Resumen de Redesigning a One-Semester Biochemistry Class Using In-Class Activities to Achieve High Student Engagement
In-class activities that use a collaborative learning approach were developed for a one-semester biochemistry course as a way to achieve higher student engagement. The redesign of this course from a traditional lecture to a format that incorporated a significant active learning component without reducing the amount of content is described. These activities provided a significant active learning component to the class and aided in breaking the lecture section into smaller chunks. Student motivation and engagement in the active-learning group was measured using the ASPECT quantitative survey. Written feedback was collected from students in a traditional lecture group and the active-learning group. Finally, student achievement of learning outcomes was measured by comparing exam averages and performance on key short-answer questions on the exams. These results showed that by incorporating in-class activities into traditional lecture using a collaborative learning approach, students reported high engagement and that they felt the activities helped them learn the material.
