Biochemistry Students Research Articles

Bridging knowledge gaps: impact of remedial classes on first-year medical students in biochemistry – a cross-sectional study

BackgroundRemedial teaching is a tailored educational approach dedicated to enhancing the academic performance of students facing challenges within the curriculum. By identifying and addressing specific learning difficulties, it provides essential support and guidance to bring students closer to expected standards while preventing future setbacks. We hypothesize that underperforming medical students who receive daily, tailored remediation will demonstrate significant improvement in their formative and summative assessment scores in biochemistry.MethodsA cross-sectional mixed-method study was conducted on 56 underperforming first-year medical undergraduates to assess the effect of targeted remediation on formative and summative assessments in Biochemistry. Training sessions included various remediation techniques over six months. Post-remediation feedback was collected to gather insights into students’ attitudes, perceptions, and the effectiveness of the methods in improving their understanding of the subject. Logistic regression analysis was employed to determine the most effective remediation for student performance. Benefits and weaknesses of remedial training approaches for future application as perceived by the students were derived through deductive thematic analysis of their feedback.ResultsThe mean marks, evaluated out of a maximum of 100, showed improvement from 29.86 ± 7.71 to 71.48 ± 10.19, with statistical significance (p < 0.001). From the students’ perspective, the most effective remediation method was grade incentives in formative assessments (odds ratio 6.19). Five major themes were identified: perceived barriers prior to remediation, positive outcomes and behavioral changes observed after remediation, and strengths and areas for improvement in remediation.ConclusionsThe study concludes that identifying underperformers in the early stages of the medical curriculum and providing them with tailored remediation can enhance their performance in exams. Grade incentives in formative assessments, mind maps, quizzes, quick revisions, and assignments were beneficial remedial tools. Targeted remediation proved advantageous for students in improving their academic skills, exam preparation, time management, and attitudes towards the subject.

Pivoting Back to the In-Person Capstone Biochemistry Lab: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Online Modality to Improve the Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience.

The restructuring of an upper division biochemistry lab capstone course intended for biochemistry students with a range of laboratory experience was explored. A goal of the course was to give students practice with necessary skills needed for an entry level general position in biotechnology. The immediate impact of the online capstone course mandated by the COVID-19 pandemic limited students on learning essential hands-on research skills but evolved during the transition back to in-person instruction to include more elements of in-person practice. This article highlights the restructuring of the online remote course back to an in-person CURE capstone lab, which includes changes in the way information was disseminated and modifications in student assessments. This article documents how course evolution resulted in a shift in pedagogical strategies that also resulted in building a community of biochemistry learners.

Teaching protein structure and function through molecular visualization.

The function of proteins is governed by their three-dimensional structure. This structure is determined by the chemical characteristics and atomic interactions of amino acids. Students of biochemistry, with a particular focus on protein chemistry, benefit from looking at protein structures and understanding how proteins are built and fold. Due to their three-dimensional nature, static two-dimensional representations in textbooks can be limiting to student learning. Here, we developed a series of tutorials that introduce students to molecular graphics software. The students are challenged to apply the software to look at proteins and to get a deeper understanding of how amino acid properties are linked to structure. We also familiarize students with some of the latest tools in computational structural biology. Students performed the tutorials with visual enthusiasm and reported general satisfaction in being able to visualize theoretical concepts learned during lectures. We further stimulated student engagement by allowing space for self-exploration. We share the tutorial instructions for other teachers to build on them, and we also offer suggestions for further improvement based on student feedback. In summary, we present a series of tutorials aimed at students of an advanced course in protein biochemistry to enable them to explore the universe of protein structures and how those relate to function.

Assessment of Nutrition Knowledge, Perceived Stress, Physical Activity and Nutritional Status of Undergraduate Students of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria

Assessment of Nutrition Knowledge, Perceived Stress, Physical Activity and Nutritional Status of Undergraduate Students of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria

A project‐based learning mode for science students: Fluorescent protein expression in trypanosomes

AbstractAn effective, practical approach for incorporating molecular biology tools to biology and biochemistry students is described. For 6 weeks, students are exposed to bacterial transformation, plasmid DNA purification and analysis, parasite transfection, ectopic expression of fluorescent proteins, fluorescence microscopy, and flow cytometry analysis. This research‐oriented laboratory course delves into theoretical and practical concepts of basic techniques in molecular biology to emphasize the logical connections between the obtained results and the resolution of problems that arise daily in a research laboratory, training the students in planning, conducting, discussing, and presenting their own experiments and results.

