Abstract: The basic experimental skills competition focuses on assessing students’ proficiency in basic experimental projects and their comprehensive application of knowledge, serving as a dual evaluation of the quality of experimental teaching and students’ practical abilities. Using the “Preparation and observation of polytene chromosome of larvae ofChironomidae” project from the Life Science Competition for Tianjin College Students as a starting point, our course team integrated contestant selection and training with experimental teaching, leveraging student initiative to expand class time, reinforce fundamental and detailed training, and cultivate students’ ability to identify and solve problems at a deeper level. Questionnaires were distributed to participants to assess competition outcomes, which were then analyzed alongside results from the experimental courses. The findings indicated that competitive experimentation could enhance learning through active skill development, consolidation of foundational knowledge, and improvement in the quality of experimental teaching.

Key words: experimental competition, genetic experiment, teaching effectiveness, achievement analysis, polytene chromosome