Development of a two-semester inquiry-based capstone laboratory experience for biochemistry majors at Viterbo University

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Chemistry(12) Following a careful assessment of the current curriculum, faculty in the departments of chemistry and biology are developing and implementing inquiry-based learning experiences for several upper level laboratory courses. A new laboratory course is being developed for Advanced Biochemistry, which in the past was only lecture, and revisions are also occurring in Biochemical Techniques to incorporate inquiry-based exercises into some experiments. The Advanced Biochemistry laboratory consists of two phases, with the second phase being student designed research projects. The first phase focuses on acquisition and application of skills based on the expression and characterization of chlorophyllase from Triticum asetivum. This project is broadening participation of underrepresented groups because nearly three-fourths of the biology and chemistry majors are female and three-fifths are first generation college students. In addition, the newly developed inquiry-based laboratory experiments are of interest to faculty teaching biochemistry and molecular biology at similar institutions.