Exploring Undergraduate Biochemistry Students' Gesture Production Through an Embodied Framework.

Interpreting three-dimensional models of biological macromolecules is a key skill in biochemistry, closely tied to students' visuospatial abilities. As students interact with these models and explain biochemical concepts, they often use gesture to complement verbal descriptions. Here, we utilize an embodied cognition-based approach to characterize undergraduate students' gesture production as they described and interpreted an augmented reality (AR) model of potassium channel structure and function. Our analysis uncovered two emergent patterns of gesture production employed by students, as well as common sets of gestures linked across categories of biochemistry content. Additionally, we present three cases that highlight changes in gesture production following interaction with a 3D AR visualization. Together, these observations highlight the importance of attending to gesture in learner-centered pedagogies in undergraduate biochemistry education.

Breast Cancer Awareness and Practice of Self-Breast Examination among Biochemistry Students in Federal University Birnin Kebbi Nigeria

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the breast cancer awareness and practice of self-breast examination amongst female biochemistry students and to find out the statistically significant association between their level of practice regarding self-breast examination with their selected sociodemographic variables. Materials and Methods: The research design used for this study was a descriptive survey, purposive sampling technique was used to select 60 Biochemistry Students at Federal University Birnin Kebbi, Nigeria. This research was conducted within ten months (from January 2023 to October 2023). Data were collected using structures related to breast cancer awareness and the practice of self-breast examination. The collected data were tabulated in Excel and transported to IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0. Results: The results showed that the majority of 38 (63.3%) had moderate, 17 (28.3%) had adequate and only 5 (8.3%) had an inadequate level of awareness regarding breast cancer. Therefore, the H0:1 hypothesis was rejected, whereas the H1:1 hypothesis was accepted. The results revealed that, out of 60 (100%) respondents, all of them had a positive attitude toward self-breast examination. Hence, the H0:2 hypothesis was rejected, whereas the H1:2 hypothesis was accepted. The results showed that there was a statistically significant association between their levels of awareness regarding breast cancer with their selected sociodemographic variables such as area of residence (urban) P &lt; 0.001. Hence, the H0:3 hypothesis was rejected, whereas the H1:3 hypothesis was accepted. Conclusion: There was a statistically significant association between their levels of awareness regarding breast cancer with their selected sociodemographic variables such as area of residence (urban). The recommendation was given to conduct a similar study in a different setting using a large sample for generalisation of the findings.

A Qualitative Description of Biochemistry Students’ Visuospatial Reasoning Difficulties Associated with Amino Acid Models

The adoption of multimedia learning tools, including visual models in biochemistry, has increased considerably over the last few decades. Adopting these tools necessitates the development of visual literacy competencies, such as visuospatial reasoning, for students to learn effectively. The extent to which biochemistry students have the necessary visuospatial reasoning skills to learn from visual models effectively is a subject of continuing research. The current qualitative research sought to describe biochemistry students’ visuospatial reasoning difficulties associated with amino acids. Seven purposively selected students were interviewed using a semi-structured protocol to solicit their learning difficulties when asked to perform specific tasks related to visuospatial reasoning. The research question explored in this study is: “What are biochemistry students’ visuospatial reasoning difficulties associated with amino acids models?” Learning difficulties related to perceiving spatial orientation, mental rotation, interpreting colour codes, and generating a visual model depicting spatial depth were identified. Identifying and describing these learning difficulties could help teachers adopt remediation strategies to enhance content understanding. The researcher concludes that students may not always have the visuospatial reasoning skills required for successful learning in biochemistry. Given the complex nature of visual literacy, the researcher recommends explicit remediation strategies to address learning difficulties associated with visuospatial reasoning in biochemistry.

