FastFeedback Questions: A new teaching method

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry Education
• STEM Pedagogy
• Formative Assessment

Background:

• Student feedback on teaching in Australian universities has historically been poor.
• Biochemistry is a complex STEM subject often perceived as difficult by students.
• Traditional teaching methods may not adequately engage students in complex scientific material.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel interactive teaching method, FastFeedback Questions (FFQs), for clinical biochemistry.
• To assess the impact of FFQs on student understanding and academic performance.
• To gauge student satisfaction with the FFQs teaching approach.

Main Methods:

• Developed FFQs, embedding focus questions within PowerPoint slides, visible outside the main presentation window.
• Students received FFQs before lectures and engaged with them interactively during face-to-face sessions.
• Implemented FFQs in a third-year clinical biochemistry course at Curtin University with 311 students.

Main Results:

• Student average exam grades improved by approximately 10% after FFQ implementation (from ~63% to ~72.6%).
• Student feedback scores for FFQs averaged 97%, significantly higher than university/faculty averages (~80.5%).
• FFQs demonstrated a positive correlation with improved student comprehension and engagement.

Conclusions:

• FFQs represent an effective strategy for enhancing student learning and engagement in complex subjects like biochemistry.
• The interactive nature of FFQs leads to measurable improvements in academic outcomes.
• FFQs significantly enhance student satisfaction with teaching methods.