Student Reflections from an Upper Level Problem‐Based Learning Biochemistry Course

Abstract

Problem‐based learning (PBL) is a pedagogical method structured around the idea of a student recognizing his/her own barriers in learning a particular topic. Here, we as students reflect upon our experiences in an upper level PBL course in biochemistry that uses the primary literature as the framework for the class. The theme of our class was the native South American poison known as curare. Students were given articles to read outside of class and were asked to come to the next class with specific “learning issues” identified. (A learning issue is any question that impedes the student from fully understanding the information given in the article.) In class, these learning issues were addressed in small groups. This method is particularly appealing to some students, as it is logical and systematic ‐ as a student is forced to question his/her understanding, the student more naturally probes deeper into the problem being experimentally addressed. After a few weeks, we students saw that there was one major problem: students were not able to focus on the most important aspects of each article without a little direction from the professor. When direction was given, it was much easier to work through each article from the general to the specific. Moreover, retention of information became easier as the method relied less on memorization and more on deeper understanding. PBL allows for the systematic solving of learning issues in a way that is easiest for the student, allowing learning to happen organically rather than rigidly. An inherent criterion for the success of PBL, however, is the students' willingness to recognize his/her own ignorance, which may be the biggest struggle for some.