Libro de Actas del III Congreso Latinoamericano y del Caribe e Investigación en Educación Superior- LatinSoTL- 2025

79 process to ensure the students feel equipped to tackle the PBL challenges. When professors foster a reflective environment where students can discuss their learning experiences, reinforce concepts, and enhance comprehension, the implemmentation of PBL can significantly improve students' understanding of complex scientific subjects. Introduction and problem Gene expression encompasses the processes by which information within genes leads to the synthesis of proteins. These processes involve a wide array of cellular mechanisms that transcribe the genes to be translated into proteins, following the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology (Alberts et al., 2015). Moreover, these processes are regulated by internal and external inputs in multicellular organisms that further complicate the expression of a gene into a functional protein within a cell. Understanding the dinamic regulation of gene expression is key to master the biotechnology and medical applications, such as biomedical medications or biologics.The complexity of gene expression regulation poses significant challenges for undergraduate students, who may struggle to understand the abstract nature of the processes, leading to misconceptions and gaps in knowledge (Newman, 2021). Traditional lecture-based teaching often fails to foster deep understanding or long- term retention. Moreover, students struggle to connect abstract genetic mechanisms with real-world applications. Therefore, undergraduate genetics professors must integrate active learning strategies in their courses to encourage critical thinking, application, and ownership of the learning process. Problem-Based Learning (PBL) serves as a transformative educational approach that can enhance comprehension of genetic concepts through collaborative problem-solving and active engagement with the material at hand (Markowitz, 2008). By employing PBL, students can deepen their grasp of gene expression, overcoming common obstacles and fostering a more nuanced appreciation of its complexities. This study investigates whether PBL can enhance student understanding and retention of gene expression and genetic engineering concepts. Theoretical framework Gene expression is the biological process by which the instructions encoded in DNA are transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA) and subsequently translated into proteins. This sequence of events, known as the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology, encompasses transcription, where RNA polymerase synthesizes RNA from DNA templates, and translation, where ribosomes decode mRNA to assemble amino acid chains into functional proteins. Regulation occurs at multiple levels, especially during transcription, where transcription factors, enhancers, and silencers finely tune gene activation (Alberts et al., 2015). Genetic engineering involves the deliberate modification of an organism’s genome using biotechnology. Techniques such as CRISPR, recombinant DNA, and plasmid insertion are employed to alter gene expression or introduce novel traits. A key application is the development of biologics, therapeutic proteins produced through genetically modified organisms. The synthesis of biologics exemplifies the real-world