Impromptu yet effective conduct of Jigsaw to teach a topic in biochemistry for first MBBS students

Jigsaw technique as a teaching modalities is an important and fascinating mode of teaching students a particular topic in an effective and interesting manner. Though the effectiveness of Jigsaw implementation is documented by many researchers, not only for medical science subjects but also for various topics in chemistry, engineering and nursing courses, it’s application and feasibility is often being questioned. Many researchers find the implementation of Jigsaw a daunting task, which requires a lot of time, planning and number of resource person. This article emphasises upon feasibility of Jigsaw implementation and its effectiveness in spite of all odds like limitation of resource faculty, time, space etc.In this study Jigsaw planning was done impromptu for revision of the topic “Enzyme” for students of biochemistry in first MBBS. 49 out of total 62 students of batch A reported for tutorial session. They were divided into 6 experts groups[EG1-EG6]. Each EG was given one sub topic out of above. They were instructed to discuss it among their peers in EG. Later one student from each EG was mobilised to create home group[HG].Total 8 HG were thus created and the students were asked to discuss their subtopic in HG in sequential manner; which means first of all student from EG-1 discusses the sub topic to rest of the members of his/her own HG, next the student from EG 2 explains the sub topic to rest of the members of his/her own HG. This fashion all the sub topics were sequentially discussed in all the HG parallelly and the whole topic of enzyme was discussed in each HG in peer assisted learning fashion. Students were later asked to write reflection on this activity.Same activity was repeated for batch B students.During analysis of reflection it was found that this exercise was appreciated by majority of students, and they perceived this activity as an interesting and effective modality of teaching learning. They even wanted repetition of Jigsaw activity in future for various other topics.It is concluded that in-spite of limitation of time and limited faculty backup, Jigsaw can be effectively implemented for benefit of students in a short notice.

Enhancing complex bioprocess learning through simulation technology and hybrid teaching: A case study in university education.

The utilization of computer simulators in university education is progressively being embraced to offer students a practical exposure to industrial bioprocesses. Bioreactor computer simulators hold various advantages over conventional laboratory experiments, such as cost-effectiveness and enhanced safety. The research objective is to assess the effectiveness of integrating bioreactor computer simulators into hybrid teaching to promote active and collaborative learning experiences and evaluate their impact on student participation and understanding. A hybrid strategy combining synchronous, face-to-face, and online teaching has been implemented to enhance the teaching-learning processes in the Industrial Bioprocesses course for Biochemistry students. The simulation software BIOSTAT®T Yeast was used. This software models the production of ethanol with Saccharomyces cerevisiae through batch cultivation and the determination of the kLa value of a bioreactor. In the first simulation activity, students analyzed the software response based on parameter values input by the instructor, while in the second simulation activity, students autonomously used the computer simulator under the primary oversight of the instructor. The survey results indicate that the pedagogical innovation was positively received and significantly motivating for the students. Comparing student satisfaction surveys between the two simulation activities suggests that fostering student autonomy and engagement through simulation technology can improve satisfaction and learning outcomes in bioprocess education.

Enhancing teaching effectiveness in biochemistry labs: Author reflections and improvement strategies.

This article details the outcome of a joint reflective approach undertaken by the authors to identify common difficulties experienced by 2nd-year undergraduate Biochemistry students in laboratory classes. Difficulties experienced in laboratories can affect the development of hand skills, an understanding of how to correctly operate laboratory equipment and the linkage between didactic content and their experimental demonstration. These difficulties covered were identified based on their common appearance across multiple cohorts and are grouped into five broad areas. The context of the laboratory exercises is detailed and the common difficulties experienced by students are outlined. The potential causes of these difficulties are then discussed along with the approaches and strategies that were implemented to help resolve future occurrences. The approach and resources developed to address these difficulties may help other Biochemistry educators who are facing similar experiences with their undergraduate students.

Student entrepreneurship is more popular than ever – but how can biochemistry students get involved?

Many well-known businesses have been founded by students while at university including Facebook, Snapchat, and Google, but can biochemistry students also be part of this entrepreneurial revolution?

Self-learning by Using Code-Based Games: An Easy Way to Learn Biomolecule’s Nomenclature

The Montessori method was an educational model devised at the beginning of the 20th century by the Italian pedagogue, physician, psychologist, and psychiatrist María Montessori (1870-1952). She observed that her students activated their intelligence and developed their personality by carrying out manual activities. In recent years, one of the activities that she used, gamification, is currently booming in teaching. Games based in words or letters are often used in language learning, either in presential lessons or in mobile applications. In our teaching innovation group (GINDOC-UB/180), we proposed to adapt those word games using codes so that students could achieve a self-learning on the nomenclature of biomolecules, thus improving their knowledge in metabolism. These code-based games were proposed to Biochemistry students at the Chemistry degree of the Universitat de Barcelona. Games were posted on the Virtual Campus using Moodle. A code is part of a communicative system, and it is defined as a set of elements that allows a message to be decoded. In biochemistry, the best-known code is the genetic code that translates 3 nucleotides to an amino acid. The code allows the students to see that it is a degenerated code, and it was the first code-based game used. Nevertheless, only 20 amino acids are involved, and some letters are missing. Thus, we also used other codes such as numeric codes, Morse code, Braille system code, or codes from other alphabets (Japanese katakana or hiragana, Cyrillic alphabet, Arabic alphabet, or runic alphabet). In this work some examples of the games that can be proposed to the students are shown. Proposed games were highly valued by students and allowed a self-learning on the proposed biomolecules. Games based on the genetic code were easier and more enjoyable for the students to solve, and they provided them with additional biochemical knowledge of protein translation.

