Integrating Engineering Cases into the Molecular Biology Classroom: Impacts on Students' Problem-Solving Ability and Interdisciplinary Innovation Literacy
The rapid expansion of the synthetic biology and gene-editing industries has shifted what is expected of biotechnology graduates: employers increasingly demand engineers who can work through complex, ill-defined problems and operate fluently across disciplinary boundaries. In most molecular biology curricula, however, instruction still centers on lectures and verification-style laboratory work, so theoretical knowledge rarely meets authentic industrial contexts and students' higher-order thinking receives little deliberate practice. This study reports a four-year, longitudinal cohort comparison involving 143 biotechnology undergraduates across the 2021–2024 cohorts. The 2021 and 2022 cohorts (n = 72) completed the conventional lecture-based course, whereas the 2023 and 2024 cohorts (n = 71) took a redesigned version in which full-chain industrial engineering cases were embedded throughout. Delivered through the Smart Tree (Zhihuishu) online teaching platform, the redesign followed a three-stage structure—pre-class preparation, in-class case discussion, and after-class extended inquiry—and was built around three real engineering cases: recombinant human insulin production and process optimization, CRISPR-mediated crop molecular breeding, and chassis-cell engineering for synthetic biology. AI-output error-analysis tasks and short interactive molecular biology games were incorporated as supporting activities. Data came from pre/post ability tests, a final comprehensive assessment, and semi-structured interviews (n = 16). The case-based cohorts significantly outperformed the control cohorts on both complex engineering problem-solving ability and interdisciplinary innovation literacy (p < 0.001), with the largest gains in scheme originality and interdisciplinary knowledge integration; scores on the conventional theory examination did not differ between groups. Embedding authentic engineering cases thus appears to connect molecular biology theory with engineering practice without sacrificing disciplinary fundamentals, offering a transferable model for core-course reform in biotechnology programs.
References
- Alani, F., & Grewal, R. (2024). Effect of case based learning (CBL) on student learning in engineering technology education. Proceedings of the Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA). https://doi.org/10.24908/pceea.2023.17162
- Bonney, K. M. (2015). Case study teaching method improves student performance and perceptions of learning gains. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 16(1), 21–28. https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.v16i1.846
- Choi, I., Hong, Y., Gattie, D. K., & Kellam, N. (2012). Promoting second year engineering students' epistemic beliefs and real world problem solving abilities through case based e learning resources. Proceedings of the 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition. https://doi.org/10.18260/1 2 21843
- Herreid, C. F. (2011). Case study teaching. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2011(128), 31–40. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.466
- Honra, J. R., & Monterola, D. L. C. (2025). Enhancing biology students' cognitive flexibility through problem based learning moderated by transdisciplinary thinking. The Journal of Educational Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2025.2525245
- Keenahan, J., & McCrum, D. (2020). Developing interdisciplinary understanding and dialogue between engineering and architectural students: Design and evaluation of a problem based learning module. European Journal of Engineering Education, 46(4), 575–603. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2020.1826909
- Li, L., & Jiang, Y. (2026). Development and implementation of a project based laboratory module: Heterologous expression and fermentation of ergothioneine in E. coli for undergraduate biochemistry and molecular biology education. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 27(2). https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00109 26
- Liu, Y., & Pásztor, A. (2022). Effects of problem based learning instructional intervention on critical thinking in higher education: A meta analysis. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 45, 101069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2022.101069
- Membrillo Hernández, J., Ramírez Cadena, M. de J., Ramírez Medrano, A., García Castelán, R. M. G., & García García, R. (2021). Implementation of the challenge based learning approach in academic engineering programs. International Journal on Interactive Design and Manufacturing, 15(2 3), 287–298. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12008 021 00755 3
- Movahedzadeh, F., Patwell, R., Rieker, J. E., & Gonzalez, T. (2012). Project based learning to promote effective learning in biotechnology courses. Education Research International, 2012, 1 8. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/536024
- Rodríguez, G., Pérez, N., Núñez, G., Baños, J. E., & Carrió, M. (2019). Developing creative and research skills through an open and interprofessional inquiry based learning course. BMC Medical Education, 19, 134. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909 019 1563 5
- Shaffer, C. D., Alvarez, C. J., Bednarski, A. E., Dunbar, D., Goodman, A. L., Reinke, C., … Elgin, S. C. R. (2014). A course based research experience: How benefits change with increased investment in instructional time. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 13(1), 111–130. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe 13 08 0152
- Zhang, W., Li, L., Pan, K., Zuo, L., Sun, Y., & Peng, Q. (2025). The multitiered evaluation of teaching based on improved case based learning: A continuous survey in biochemistry and molecular biology. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 53(4), 344–357. https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21901