Objective To explore how to apply the blended teaching method with research cases in teaching Natural Medicinal Chemistry.

Methods The research participants consisted of 251 students from the School of Pharmacy, Bengbu Medical University, enrolled in the years 2018 and 2019. They were divided into two groups: the controlled group, students from 2018, were taught by the traditional method, whereas the observed group, made up of students from 2019, were instructed by the blended method with research cases. Then the test scores and scientific research literacy of the two groups were statistically analyzed.

Results Comparing their scores, it indicated that there was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of various fractional scores between the two groups (P ＜ 0.05). The average scores of the control group and observation group were (71.41 ± 8.93 ) points and ( 87.48 ± 4.17) points respectively. The differences of the two groups were also proved to be statistically significant (t = 2.82, P ＜ 0.05). Regarding scientific research literacy, students in the observation group secured 98 awards in the scientific literacy competition, while the control group received 64 awards.

Conclusion The integration of research cases into a blended teaching method can stimulate students' learning interest and foster their professional identity, as well as improve their autonomous learning ability.