About the Corporation

Undergraduate and Graduate School

Integrated Biochemistry TBL (1st year)

This is a new course that began in 2020. The aim of this course is to understand life and the human body from various angles, such as morphological and functional aspects, when studying medicine and healthcare. As a foundation for this, students will learn chemistry, biology, and Department of Biochemistry through team-based learning (TBL: Team-Based Learning*).
By combining these three courses, students will be asked to solve applied problems, which will promote comprehensive understanding.

* An educational method in which students are divided into small groups, and the groups are encouraged to work cooperatively on tasks and hold independent discussions.

Course Schedule

1日目

  • IRAT (Individual Test Based on the Content of Preparation Materials)
  • TRAT (test conducted in groups of 6-8 people, the content is the same as IRAT)
  • Exam explanation lecture
  • Group Learning

IRAT

TRAT

2日目

  • Group study (applied assignments 1-3)
  • Explanatory lecture

Group discussion

Explanatory lecture

3日目

  • Summary test
  • Exam explanation lecture

Student Voices

First year student Asuna Imakita

It was good to be able to hear the answers and thoughts of members who were different from me in the group test called TRAT. Also, by putting my opinions into words and outputting them, I was able to deepen my own understanding.
There were times when opinions differed during group discussions, but after listening to each member's opinion, the answer that the group was most satisfied with became its final answer.
This class is basically conducted based on preparation. I did my homework, but I also had a hard time solving the applied problems, so I felt that it was better to study thoroughly beforehand.
Among the many subjects, I was particularly interested in the TBL for "Biology." I felt a sense of accomplishment because I was able to tackle the assignments using the knowledge I learned in high school and the content I learned in the first semester of my first year after entering university.
Explaining my thoughts was surprisingly difficult, but I feel like I have acquired some of the communication skills necessary as a doctor.

First-year student Ryoga Yoshimura

I learned about the TBL learning format for the first time after enrolling, and it was interesting to see how each person in the group had different knowledge and abilities.
I enjoy using my mind to solve difficult problems, so I was able to enjoy tackling the difficult Department of Biochemistry problems in this class.
When I attend classes, I try to focus my mind on "what are the important points?"
Regarding TRAT and group discussions, we had peer evaluations within the group, where we shared our thoughts with each other, but I received feedback from members saying, "Sometimes the explanations were too quick and hard to understand," so I think it was good that I realized this at this stage. Also, even if I understood something in my head, there were times when I skipped over something when explaining it to the other members, so I felt that I should be more careful in the future.

Faculty comments

Keiichiro Suzuki, Professor of Department of Biochemistry

This course uses the TBL methodology to integrate chemistry, biology, and Department of Biochemistry, allowing students to learn from a wide range of angles.
I hope that students will work on assignments collaboratively in groups, break away from the passive approach to studying required for university entrance exams, and adopt an active approach to learning.