Student Learning Outcomes and Attitudes when Biotechnology Lab Partners are of Different Academic Levels

Courses teaching fundamental concepts and methodologies in biochemistry and molecular biology can be beneficial for both undergraduate and graduate students alike. Should these courses be taught differently and separately to students of different levels? Anecdotal evidence has shown that students prefer pairing with someone of the same academic level. However, retention of main ideas in a peer learning environment has been shown to be greater when partners have dissimilar abilities. In our “Manipulation and Expression of Recombinant DNA” course, which can be taught as an advanced Biochemistry/Molecular Biology course, we tested the hypothesis that there will be enhanced student learning when lab partners are of different academic levels. Learning outcomes were met by both undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of pairing. Average undergraduate grades on every assessment method increased when paired with graduate students. Many of the average graduate student grades also increased modestly when paired with an undergraduate. Attitudes toward working with partners dramatically shifted. The work presented here suggests that offering dual‐level courses benefit students of all levels. This format is useful for institutions that wish to offer “boutique” courses where student enrollment may be low, but specialized equipment and faculty expertise is needed. This work was supported by the NCSU Biotechnology Program.