An undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course with an emphasis on a research experience

In their junior or senior year, biochemistry majors at the University of Detroit Mercy are required to take a two‐credit biochemistry laboratory course. Five years ago, the format of this course was changed from structured experiments to a more project‐based approach. Several structured experiments were included at the beginning of the course because not all students were familiar with computer‐based statistics and graphics programs or fundamental biochemical techniques. Finally, students were given an enzyme purification assignment and a test/control project. In the latter project, students were provided with tissue from test and control animals and were expected to propose and test a parameter that they hypothesized might be different between the two tissues. For both projects, student teams were required to search the literature, submit and orally defend their proposals, perform the experiments, and submit a report. For all experiments except the test/control project, students submitted a written report in the style of a journal paper. A poster presentation was required for the test/control project. In course evaluations, the students cited a high degree of satisfaction with the project‐based approach.