Protein Structure Solution Skills Made Accessible: Steps Toward an Online Classroom

Abstract

The ability to solve and interpret protein structures is a critical skill set for molecular life scientists of many disciplines. However, courses teaching practical crystallography skills are rarely integrated into regular graduate or undergraduate curricula. Moreover, expert-led workshops are often expensive and have long wait lists. In our molecular biophysics program, we currently address this issue through offering an immersive, active-learning workshop covering hands-on crystallography skills in a blended delivery format. Preliminary evaluation results recently indicated long-term, sustained structure solving skills in our learners.In order to reach a broader learner population, we are now taking the next steps toward developing an online course environment, to enable also full-time students, postdoctoral fellows and professional scientists, independent of institutional affiliation and geographic location, to take the course at their own pace in a part-time modus.Our instructional strategies comprise:- Modular topic preparation through individual readings and recorded mini-lectures;- Readiness checks through short quizzes;- Problem-based learning by provision of real-world data sets through server-download;- Peer-to-peer consultation on intermediate structure solution steps via online team space;- Progress assessment through regular update reports and feedback by the instructor team via discussion forum and real-time online meet-ups;- Online presentation as well as peer- and instructor critique of a final project, mimicking a conference presentation that focuses on the structure solution pathway.- Three to six months after the course, we provide our learners with an unknown dataset to solve on their own, to evaluate the level of sustained learner performance post instruction.We will present the current status of our online implementation efforts, as well as first insights from a pilot feasibility study with national and international off-site participants.