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Learning Biochemistry at the Mastery Level
Introductory Biochemistry at The University of
Michigan
ROBERT E BEYER
Department of Biology
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1048, USA
Introduction
Two introductory Biochemistry courses are offered at The
University of Michigan, one by the Department of
Biology, College of Literature, Science and the Arts, and
another by the Department of Biological Chemistry,
School of Medicine. The course in the Department of
Biology (Biology 411), with emphasis on metabolic
pathways and their control, was first offered by the author
in the fall of 1965 as an alternative to the other course
which emphasized the structural aspects of biochemistry.
As are most undergraduate courses, Biology 411 was
originally taught by the lecture method in which infor-
mation considered important is presented verbally in a 50
minute lecture thrice weekly. In 1971, a group of
University of Michigan undergraduate students interested
in alternative teaching methods introduced the author to
the Keller Plan, 1 a self-paced, personalized system of
instruction (PSI). Shortly after attending a meeting on the
PSI at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and
learning of their experiences using PSI at that institution, I
decided that this was exactly the kind of learning
experience that I wished I could have had as an under-
graduate and began to transform the Biology Depart-
ment's Introductory Biochemistry course to the PSI
format. What follows is a description of the many
benefits, and some of the pitfalls, which we have
experienced whlie employing the Keller Plan to teach
Introductory Biochemistry at the mastery level.
Self-Pacing
In a traditionally taught course the professor sets the pace
of the course by presenting information in scheduled
lectures and examinations. Biology 411 starts with a
lecture during the evening of the first day of each term
which begins with the words "Welcome to Adult Edu-
cation 411" and "Welcome to Behavior Modification 411"
to indicate that success in this course requires that the
student possess the maturity of self-pace and, if a
procrastinator,
to modify that behavior. They are also told
that this will be a learning experience designed for
students as themselves: very bright, highly motivated, and
very interested in learning a good deal about the bio-
chemistry of themselves, and that they will be expected to
learn biochemistry at the level of mastery; that they will
be engaged in a system designe d to ensure that they will
proceed through this learning experience at that level. It is
also explained that the course adheres to the philosophy
that the best time for a student to demonstrate knowledge
is immediately upon their learning the required
infor-
mation. To facilitate this, the content of Biology 411 has
been partitioned into fifteen discrete units, the contents of
which are listed in Table 1. A set of Unit Guides, one for
each unit, informs the student of what to study in the
textbook and whether to learn sections at the level of
recall or recognition. When the student feels that he or
she has 'mastered' the content of a particular unit, he or
she proceeds to a biochemistry teaching suite which is
staffed by undergraduate teaching assistants, called
Proctors, for approximately 70 hours per week including
evenings and weekends. The student may ask the Proctor
in residence either to clarify aspects of biochemistry with
which they are having trouble comprehending or to
administer a quiz on that particular unit.
The self-pacing aspect of the course requires that each
student decide for themself when they are prepared to
take a quiz. Because of the difficulty of preparing several
equivalent multiple-choice midterm and final exami-
nations, each of which contributes to the determination of
the final grade for the course, one midterm and one final
examination are administered at times chosen by the
professor. In order to qualify to take the midterm
Table 1 Unit Contents for Introductory Biochemistry,
Biology 411
Unit Number Topic
2
10
11
12
13
14
Molecules and Life; Introduction to
Protein Structure and Function; pH and
Dissociation
A Detailed Analysis of Protein Structure;
Allosterism; Discovery of the Basis of a
Molecular Disease; Myoglobin and
Hemoglobin
Enzymes: Properties, Kinetics and
Mechanisms
Connective Tissue Proteins; Membrane
Biochemistry
Biochemical Energetics and Glycolysis
The Citric Acid Cycle; Oxidative
Phosphorylation
The Pentose Phosphate Pathway;
Gluconeogenesis; Glycogen Metabolism
Fatty Acid Metabolism and its
Regulation
Amino Acid Degradation; The Urea
Cycle; Photosynthesis
Amino Acid and Nucleotide Biosynthesis
DNA; Messenger RNA; Transcription
The Genetic Code; Protein Synthesis
Control of Gene Expression; Eukaryotic
Chromosomes
Free Radical and Antioxidant
Biochemistry
Hormone Action; Integration of
Metabolism
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BIOCHEMICAL EDUCATION 18(2) 1990
