Students interview questions update and reflections

I had my interview with my student over the weekend and I have to say that this was an exercise that really opened my eyes.I realized that our understanding of a concept that may seem easy and simple is not always the case for our students. The student that I interviewed is one that I consider to be very bright and articulate in the subject of biochemistry. I chose a biochemistry major to ask my questions because I wanted to get a better feel of what a major student has learnt and where some weaknesses might be uncovered. my interviewee was a senior biochemistry major which enabled me to gauge areas that I could spend more time in the subject of pH if I were to teach it in the future and better ways to make my teaching more applicable and "consumable" to students. I realized that my interviewee generally knew ad understood most of the theory and concept behind my questions, but was a little general and vague in her answering of application questions.  It was only by probing more that I could fully know what her actual thoughts were about the questions.

 

 

 

Here are the interview questions I have prepared. My main goal is to determine students' understanding of the concepts of pH and the properties of biological acids and bases since this is one of the core principles of Biochemistry and related sciences. Please feel free to leave me any comments and critiques about these questions and thanks for reading my blog.


1. What is the definition of pH? What is the importance of understanding the pH of a solution as a biochemistry?


2. Why do you think amino acids exhibit a range of pH values when in a peptide versus the free amino acid.

3.   The partial pressure of CO2 in the lungs can be varied rapidly by the rate and depth of breathing. For example, a common remedy to alleviate hiccups is to increase the concentration of CO2 in the lungs. This can be achieved by holding one's breath, by slow and shallow breathing ( hypoventilation), or by breathing in and out of a paper bag. Under such conditions, pCO2 in the air space in the lungs rises above normal. Can you explain the effects of these procedures in the pH of the blood?

4.  What is a buffer and what does a buffer system consist of?

5. And why do you think cells need to be buffered?