Syllabus

Master of Biomedical Science

MBS 650: Applied Medical Biochemistry – Spring AB 2025

Credits - 4

Description

This comprehensive lecture-based clinical biochemistry course explores the intricacies of human biochemistry with a primary focus on its medical relevance. Through a detailed analysis of core biochemistry concepts, students will gain a deep understanding of how these principles intersect with human health and disease. Emphasizing practical applications, the course equips students with the ability to critically analyze and assess prevalent biochemistry concepts as encountered in primary literature. By fostering this analytical skill set, students are empowered to engage in continuous learning within the realms of biochemistry and the broader health sciences.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Course Objectives

Upon the completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Evaluate how enzymes facilitate chemical reactions and the necessity of metabolic cofactors or vitamins in these reactions; relate how enzyme activities and concentrations may be used in clinical diagnosis.
• Evaluate the different mechanisms by which hormones signal and influence metabolic pathways allowing for homeostasis within the body.
• Describe the metabolism of carbohydrates (glucose, galactose, fructose, and ethanol) and their role in generating ATP for the cell.
• Demonstrate an understanding of lipid metabolism, transport and storage in the fed and fasted conditions.
• Relate how amino acids are used in the processes of protein synthesis, precursors for synthesis of necessary compounds and as substrates for glucose production; determine the role of the urea cycle in coordinating amino acid catabolism and nitrogen disposal.
• Describe the synthesis of nucleotides from carbon donors and how this process is coupled with DNA synthesis and nitrogen metabolism.
• Interpret the role and regulation of the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids in normal physiological conditions and the changes that occur in disease processes.

Assignments

For all assessments and learning activities, see Brightspace for the full assignment descriptions and instructions. Read the prompts carefully and use the rubrics to confirm how assignments and discussions will be graded.

Quizzes and Exams

Weekly Practice Evaluations

With the exception of Weeks 8 and 16, each week has an end-of-week evaluation in the form of a short multiple-choice quiz. These quizzes are timed, closed book, and closed notes. You will have 15 minutes to complete each quiz. Taking these practice evaluations seriously and doing well on the quizzes will help prepare you for the Unit Exams, the Midterm, and the Final. You can only take each weekly quiz once; these assessments can be reviewed through Class Progress after completion.

Unit Exams

There are four  Unit Exams, consisting of 15-20 multiple choice questions. These exams consist of material restricted to a single unit and contain questions very similar to the weekly quizzes. You will have up to 1 hour to complete these exams; once started, you must complete the assessment. Exams will be taken closed notes, closed books and in accordance with the academic integrity agreement. You can only take these once and these can be reviewed through Class Progress after completion.

Midterm and Final exams

The midterm will cover content from Units 1 and 2, and the finalexam will cover content from Units 3 and 4. Each exam will consist of 70 multiple-choice questions and will be taken closed notes, closed books and in accordance with the academic integrity agreement. You will have 2 hours to complete the exam; once started, you must complete the assessment. 

You will have two attempts for the Midterm and Final Exams. We strongly encourage students who score below 50% on the midterm to retake this assessment, as this background is fundamental to the other two units.

Discussion Boards

Discussion forums are an essential part of the online course experience.  Discussion prompts build on readings, lectures and course content, and allow students to contribute to the learning experience through collaboration with the instructor and peers. In this course, discussions are designed to help with critical thinking skills and to identify any key misconceptions that students may have with the course material. Initial and response posts to the discussion prompts should be substantive, organized and professional, and statements should be supported by references from course materials as well as outside sources. Read the prompts carefully and use the rubrics to confirm how discussions will be graded.

Case Connections

The problems for these assessments require the application of knowledge gained in the course; you can also utilize resources to help address the questions asked. You will be assessed for both the correct answer as well as for the quality of your rationale for choosing or not choosing an answer. Do not use these connection questions as part of your discussion board posts. 

Integrated Case Activities

There are two Integrated Case Activities, clinical presentations that require the application and integration of content across units. These assessments should be original work that utilizes additional resources to help address the scenario and respond to the questions.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Category	Points	Percentage
Academic Integrity Agreement	10	1%
Discussions (10 @ 21 points each)	210	21%
Weekly Practice Evaluations (14 @ 10 points each)	140	14%
Case Connections Assignments (4 @ 60 points each)	240	24%
Integrated Case Studies (2 @ 50 points each)	100	10%
Unit Exams (4 @ 50 points each)	200	20%
Midterm Exam	50	5%
Final Exam	50	5%
TOTAL	1000	100%

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00