Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: This article describes efforts aimed at improving comprehension and retention of complex molecular mechanisms commonly studied in undergraduate biology and biochemistry courses. The focus is on the design of appropriate assessments, an active classroom emphasizing formative practice, and more effective out-of-class study habits. Assessments that require students to articulate their understanding through writing are the most effective. Frequent formative practice improves performance on problems that require intellectual transfer, the ability to apply conceptual principles in novel settings. We show that success with such problems is a function of mastery of the intrinsic logic of the biology in play, not variations in the way they are written. Survey data demonstrate that many students would prefer a learning style not dominated by memorization of factual details, but how to develop a more effective strategy is rarely intuitive. Matching individual students with specific learning styles has not proven useful. Instead, teachers can strongly promote individual metacognitive appraisal during both classroom activities and other study environments. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(1):7-21, 2018.
DOI: 10.1002/bmb.21081
Institution: Brigham Young University
Language: English
Topic: Innovative Teaching Methods
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: bronze
Award: G437492949
OpenAlex ID: W2754914872