Post-Pandemic Learning Deficits: Declining Biochemistry Performance among First-Year University Students

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an emergency transition from face-to-face to remote education, disrupting traditional learning and assessment methods. This study evaluates the impact of this transition by comparing student performance in in-person biochemistry courses for first-year undergraduate students before (2019) and after (2022) the pandemic at the University of São Paulo. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using 21 identical exam questions from two biochemistry courses: Biochemistry and Biophysics (first semester) and Biochemistry of Exercise (second semester). Student scores were analyzed using descriptive statistics, categorical distributions, and Generalized Linear Models (GLM). In 2022, scores were significantly lower in 11 exam questions, compared with 2019. Histograms of mean scores described a significant decline in student performance, with the proportion of students achieving passing grades decreasing by approximately 50%. When analyzed separately, a significant performance decline was observed only in Biochemistry of Exercise, a second-semester course focused on functional and integrative concepts. The performance of first-year university students in biochemistry declined in 2022, after resuming in-person classes, compared with 2019. These findings highlight potential long-term learning deficits from the pandemic years and underscore the need for targeted educational interventions to address post-pandemic academic challenges.