<br/>Understanding the dynamics and regulation of biochemical pathways is a crucial component of learning in biochemistry and has been identified as a threshold concept in the discipline. Yet much remains to be learned about students’ conceptions in this area and how instruction influences learning. The purpose of this study was to develop and use an assessment instrument to measure student understanding of biochemical pathway dynamics and regulation using a context that is infrequently encountered in introductory biochemistry courses (threonine metabolism). A community of biochemistry educators was involved in an iterative process of designing and testing the instrument and accompanying rubric. The instrument was administered as part of the final exam at two different institutions over several terms. Over 3000 student responses were collected and 10% of those were randomly selected for scoring by two independent raters. Results from this study can give instructors insight into persistent incorrect or incomplete ideas related to biochemical pathways. Furthermore, it identifies some of the challenges of meaningfully assessing students’ understanding of complex biochemical systems.

Development and use of a tool to assess students’ understanding of biochemical pathway dynamics and regulation

2019 Spring National Meeting

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