A Bioinformatics-Integrated Biochemistry E-Module in Problem-Based Learning: Effects on the Cognitive Dimension of Collaborative Problem-Solving Skills

This study aimed to examine the association between a bioinformatics-integrated Biochemistry e-module in Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and students’ cognitive collaborative problem-solving skills. A nonrandomized control group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was employed involving 62 undergraduate Biology Education students at Universitas Negeri Malang, comprising 31 students in each class. Both classes received PBL, with the experimental class using a bioinformatics-integrated Biochemistry e-module and the control class using a Biochemistry website. PubChem, KEGG Pathway, RCSB PDB, and PyMOL were incorporated as bioinformatics resources. Data were collected using a cognitive collaborative problem-solving test and analyzed using ANCOVA, with pretest scores as the covariate. Mean scores increased from 70.4 to 88.5 in the experimental class and from 67.2 to 81.4 in the control class. ANCOVA revealed a significant adjusted difference between the classes (F = 26.284, p < 0.001, partial η² = 0.308), with adjusted means of 88.1 and 81.7 for the experimental and control classes, respectively. These findings indicate that the use of a bioinformatics-integrated Biochemistry e-module in PBL was associated with higher cognitive collaborative problem-solving scores than the use of a Biochemistry website.