WIP: A novel problem-driven learning laboratory course in which biomedical engineering students conduct experiments of their own design to answer an authentic research question

Balakrishna Pai; Ketki Patil; Todd Fernandez; Paul Benkeser; Joseph LeDoux

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: Biomedical Engineering Division Poster Session
Page Count: 9
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--41519
Permanent URL: https://strategy.asee.org/41519
Download Count: 216

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Todd is a lecturer in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. His research interests are engineering students beliefs about knowledge and education and how those beliefs interact with the engineering education experience.

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Paul Benkeser Georgia Institute of Technology

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Paul J. Benkeser is a Professor and Senior Associate Chair in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University. He has been a member of the Georgia Tech faculty since September 1985. He received his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois. He was one of the founding faculty members of the Coulter Department in 1998 and served as its first Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies. His early research interests were in the areas of therapeutic and diagnostic application of ultrasound. After joining the Coulter Department his energies were redirected towards enhancing undergraduate biomedical engineering (BME) education, with particular interests in integrating problem-driven learning and global experiential learning opportunities into the BME curriculum. Dr. Benkeser has been active in engineering accreditation activities for ABET since 2002, serving in a number of capacities including as a program evaluator, EAC Commissioner, and member of its Board of Delegates. He was a co-recipient of the 2019 NAE Bernard M. Gordon Prize for Innovating in Engineering and Technology Education. He is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education, a senior member of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a fellow of the Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and a fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society.

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Joseph LeDoux Georgia Institute of Technology

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Abstract

Often, in traditional laboratory courses, students carry out “experiments” for which the results are already known, following protocols that they are expected to perform as written. Using this approach, students gain experience carrying out common laboratory techniques but the knowledge they gain has a routinized, ritualistic character. Students who are trained in this way, when confronted with a real-world challenge, will likely struggle, or even fail, to identify which techniques to use. This is because they have not been given the opportunity to practice what real research engineers do: which is to design and conduct experiments to answer authentic questions whose answers are not already known.

To address this gap, we designed an undergraduate Quantitative Engineering Physiology laboratory course in which students develop their own experimental protocols to answer novel biomedical problems they have identified. Students are introduced to a significant authentic biomedical challenge, such as cancer, and then challenged to work in teams to propose a novel approach for interfering with disease process that includes a research plan to evaluate the effectiveness of their idea. Students are provided with the resources they need to execute their research plan, including their choice of five human cancer cell systems.

The course is organized into four modules. The first two modules provide students with the foundational knowledge they need to identify a specific real-world problem having to do with cancer. The first module introduces students to cell culture techniques, including how these methods can be used to screen for compounds that are toxic to cancer cells. For example, students test a range of concentrations of nickel sulfate against the human glioblastoma cell line-U87 and assess cell viability after a 72-hour treatment. Students summarize their findings in a report that includes the details of the experimental and statistical methods used, key results including a cell toxicity curve and cell images, and their evaluation of the significance of their results. In module 2, the students review the literature, select a primary research article that is focused on cancer, and summarize the paper in an oral presentation. In module 3, students design a research strategy they expect will add to the existing cancer research knowledge base. Students share their proposal in an oral presentation and a written report in the format of a NIH grant proposal. Students receive feedback which they use to improve and finalize their research design. In module 4, the teams execute their research strategy with the cell line of their choice, and present their work orally and in a written report. In the report, findings are discussed in the context of creating value to the field.

In summary, in this course students conceptualize an authentic research question, design and carry out experiments to answer that question, and reflect on their learning experience. The course provides students with the opportunity to identify and solve an authentic research problem in a supportive cognitive apprenticeship environment[1, 2]. Each student leaves the course having learned a set of skills that is unique to their experience, that is not exactly the same as their peers, because they were given the freedom to choose which methodologies were appropriate to, and relevant for, their self-designed project.