Assessment of learning styles using VARK model in first year undergraduate medical students

In the assimilation and processing of information, students favor different choices. Fleming described the VARK learning style model that includes a questionnaire which enables us to recognize a person’s sensory modality preference in learning. It categorizes the learning styles into four: visual (V), aural (A), read/write (R), and kinesthetic (K).1) To assess the learning styles of first year MBBS students of a Private Medical College in Kerala and find out prevalence of unimodal and multimodal learners. 2) To find association between scores of students in anatomy, biochemistry and physiology and their VARK categories. 3) To determine the association between gender and VARK categories.A cross-sectional self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted among first year undergraduate medical students in a private medical college in Kerala. VARK questionnaire, consists of 16 multiple choice questions, was distributed to the participants after obtaining written consent. Scores of their internal assessment were also collected. The data was analyzed and the learning styles were presented as percentages. Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to find the association between learning styles and gender, and the scores in internal assessment. The total number of students enrolled for the study was100. Age ranged from 17 to 22 years and females constituted 62%. It was observed that 84% students were unimodal, out of which Kinesthetic (45.2%) was the most preferred. There were 12 bimodal and 4 trimodal learners. No association between learning styles and gender as well as between learning styles and academic performance based on written and practical exams of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry were found. We found there were notable differences between males and females in unimodal kinesthetic and auditory learners in certain scores.The present study reported that unimodal learners were more frequent than bimodal and trimodal learners. There were no quadrimodal learners. The preferred method of learning amongst unimodal learners was the kinesthetic style. We found no association between gender and the preferred learning style. The study also found that there was no association between academic performance (scores) and their learning styles.

USING CASE BASED LEARNING TO FOSTER CRITICAL LEARNING IN MEDICAL BIOCHEMISTRY

The interventional study was conducted in the Department of Biochemistry, Nishtar Medical Hospital, from January 2021 to January 2022 to analyze the impact of case-based learning on first-year biochemistry students' critical thinking skills and creative abilities. The study was conducted on 1st year MBBS students who had undergone CBL. A total of 60 students were included in the study. Study participants were randomly divided into a study group (n=30) and a control group (n=30). Pre-test questionnaires were administered to both groups; the control group was then seated in a separate room, and the study group was randomly subdivided into subgroups I, II, and III. Sub-groups were asked to design study cases on given topics and discuss the designed case with each other. The control group was asked to study the same topics individually. All participants then underwent a post-test. Responses were recorded. Results showed that the pre-test score (out of 20) in the study group ranged from 8.5-16.5 and in the control group from 9-17, which means that there was no significant difference between both groups before intervention (P&gt;0.05). Post-test scores in the control group ranged from 8-17 and in the study group from 12-19, and this difference between the scores was statistically significant. Results showed that case-based learning increases students' critical thinking skills and enables them to consider alternatives, imagine possibilities, and seek solutions.

Online Science Instruction Can Promote Adolescents' Autonomy Need Satisfaction: a Latent Growth Curve Analysis.

This research examined the differential motivational effects of a pre-college science enrichment program delivered in both online and in-person learning formats. Using self-determination theory as a guiding framework, we hypothesized that (a) students would exhibit growth in their perceived satisfaction of needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, (b) online learning would be associated with greater growth in autonomy, and (c) in-person learning would be associated with greater growth in both competence and relatedness. Using a sample of 598 adolescent participants, results of latent growth curve modeling indicated that satisfaction of the three needs grew unconditionally over the course of the program. However, format type was unrelated to growth in need satisfaction. Rather, this effect was found to be conditional upon the type of science project undertaken by students: astrophysics students exhibited significantly greater autonomy growth when receiving online instruction than did biochemistry students. Our findings suggest that online science learning can be just as effective in motivating students as in-person learning provided that the learning tasks are conducive to remote instruction.

