Introducing Research Papers into a Second Year Undergraduate Life Science Module to Promote Active Learning

Abstract

In large class university science courses, there is a great challenge to apply active learning methods and impart to the students essential skills in critical analysis and thinking, independent learning and problem solving. In this article, I describe an approach where traditional textbook-based teaching was systematically replaced by the use of research papers. In this approach, research papers were used for teaching, assignments and formal assessments. During the classes, important concepts were explained and then applied to real life research problems. In two assignments, students were required to read research papers independently and then apply the gained knowledge. The assignments included a commentary on a specific research paper, a drawn diagram on a disease pathway and most recently, a video assignment to describe a specific cellular aspect related to aging. In the formal assignments, students were given a specific research paper beforehand and then had to understand the content in detail. The actual assessment consisted of interpretation of research data derived from the paper. As a result of these changes, memorization was completely eliminated from the module. Based on individual student comments and a formal poll, the overwhelming majority of students felt that they had gained useful skills. Furthermore, the majority of students expressed that they preferred the research paper-based method of teaching and assessment over traditional lecture-based teaching. These outcomes show that even in large science classes, it is possible to engage the students in active learning. The skills obtained are likely to be advantageous for students during their subsequent modules and undergraduate research projects as well as in the long term preparation for their professional life.