Students' preferred teaching techniques for biochemistry in biomedicine and medicine courses

A cord of four strands: Perspective of pre-medical and medical students on combined teaching modalities in undergraduate biochemistry

Despite being a traditional coursework for pre-medical and medical students around the globe, biochemistry education suffers from a lack of positive appreciation due to the nature of the subject combined with deficiency of teaching modalities. A first semester biochemistry course was designed to include four different teaching modalities: lectures, recitations, case studies, and student presentations. A multi-item, anonymous, and voluntary questionnaire was distributed to students who had just completed the course and to those who had taken it the previous year. The questionnaire asked students to evaluate the course and how the different modalities affected their learning. These questionnaires took place in a two-year period between 2020 and 2021. Eighty-six (46%) of 186 total students responded. The vast majority of respondents agreed with the use of multimodal teaching techniques with respect to its impact on overall preparedness for future coursework, understanding, and enjoyability. Lectures and recitations were found to be the most useful in information retention and learning, although the same were found to be less enjoyable than other modalities. Although case studies and presentations were found to be enjoyable, most students ranked them low in terms of information retention and were the most voted to be removed from the course. There was general agreement between premedical and medical students' perception on the usefulness of the multimodal teaching techniques with respect to medical biochemistry modules and standardized exams. The agreement between cohorts suggests the premedical students accurately evaluated the usefulness of the course for the following year and validates the usefulness of the premedical student surveys. Use of multiple modalities in biochemistry education can be of substantial benefit in engaging and preparing students for further education.

An integrated laboratory experiment for the determination of main components in different food samples

An integrated laboratory experiment was designed for introducing biochemistry students to basic static biochemistry to deepen their understanding on the properties and analysis of biomolecules such as total carbohydrates, lipid, protein, and protein-constituent amino acids. Food represents a very important source of biomolecules of technological and functional interest; therefore, 15 types of food samples were selected to demonstrate the analysis of basic composition of these biomolecules. In this experiment, students learnt testing the total carbohydrates of all the food samples using 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) method, while performing acid hydrolysis. Then, lipid extraction was done using Soxhlet extraction method in order to determine the crude lipid concentration in different samples. After this, the students learnt testing crude protein content of these samples by using Kjeldahl method, and amino acid analysis was performed using HPLC. From the experiments, students grasped the concept and advantages of these methods and deepened their understanding on compositional analysis of different food samples. This laboratory exercise can be included into any college-level biochemistry courses and gives hands-on experience to the students for conducting scientific research in the field of life sciences, food science, and other bio-related fields.

Indian Medical Undergraduates' Perceptions of Effective Teaching Methods: A Cross-Sectional Study

INTRODUCTION

It becomes a challenge for a teacher to find a student-friendly approach to teach too many students in a class. The teaching methods used during medical education have a significant impact on learning among medical students. A practical and informative teaching technique is considered an essential component of that education. The present study aimed to determine the best interactive teaching method based on Indian medical undergraduates' perceptions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The current investigation was a cross-sectional descriptive study that included 100 undergraduate medical students. A structured sample class on a specified topic was conducted using Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) and a "chalk and talk" (CNT) method. Students' opinions of the class were assessed via a Likert scale questionnaire in which, for each of the two methods, the students were asked to rank twelve comments on a four-point scale: strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree. Descriptive statistics were calculated to evaluate the distributions of their responses. The z test for two proportions was used to test a significant difference in respondents' proportions towards various perceptions regarding the two teaching methods under study. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22.

RESULTS

Students understood the lesson content better when the teacher used the CNT approach (p<0.005). The CNT method was also associated with better interaction than the PPT technique (p=0.03) and facilitated better student concentration and retention of the class content (p=0.03). The students reported that there was less eye contact associated with the PPT technique (61%) but found the content thus delivered fascinating (78%), informative (91%), and organized (85%) as compared to the CNT approach.

CONCLUSION

The traditional CNT approach is an effective classroom teaching method. The current study highlights student preferences for a combined teaching method that includes CNT and PPT.

