Learning basic cell biology in an essential module can be daunting to second-year undergraduates, given
the depth of information that is provided in major molecular and cell biology textbooks. Moreover, lectures
on cellular pathways are organised into sections, such that at the end of lectures, students might
not see how various processes are connected to one another. To help students contextualise and integrate
their understanding of cellular processes, a read- and write-to-learn assignment was designed, making
use of a research article that demonstrated links between an enzyme functioning in glycolysis and the
processes of protein trafficking and cell division in cells. The students were required to make associations
among these topics through writing an essay that required them to answer questions on how these
processes functionally interact. In an exam question that tested students’ ability to integrate what they
had learnt in separate topics, students provided a range of answers making use of knowledge from different
topics. In a post-intervention survey, students indicated that the research article helped them construct
links among seemingly unrelated topics. Thus, a deliberate choice of research data incorporated
into purposefully designed assignments can help students integrate concepts in a constructivist manner.

• Using Primary Literature in an Undergraduate Assignment: Demonstrating connections among cellular processes

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