were engaged and enjoyed how this course was different than other online courses. Our observations provide guidance for how to improve future online‐based science courses, particularly problem‐based learning ones, to make them most effective for successful student learning.