Open‐ended assignments and student responsibility

Abstract

An inquiry-based laboratory course was created in an effort to increase student responsibility in learning and to improve teaching in areas related to molecular medicine. Authentic medical cases with both scientific and clinical aspects formed the basis of a project-oriented course that also included student laboratory work focused on the disease-related proteins. Students used basic biochemical techniques to develop and test hypotheses relating their results to the clinical findings. The course also included patient demonstrations to personalize students' knowledge of case presentations, lectures on basic biochemical principles relevant to the molecular basis of the cases, and seminars by invited guests with expertise in translational medicine. Students developed proposals for future research as part of the final examination. An inquiry matrix was used to evaluate the degree of learning responsibility taken during the course. By allowing for openness in how to explore the case including choice of methods and interpretation of unexpected results, students gained confidence in their ability to solve problems, formulate and test hypotheses, and collaborate with both clinical and non-clinical professionals.Keywords: Protein biochemistry, interprofessional, case methodology, undergraduate education.Independent and critical thinking and problem-solving are among the desired outcomes of successful university education [1]. The student's ability to explore a situation or problem needs to be encouraged in order to construct his or her own knowledge and thereby reach a higher level of understanding. Achieving this is to a large extent dependent on the degree of responsibility that students accept for their own learning. Several different methods of teaching can be employed in order to promote students' search for additional information, ability to pose questions, and desire to discuss solutions with each other and perform peer coaching [2,3]. In inquiry-based methods, learners are given case scenarios to stimulate their need for knowledge. Authentic cases provide realistic training grounds for students, while tutors on their part facilitate learning by encouraging critical reflection and challenging students' assumptions [4].An advantage with case-based methods is that they can be used to integrate different perspectives, e.g., medical and basic science. Future progress in relating protein functionality to disease will require collaboration among several disciplines including both those with and without direct patient contact. However, structural and molecular biology training has often focused on methodology, and thus does not attract medically trained students. Thereby, medical students are restricted from getting a comprehensive understanding of disease-related molecular mechanisms. In addition, students from biomedical and engineering disciplines typically acquire only very limited knowledge of clinical problems and diseases during their undergraduate studies. Yet these students will play an important future role in ...

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