Problem-based biochemistry practicals for students of environmental and marine biology.

Problem-based learning (PBL) techniques have been introduced in a number of professional education and training programmes, most comprehensively and enthusiastically in medical schools [ 1.21. There is increasing interest in the use of PBL techniques in biochemistry and the journal “Biochemical Education” now includes a regular “PBL Page”. The range of techniques encompassed within the general term PBL is wide and includes problem solving, data handling and topic teaching, examples of each of these having appeared recently in the above journal. The use of PBL is frequently supported by reference to its apparent success at encouraging students to achieve learning in depth, to develop those skills required for life-long learning and for dealing with real-life problems [3]. Research into the effectiveness of PBL curncula is still limited but reviews and meta-analyses of PBL applied to medicine in particular have appeared recently [1,2] There are many situations in which PBL may act as a positive means of motivating students to study disciplines that they regard as marginal to their real interests. We have found PBL to be very useful when teaching biochemistry to students of environmental and marine biology. At Plymouth biochemistry is offered within a modular degree frameworh with six modules per Semester. At Stage I , all students registered on the Biological Sciences and Marine Biology degree programmes are required to study biochemistry in Semester 1. In Semester 2 biochemistry continues for those on the Biological Sciences degree but not for those studying Marine Biology Single Honours. Dunng Stage 2 (Semesters 3 and 4), biochemistry is again compulsory in Semester 3 for Biological Sciences students but there are two optional modules available. One of these (BIO 222) is tailored to those students whose primary interests are in the molecular / cellular / physiological aspects of biology whilst the other (BIOE 248) is tailored to those students whose interests are in the physiological / environmental I ecological aspects of biology. The latter module is also available to students of marine biology as an elective and i t has been designed to support those students planning to study ecotoxicology modules in Stage 3 (Semesters 5 and 6). The BIOE 248 module “Environmental Biology Molecular Aspects’’ was offered for the first time in October 1995 and was taken by 56 students, 15 of whom were registered for Marine Biology Honours, the rest intending t o study Biological Sciences with an emphasis on environmental and ecological aspects. The new module was designed with several aims: