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Using pre‐post assessment data to investigate incorrect ideas that students bring to undergraduate biochemistry courses

Successful learning in biochemistry depends on correct understanding of a number of basic concepts from general chemistry and biology. This presentation examines data showing that an instrument can be used to identify common incorrect ideas from prior coursework at the beginning of a biochemistry course and to determine whether these ideas have changed by the end of the course. For the current study, a common instrument was administered as a pretest and posttest in majors level biochemistry courses at different institutions, and the results from several institutions are presented. The instrument measures seven different concepts, with three multiple‐choice items for each concept (Villafañe et al., 2010). Positive student learning gains were observed in some, but not all concept areas. A subset of similar incorrect ideas was identified across institutions. The current state of data analysis and the implications of this work will be discussed, including the importance of using a diagnostic instrument to assess students' understanding of basic concepts at the beginning of the semester, but also the need to assess students near the end of a course to gain insight on the effectiveness of instruction.