ERIC Number: EJ772872
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2002-May
Pages: 6
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1470-8175
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Available Date: N/A
Dealing with the Challenges of Teaching Molecular Biophysics to Biochemistry Majors through an Heuristics-Based Approach
Castanho, Miguel A. R. B.
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, v30 n3 p163-168 May 2002
The main distinction between the overlapping fields of molecular biophysics and biochemistry resides in their different approaches to the same problems. Molecular biophysics makes more use of physical techniques and focuses on quantitative data. This difference encounters two difficult pedagogical challenges when teaching molecular biophysics to biochemistry majors; an aversion to math, "Mathematophobia", combined with little appreciation for the importance of models in scientific progress. To overcome these problems, I have used an heuristic approach to student learning. Although inspired by problem-based learning, it has a lesser demand for material resources and can be managed by a single teacher in small classes. This approach is especially suited for elective courses in the final years of a program of study. It consists of teaching/touching the art of discovery by turning laboratories into original research projects and lectures into seminars. (Contains 4 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Majors (Students), Teaching Methods, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Problem Based Learning, Elective Courses, Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Science Instruction, College Science, Mathematical Applications, Heuristics, Discovery Learning, Science Laboratories
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
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