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Active learning in a biochemistry classroom

A common problem in introductory biochemistry courses is the volume of information that must be covered in the standard quarter or semester. This can quickly become overwhelming to the students, who are faced with mountains of information, no way to determine what is important to the professor, and little idea of how to apply this information to problems they may face in other classes or as professionals. I have found that using active learning, primarily in the form of worksheets completed in small groups, very effective at both narrowing the scope of information the students are expected to know and at exposing the students to “problems” that they may face outside the biochemistry classroom where biochemical knowledge will need to be applied. Because of the diverse needs and backgrounds of the students that take this course, I still need to cover a set amount of material in the first semester of biochemistry. I liked the idea of employing active learning in my course; however, because of the amount of content necessary, I could not utilize this teaching style every day. As a result, I have hybridized active learning and lecture to one day of each style per week. This has had the benefit of targeting different learning styles. In narrative evaluations, students have commented that they appreciate both styles, but prefer one or the other. By using both teaching styles, the learning needs of more students are satisfied.