Student performance in medical biochemistry and genetics: comparing campus-based versus zoom-based lecture delivery.

BACKGROUND: We appraised the effectiveness of online (Zoom) delivery versus live campus-based delivery of lectures in biochemistry and genetics courses and assessed the security of remote versus campus-administered exams. METHODS: Participants were 601 students entering Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2019 or 2020. The former cohort completed courses and exams on campus, while the latter completed courses online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the biochemistry and genetics courses, the same lecturers delivered the same content and used identical exam questions for assessments in 2019 and 2020. The investigators compared percent correct for each question in 2019 and 2020. RESULTS: This study found 84 of 126 (67%) of the questions yielded little difference (3% or less in % correct) between live delivery and Zoom delivery. For questions whose % correct index differed by 4% or more, Zoom delivery yielded a better performance for 16 questions (13%), while 19 questions (15%) showed live lectures performed better. Seven of the questions (6%) had an identical mode of delivery in 2019 and 2020 (e.g., self-study exercise). These served as "control questions" for which equivalent student performance was expected. The 126 questions analyzed spanned a wide range in the % correct index, from 60% correct to > 90% correct. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that Zoom and on-campus delivery of the content in biochemistry and genetics yielded similar achievement of course objectives. The high concordance, between 2019 and 2020, of the % correct for individual questions also speaks to exam security including online proctoring.

Understanding Student Characteristics in the Development of Active Learning Strategies.

Student evaluations after non-lecture, active learning sessions at Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, have yielded bipartite responses with one group responding favorably and the other group negatively. The purpose of this study was to understand the characteristics, motivation, and learning strategies of medical students that find value in, appreciate, and perceive active learning sessions to be beneficial and those of students that do not. We generated a survey, based on the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), that included questions regarding overall student motivations for learning, learning strategies that students employed throughout medical school, and their perceptions of active learning. Following an active learning session on hyperammonemia, we administered the modified MSLQ survey. Using the results of this survey, we validated the modified MSLQ and identified correlations between student characteristics and their perception of the active learning session. We found that, in general, students with high task value, intrinsic goal orientation, self-efficacy for learning and performance, and control of learning beliefs felt more positively about their experience in the active learning session. Understanding the characteristics, motivations, and learning strategies that help students find value in active learning sessions will help medical educators develop future curricular material so that these exercises will better engage and be more effective with a greater number of learners. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-022-01550-9.

Requirement of upstream Hfq-binding (ARN)x elements in glmS and the Hfq C-terminal region for GlmS upregulation by sRNAs GlmZ and GlmY.

Hfq is an important RNA-binding protein that helps bacteria adapt to stress. Its primary function is to promote pairing between trans-acting small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) and their target mRNAs. Identification of essential Hfq-binding motifs in up-stream regions of rpoS and fhlA led us to ask the question whether these elements are a common occurrence among other Hfq-dependent mRNAs as well. Here, we confirm the presence of a similar (ARN)(x) motif in glmS RNA, a gene controlled by two sRNAs (GlmZ and GlmY) in an Hfq-dependent manner. GlmZ represents a canonical sRNA:mRNA pairing system, whereas GlmY is non-canonical, interfacing with the RNA processing protein YhbJ. We show that glmS interacts with both Hfq-binding surfaces in the absence of sRNAs. Even though two (ARN)(x) motifs are present, using a glmS:gfp fusion system, we determined that only one specific (ARN)(x) element is essential for regulation. Furthermore, we show that residues 66-72 in the C-terminal extension of Escherichia coli Hfq are essential for activation of GlmS expression by GlmY, but not with GlmZ. This result shows that the C-terminal extension of Hfq may be required for some forms of non-canonical sRNA regulation involving ancillary components such as additional RNAs or proteins.