Effective physiology teaching methods: from the perspective of first year MBBS students

BACKGROUND

Students who took admission in first year MBBS course used to study physiology, anatomy and biochemistry for one and half years. Since a decade the first year course duration was reduced to one year unaltering the syllabus in the three basic subjects. So students are focusing on the easy ways to clear the university exams by accepting the concise books, which is dampening the real quality of the subject knowledge. This study is aimed at understanding the best methods of physiology teaching in the lecture gallery, from the student's perspective.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present study was undertaken at a private medical college in southern part of India in Telangana state, on 100 students who took admission in first year MBBS course, in the academic year 2015-2016. Out of 100, 36 are boys and 64 are girl students. Distributed a question paper which is having 2 sets of questions. First question is having three statements regarding the teaching methods namely; chalk and blackboard teaching, over head projection teaching and power point teaching. Students were asked to choose the best statement which they prefer. Second question is consisting of combination of teaching methods and they are; chalk and blackboard with over head projection teaching method, chalk and blackboard with power point presentation. Again the students were asked to choose one of the 2 statements in 2^nd question.

RESULTS

Students preference of teaching methods for understanding of physiology in percentage; chalk and blackboard-54, over head projection teaching-4, power point presentation-32, chalk and blackboard with over head projection-26, chalk and blackboard with power point presentation-64.

CONCLUSION

Majority of the students are in favor of a combination of chalk and blackboard with power point presentation for better understanding of physiology, next is chalk and blackboard teaching alone.

Writing on the board as students' preferred teaching modality in a physiology course

The introduction of PowerPoint presentation software has generated a paradigm shift in the delivery of lectures. PowerPoint has now almost entirely replaced chalkboard or whiteboard teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This study investigated whether undergraduate biology students preferred to have lectures delivered by PowerPoint or written on the board as well as the reasons behind their preference. Two upper-division physiology courses were surveyed over a period of 7 yr. A total of 1,905 students (86.7%) indicated they preferred lectures delivered by "writing on the board" compared to 291 students (13.3%) who preferred PowerPoint. Common themes drawn from explanations reported by students in favor of writing on the board included: 1) more appropriate pace, 2) facilitation of note taking, and 3) greater alertness and attention. Common themes in favor of PowerPoint included 1) increased convenience, 2) focus on listening, and 3) more accurate and readable notes. Based on the students' very strong preference for writing on the board and the themes supporting that preference, we recommend that instructors incorporate elements of the writing on the board delivery style into whatever teaching modality is used. If instructors plan to use PowerPoint, the presentation should be paced, constructed, and delivered to provide the benefits of lectures written on the board. The advantages of writing on the board can be also incorporated into instruction intended to occur outside the classroom, such as animated narrated videos as part of the flipped classroom approach.

Assessment of lecture strategy with different teaching AIDS

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Medical/dental colleges in Northern India cater to students with diverse backgrounds, mother tongues, levels of comprehending English, and intelligence levels. This study was conducted to identify lecture strategy and teaching aid best suited for North Indian dental and medical students. It was conducted in two parts - 1. Survey of teachers' and students' opinion to obtain their preferences in teaching-learning practices followed in a conventional lecture, and 2. Comparison of students' performances after a single trial lecture with different groups of students, using different teaching aids (TAs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Opinions of 33 faculty teaching first year dental/ medical students and 506 volunteer students (320 female) were compiled. Students were divided into four groups. A single trial lecture was held with each group (on the same topic, using identical lesson plan, by the same teacher) using a different teaching aid with each group. Lecture strategy was designed according to students' preferences (as obtained from opinion survey) regarding language of instruction and the number of mental breaks. TAs used with different groups were chalk and board (C&B), PowerPoint (PPT), overhead projector (OHP), and a combination of C&B and PPT. Pre- and post-tests using multiple choice questions were conducted with each group. RESULTS of post-test questionnaire and feedback from faculty attending the lecture were assessed for students' satisfaction and attentiveness in all four groups.

RESULTS

Survey results indicated that although 97.6% students believed they had good/fair proficiency in English, 83.6% preferred being taught in a combination of English and Hindi; 44.3% students preferred C&B, 40.1% preferred PPT and 15.6% preferred the use of OHP as TA. After conducting a trial lecture with different TAs with each group, more than 90% students expressed satisfaction with the TA used for that group. Significantly better performance was observed in the post-lecture test when C&B was used.

CONCLUSION

The needs of students in India are different from those of their Western counterparts, and should be considered during didactic lectures to improve the students' understanding. Post-test results were better when C&B was used, as more students were attentive and/or took notes.

Lecture classes in human anatomy: the students' perceptions

INTRODUCTION

The human anatomy, or in brief, the body structure has fascinated man for ages. Due to the information explosion and the increase in specializations, this knowledge is available in a very sketchy manner in high school biology courses. The first comprehensive course on the human anatomy is taught to the first year medical students in medical colleges. This is in keeping with the regulations of the Medical Council of India. The anatomy lecture classes occupy a considerable time of the course, to provide the students with an effective knowledge of the gross anatomy, histology, embryology and the clinical anatomy. On the other hand, the students' feedback regarding the lecture methods and the teaching environment is crucial in judging the efficacy of the present curriculum.

OBJECTIVE

To obtain the students' feedback about the environment of the lecture classes, as regards the venue, the teaching and learning aids which are used, the lecture class schedule of the university (the number of classes per week, the durations of the lecture classes, etc.) and the existing departmental practices (display of the class routine in advance, synchronization between the lecture and the practical classes), so that their suggestions could help the faculty in planning the most effective teaching procedures.

METHODS

A semi structured questionnaire was supplied to the students to get their feedback.

RESULT

Most of the students found the air conditioned seminar room's environment to be more comfortable and they supported the existing durations of the lecture hours with the combined use of chalk and a board and overhead projectors (OHPs).

CONCLUSION

The perceptions of the learners helped in modifying the departmental practice in the desired way.

Teaching arrangements of carbohydrate metabolism in biochemistry curriculum in Peking University Health Science Center

Biochemistry occupies a unique place in the medical school curricula, but the teaching of biochemistry presents certain challenges. One of these challenges is facilitating students' interest in and mastery of metabolism. The many pathways and modes of regulation can be overwhelming for students to learn and difficult for professors to teach in an engaging manner. The first chapter of the metabolism section in current Chinese biochemistry textbooks covers carbohydrate metabolism. Medical students usually complain about the difficulty of this subject. Here we discuss how to facilitate learning by rearranging the subjects in this introductory chapter of biochemical metabolism and to lay a solid foundation for future study. The strategy involves reorganizing the order in which subjects are taught from simple to complex and from short to long metabolic pathways. Most students taking the curriculum consider that the strategy engages their learning interests in biochemistry and enhances their learning outcomes.

Improved performance of students instructed in a hybrid PBL format

As a result of enrollment expansion, increasing numbers of students are entering into medical school in China. This combined with a shortage of teachers, means that the learning environment typically consists of a large classroom setting with traditional lecture-based learning (LBL) as the major mode to teaching and learning. In this article, we investigate the preferences for hybrid problem-based learning (hybrid-PBL) or LBL in a large classroom setting. Two hundred five second-year undergraduate students in Third Military Medical University were randomly divided to two groups. The hybrid-PBL group contained 101 students and was taught by hybrid LBL (60%) and tutor-less PBL(40%) in a large classroom. The LBL group consisted of 104 students and was taught by LBL in a large classroom too. Post-teaching performance was assessed by multiple choice questions, short-essay questions, and case-analysis questions, while the students' teaching preferences and satisfaction were assessed by questionnaires. Analysis of the results of both groups in the examination of biochemistry revealed significantly higher scores on short-essay questions and case-analysis questions in the hybrid-PBL group. Students considered hybrid-PBL to be an effective learning method and favored it over the lecture format. Furthermore, students reported positive effects of hybrid-PBL in terms of additional learning resources, critical thinking, and fun learning experiences. These results suggest that hybrid-PBL is better than the traditional LBL method at improving students' basic knowledge and problem-solving skills. Students preferred hybrid-PBL and were satisfied with it. The tutor-less PBL pattern in a large classroom setting may be feasible in Chinese medical schools.