SITT 2026: Embedding Science of Learning Tips in a High-Enrollment Biochemistry Course by Mona Monfared and Chinemerem Elelleh

BIS 103 is a high-enrollment upper-division biochemistry course with approximately 200–400 students per section. Although many students have established study habits by their junior and senior years, I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce evidence-based learning strategies directly into the course. This past year, I started dedicating a few slides (typically 1-3 slides) at the start of every week to evidence-based learning strategies. These "Science of Learning (SoL) Tips” highlighted concepts such as the retrieval effect, spacing effect, and desirable difficulty, paired with practical ways students could apply them. To assess students' perceptions and use of these strategies, I administered an end-of-quarter Qualtrics survey. Among more than 400 respondents across two spring sections, 85% reported trying at least some of the SoL tips, with many also reporting that they used the strategies not only in BIS 103 (74%) but also in their other courses (49%). In this presentation, I will describe the eight SoL tips and share survey results on students' awareness, adoption, and perceived usefulness of these tips.