Experience from the past several semesters show that this course provides a unique and powerful learning experience for students that prepares them to become effective biomedical engineering problem solvers. They express curiosity to find the problem for their study and use critical thinking to design strategies and carry out experiments to find solutions. Observations over the last several semesters suggest that the students 1) appreciate the opportunity to design their own project, 2) enjoy the experience of hands-on experimentation and 3) are excited about creating value for the field with their findings. Many students leave the course with deep and flexible knowledge of how to design and carry out experiments to answer authentic biomedical research question, as evidenced by the fact that several student projects have generated novel findings, some of which have been published in peer-reviewed journals.

Citation
Format

Pai, B., & Patil, K., & Fernandez, T., & Benkeser, P., & LeDoux, J. (2022, August), WIP: A novel problem-driven learning laboratory course in which biomedical engineering students conduct experiments of their own design to answer an authentic research question Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--41519

TY - CPAPER
AB -
Often, in traditional laboratory courses, students carry out “experiments” for which the results are already known, following protocols that they are expected to perform as written. Using this approach, students gain experience carrying out common laboratory techniques but the knowledge they gain has a routinized, ritualistic character. Students who are trained in this way, when confronted with a real-world challenge, will likely struggle, or even fail, to identify which techniques to use. This is because they have not been given the opportunity to practice what real research engineers do: which is to design and conduct experiments to answer authentic questions whose answers are not already known.

To address this gap, we designed an undergraduate Quantitative Engineering Physiology laboratory course in which students develop their own experimental protocols to answer novel biomedical problems they have identified. Students are introduced to a significant authentic biomedical challenge, such as cancer, and then challenged to work in teams to propose a novel approach for interfering with disease process that includes a research plan to evaluate the effectiveness of their idea. Students are provided with the resources they need to execute their research plan, including their choice of five human cancer cell systems.

The course is organized into four modules. The first two modules provide students with the foundational knowledge they need to identify a specific real-world problem having to do with cancer. The first module introduces students to cell culture techniques, including how these methods can be used to screen for compounds that are toxic to cancer cells. For example, students test a range of concentrations of nickel sulfate against the human glioblastoma cell line-U87 and assess cell viability after a 72-hour treatment. Students summarize their findings in a report that includes the details of the experimental and statistical methods used, key results including a cell toxicity curve and cell images, and their evaluation of the significance of their results. In module 2, the students review the literature, select a primary research article that is focused on cancer, and summarize the paper in an oral presentation. In module 3, students design a research strategy they expect will add to the existing cancer research knowledge base. Students share their proposal in an oral presentation and a written report in the format of a NIH grant proposal. Students receive feedback which they use to improve and finalize their research design. In module 4, the teams execute their research strategy with the cell line of their choice, and present their work orally and in a written report. In the report, findings are discussed in the context of creating value to the field.

In summary, in this course students conceptualize an authentic research question, design and carry out experiments to answer that question, and reflect on their learning experience. The course provides students with the opportunity to identify and solve an authentic research problem in a supportive cognitive apprenticeship environment[1, 2]. Each student leaves the course having learned a set of skills that is unique to their experience, that is not exactly the same as their peers, because they were given the freedom to choose which methodologies were appropriate to, and relevant for, their self-designed project.

Experience from the past several semesters show that this course provides a unique and powerful learning experience for students that prepares them to become effective biomedical engineering problem solvers. They express curiosity to find the problem for their study and use critical thinking to design strategies and carry out experiments to find solutions. Observations over the last several semesters suggest that the students 1) appreciate the opportunity to design their own project, 2) enjoy the experience of hands-on experimentation and 3) are excited about creating value for the field with their findings. Many students leave the course with deep and flexible knowledge of how to design and carry out experiments to answer authentic biomedical research question, as evidenced by the fact that several student projects have generated novel findings, some of which have been published in peer-reviewed journals.

AU - Balakrishna Pai
AU - Ketki Patil
AU - Todd Fernandez
AU - Paul Benkeser
AU - Joseph LeDoux
CY - Minneapolis, MN
DA - 2022/08/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - WIP: A novel problem-driven learning laboratory course in which biomedical engineering students conduct experiments of their own design to answer an authentic research question
UR - https://strategy.asee.org/41519
DO - 10.18260/1-2--41519
ER -