The Effectiveness of Audio Recordings in Aiding Students' Recall of Biochemistry Concepts: A Quasi-Experimental Study

TL;DR

This study shows that audio recordings help medical students better remember biochemistry concepts, improving test scores significantly.

Contribution

The study introduces audio recordings as an effective and low-cost teaching tool for biochemistry education.

Findings

Over 92% of students answered biochemistry questions correctly after using audio recordings.

The average test score increased significantly after using audio recordings (p<0.0001).

Abstract

Introduction

Engaging students in the study of biochemistry requires the use of innovative teaching and learning (TL) strategies. It is essential to capitalize on the current generation's growing use of microphones by offering audio recordings that address key biochemistry concepts. Allowing students to listen to the audio recordings during study sessions could enhance comprehension and memory. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of audio recordings as an additional TL tool to help students remember biochemistry concepts.

Methods

Two hundred and fifty first-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students from the 2022-2023 cohort at a tertiary care teaching institution in Chennai, India, received an audio recording summarizing important aspects after a topic was covered in the classroom. A Google Form with five multiple-choice questions (MCQs) via Google Classroom (California, United States) and a shared WhatsApp group (California, United States) was used to evaluate the usefulness of these audio resources. Students were asked to rate how helpful they thought the audio recordings were for remembering biochemistry concepts on a five-point Likert scale.

Results

After listening to the audio recordings, more than 92% (230/250) of students answered the MCQs correctly, compared to 54% (135/250) of students before listening to the audio recordings. After listening to the audio recordings, the mean score on the subsequent MCQ test increased considerably to 17.64±2.02 (p<0.0001) from 8.16±3.08 before the intervention.

Conclusion

The results indicate that audio recordings are a useful and affordable way to improve understanding of biochemistry concepts. Student acceptance of this alternate TL approach is high, and it holds promise for future advancements in teaching methods.

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