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Creation and implementation of a flipped jigsaw activity to stimulate interest in biochemistry among medical students
Author(s) -
Williams Charlene,
Perlis Susan,
Gaughan John,
Phadtare Sangita
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
biochemistry and molecular biology education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.34
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1539-3429
pISSN - 1470-8175
DOI - 10.1002/bmb.21126
Subject(s) - jigsaw , memorization , comprehension , relevance (law) , flipped classroom , active learning (machine learning) , cooperative learning , mathematics education , computer science , medical education , psychology , teaching method , medicine , artificial intelligence , political science , law , programming language
Abstract Learner‐centered pedagogical methods that are based on clinical application of basic science concepts through active learning and problem solving are shown to be effective for improving knowledge retention. As the clinical relevance of biochemistry is not always apparent to health‐profession students, effective teaching of medical biochemistry should highlight the implications of biochemical concepts in pathology, minimize memorization, and make the concepts memorable for long‐term retention. Here, we report the creation and successful implementation of a flipped jigsaw activity that was developed to stimulate interest in learning biochemistry among medical students. The activity combined the elements of a flipped classroom for learning concepts followed by a jigsaw activity to retrieve these concepts by solving clinical cases, answering case‐based questions, and creating concept maps. The students' reception of the activity was very positive. They commented that the activity provided them an opportunity to review and synthesize information, helped to gage their learning by applying this information and work with peers. Students' improved performance especially for answering the comprehension‐based questions correctly in the postquiz as well as the depth of information included in the postquiz concept maps suggested that the activity helped them to understand how different clinical scenarios develop owing to deviations in basic biochemical pathways. Although this activity was created for medical students, the format of this activity can also be useful for other health‐professional students as well as undergraduate and graduate students. © 2018 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46:343–353, 2018.