Impact of social media on the academic performance of second-year medical students at a public sector medical college in Pakistan

Background and aim: The students are using a lot of social media in recent times which was not the case in old times. The excessive use of social media may have an impact on the annual academic performance of the students. We studied the impact of social media on academic performance. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among second-year medical students at a public sector medical college in Pakistan from 5th June 2022 till 5th July 2022. Informed consent was taken, and a validated questionnaire was designed to collect data and was hosted in Google Forms to allow students to fill out the questionnaire. Results: The Mean ± SD of the marks secured by the students in anatomy was 135±14.5, the average cumulative marks of students in physiology were 142±12.3, in biochemistry, the average cumulative marks were 154±13.1 and the mean of the total marks secured by the students in their first Professional examination was 431±33.4. Regarding grade distribution, in anatomy the median of the grades was 2.5±1.0, in physiology, the cumulative grade of students was 3.0±1.0, the cumulative grade of students in Biochemistry was 3.5±0.7. The combined grades of students for all the subjects were 3.0±1.0.

Strategy to Delve into Biochemical Pathways Which Include Oxidation and Reduction Based on the Concept of Total Carbon Oxidation Number of Biomolecules

Biochemistry students at the introductory level easily comprehend the importance of energy-yielding oxidation and reduction biochemical processes, but nevertheless, they fight with words “oxidation” and “reduction” (and with the corresponding adjectives, “oxidized” and “reduced”) applied in biochemistry textbooks to describe metabolic reactions. This is because, in general, comparison of biomolecules, of different atomic composition and bonding sequence, based on the oxidation state of individual atoms does not make it immediately apparent whether oxidation or reduction occurs in a metabolic step, or which one of the two biomolecules of a redox couple must be considered the oxidized and which one is the reduced form of the couple. Here we present a general and simple strategy, called TCON (total carbon oxidation number) strategy, which allows one to rationalize the use of the words oxidation and reduction in biochemistry. Application of the TCON strategy to compare any pair of biomolecules, or to analyze biochemical conversions, makes available an indicator number which unambiguously indicates whether oxidation or reduction is the correct word to be used. Examples are presented which demonstrate that the TCON strategy may provide a more satisfying understanding of metabolic pathways by exposing subtle chemical relations which exist between the assortment of metabolites participating in a biochemical pathway.

Differences between students in various programs in a biochemistry course in lecture attendance, engagement, and academic outcomes.

The positive relationship between lecture attendance and academic outcomes may be changing in the era of lecturing recordings. The objective of the study was to test this and to determine whether it varied between student cohorts. Consenting students in biochemistry from pharmacy, biomedical science, medical laboratory science, and nutrition programs, which had access to lecture recordings, signed in when attending lectures. Attendance was related to academic outcomes by regression analysis. Average attendance was low (≤19%) and declined significantly between years for most weeks. The students who attended ≥50% of lectures (≤17%) had higher marks than those that attended <50%. Overall regression analysis showed there were positive associations between most academic outcomes and lecture attendance or engagement (attendance and lecture recording access). However, these associations were weak or moderate for students in the pharmacy and biomedical science programs and were not apparent for students in the medical laboratory science and nutrition programs. In a separate survey, the most common reason for attending lectures was "I think I learn more by attending" and for not attending, was "Work commitments made it difficult to get to lectures." The main conclusion is that students of biochemistry should be encouraged to attend lectures, as the limited evidence suggests that attendance may still be associated with better academic outcomes and that some students find them beneficial.

Assessment of alcohol-induced aggressive behavior in zebrafish (Danio rerio): A practical class.

Ethanol (EtOH) is among the most consumed drugs in the world. The behavior of humans after ingestion of this drug is characteristic: At low doses it may be excitatory and at higher doses, it may induce depressant/sedative effects. Similar effects are observed in the zebrafish experimental model (Danio rerio), which has about 70% genetic similarity with humans and has been widely used in numerous research. With the objective of improving the learning of biochemistry students, this work aimed to develop a practical exercise in the laboratory for students to observe the behavioral repertoire of zebrafish under the effects of exposure to ethanol. Through this practical class, the students were able to observe the similarity of the behavior of the animal model with that of humans, showing its importance for the consolidation of knowledge, awakening in the students an interest in science and its applications in everyday life.