Integrating Engineering Cases into the Molecular Biology Classroom: Impacts on Students' Problem-Solving Ability and Interdisciplinary Innovation Literacy

Zhen Yang; Ning Han; Jing Zhang; Qingming Meng; Shasha Zhou; Boqing Zhao; Xue Yang; Xiaohan Wang; Ting Wang

doi:10.6918/IJOSSER.202610_9(10).0010

Authors

Zhen Yang chool of Bioengineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Ji’nan, 250300, China
Ning Han chool of Bioengineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Ji’nan, 250300, China
Jing Zhang School of Bioengineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Ji’nan, 250300, China
Qingming Meng School of Bioengineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Ji’nan, 250300, China
Shasha Zhou School of Bioengineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Ji’nan, 250300, China
Boqing Zhao School of Bioengineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Ji’nan, 250300, China
Xue Yang School of Bioengineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Ji’nan, 250300, China
Xiaohan Wang School of Bioengineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Ji’nan, 250300, China
Ting Wang School of Bioengineering, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Ji’nan, 250300, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6918/IJOSSER.202610_9(10).0010

Keywords:

Molecular biology; engineering case teaching; problem-solving ability; interdisciplinary innovation literacy; longitudinal cohort study; online teaching platform.

Abstract

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.

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