Obesity: the new metabolic frontier

• Main Authors: D.K. Yokaichiya, D.R. Araujo, J.A. Silva, B.B. Torres, E. Galembeck
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, SBBq 2004-05-01
• Series: Journal of Biochemistry Education
• Subjects: Obesity, metabolic frontier
• Online Access: http://bioquimica.org.br/revista/ojs/index.php/REB/article/view/142

Working on active learning strategies for web based courses, the Biochemical Education Research groupfrom USP and Unicamp;s departments of Biochemistry has developed the educational software Obesity:the new metabolic frontier. The software was designed to be used as a major reference to study thissubject on 2003 Biochemistry of Nutrition course, and was based on the most recent publications aboutobesity, specially concerning the leptin role in this metabolic disturb. The most relevant characteristicof this software is the use of animated models to represent the cellular response and the presentationof many other mechanisms involved in obesity. We also intended to focus the relationship betweenleptin and other mechanisms that lead to obesity. The teaching strategy consisted in providing thestudents with the software and a text about Obesity. After few days, they should discuss the topic ina two-hour synchronous discussions chat-rooms (specially designed for this purpose), with a TeachingAssistant;s (TA) help. After the discussion, the students were asked to answer an evaluation surveyabout the activity and the software ecience to the learning process. The TAs were asked to evaluatethe software as a tool to help in teaching process. In the following week the students had to go backto the chat-rooms for an online synchronous test. The results of this experience (students and TAssatisfaction) were very clear and stimulated us to go on with software development and to improvethe use of this kind of educational tool in Biochemistry classes.