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Author: Cody Patrick Watters Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 190
Book Description
Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) present students with unique opportunities to work through relevant scientific problems and experience what it is like to be a scientist. They are considered to be high impact practices based on the findings that students who participate in UREs are more likely to persist in their science major and enter a scientific career. Other benefits to participation in UREs include increased independence, increased cognitive and personal skills, and an increased sense of ownership for students. Unfortunately, most universities cannot offer UREs to the majority of their undergraduate science majors. One solution to this problem is to include research-based work in the course curriculum. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are designed to bring elements of the traditional UREs, including scientific practices, discovery, relevance, iteration and collaboration, into the classroom. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, assess and refine a CURE module that could be used to inform the transformation of our biology department's laboratory curriculum to include research experiences that would benefit all of our nearly 2,000 undergraduate majors. This study (1) assessed student interest and opportunity for participation in research through student and faculty surveys, (2) evaluated current laboratory curriculum from beginning, intermediate, and upper-division courses for the degree of inquiry, and (3) designed and evaluated a CURE to serve as a model for large-scale curricular reform. Survey results from 2012 indicated that 91% of students were interested in performing research, but only 14% had participated by their junior or senior year. Faculty survey results indicated that an average of 3 students per year were mentored by tenure-track faculty, but this accommodated less than 3% of biology pre-majors and majors. Assessment of the existing laboratory curriculum for levels of inquiry revealed either a lack, or very low levels, of inquiry in all but one lower division exercise. These results confirmed the need for curricular reform. To demonstrate feasibility, a three-week Model CURE was created to replace the traditional curriculum in an upper-division Developmental Biology course. Through the Model CURE, students studied the development of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) under normal conditions and after exposure to teratogens that are present in local waterways. Assessments of the impact of the new curriculum on student knowledge, skills, and attitudes were conducted over several semesters through pre-/post-instruction surveys, laboratory write-ups, an embedded exam essay question related to the CURE project and focus groups with students participating in traditional UREs and the Model CURE. Pre-/post-instruction surveys highlighted student gains and exposed areas of the curriculum that could still be improved. Evaluation of student laboratory write-ups indicated a shift in students' perceived gains from basic techniques and foundational knowledge at the beginning of the Model CURE to research-related skills and advanced knowledge by the end. Insights from these assessments also lead to the addition of a fourth week and improvements to the laboratory manual. Analysis of student exam essays indicated that students recognized all five CURE elements in the research they performed during the module. Novel discovery was discussed least often, and was highlighted as an element of the curriculum that could use additional emphasis. Through focus groups, URE students noted the importance of the primary literature, the need for troubleshooting, the benefits of collaboration, the relevance of their projects, and the importance of building relationships with mentors. Model CURE students participating in focus groups also discussed troubleshooting, collaboration, relevance, and a sense of project ownership as elements present in their laboratory course, suggesting that they experienced many of the same benefits and gains as their URE counterparts. Collectively, these results indicate that even a short research module can have positive impacts on students and that evaluation of student data can lead to curricular improvements with observable student gains.
Author: Cody Patrick Watters Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 190
Book Description
Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) present students with unique opportunities to work through relevant scientific problems and experience what it is like to be a scientist. They are considered to be high impact practices based on the findings that students who participate in UREs are more likely to persist in their science major and enter a scientific career. Other benefits to participation in UREs include increased independence, increased cognitive and personal skills, and an increased sense of ownership for students. Unfortunately, most universities cannot offer UREs to the majority of their undergraduate science majors. One solution to this problem is to include research-based work in the course curriculum. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are designed to bring elements of the traditional UREs, including scientific practices, discovery, relevance, iteration and collaboration, into the classroom. The purpose of this study was to develop, implement, assess and refine a CURE module that could be used to inform the transformation of our biology department's laboratory curriculum to include research experiences that would benefit all of our nearly 2,000 undergraduate majors. This study (1) assessed student interest and opportunity for participation in research through student and faculty surveys, (2) evaluated current laboratory curriculum from beginning, intermediate, and upper-division courses for the degree of inquiry, and (3) designed and evaluated a CURE to serve as a model for large-scale curricular reform. Survey results from 2012 indicated that 91% of students were interested in performing research, but only 14% had participated by their junior or senior year. Faculty survey results indicated that an average of 3 students per year were mentored by tenure-track faculty, but this accommodated less than 3% of biology pre-majors and majors. Assessment of the existing laboratory curriculum for levels of inquiry revealed either a lack, or very low levels, of inquiry in all but one lower division exercise. These results confirmed the need for curricular reform. To demonstrate feasibility, a three-week Model CURE was created to replace the traditional curriculum in an upper-division Developmental Biology course. Through the Model CURE, students studied the development of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) under normal conditions and after exposure to teratogens that are present in local waterways. Assessments of the impact of the new curriculum on student knowledge, skills, and attitudes were conducted over several semesters through pre-/post-instruction surveys, laboratory write-ups, an embedded exam essay question related to the CURE project and focus groups with students participating in traditional UREs and the Model CURE. Pre-/post-instruction surveys highlighted student gains and exposed areas of the curriculum that could still be improved. Evaluation of student laboratory write-ups indicated a shift in students' perceived gains from basic techniques and foundational knowledge at the beginning of the Model CURE to research-related skills and advanced knowledge by the end. Insights from these assessments also lead to the addition of a fourth week and improvements to the laboratory manual. Analysis of student exam essays indicated that students recognized all five CURE elements in the research they performed during the module. Novel discovery was discussed least often, and was highlighted as an element of the curriculum that could use additional emphasis. Through focus groups, URE students noted the importance of the primary literature, the need for troubleshooting, the benefits of collaboration, the relevance of their projects, and the importance of building relationships with mentors. Model CURE students participating in focus groups also discussed troubleshooting, collaboration, relevance, and a sense of project ownership as elements present in their laboratory course, suggesting that they experienced many of the same benefits and gains as their URE counterparts. Collectively, these results indicate that even a short research module can have positive impacts on students and that evaluation of student data can lead to curricular improvements with observable student gains.
Author: Erin Dolan Publisher: Macmillan Higher Education ISBN: 1319394981 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 395
Book Description
Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) are being championed by high profile organizations (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2011; Olson & Riordan, 2012) for their potential to engage undergraduates in research at scale. CUREs are learning experiences in which whole classes of students address a research question or problem with unknown outcomes or solutions that are of interest to the scientific community. A growing body of evidence demonstrates the benefits of CUREs for student learning, development, and persistence in the natural sciences (Corwin, Graham, & Dolan, 2015; Gentile, Brenner, & Stephens, 2017; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2015; Rodenbusch, Hernandez, Simmons, & Dolan, 2016). This guide will walk you through designing and implementing an Undergraduate Research Experience.
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Publisher: National Academies Press ISBN: 0309380898 Category : Education Languages : en Pages : 161
Book Description
Students who participate in scientific research as undergraduates report gaining many benefits from the experience. However, undergraduate research done independently under a faculty member's guidance or as part of an internship, regardless of its individual benefits, is inherently limited in its overall impact. Faculty members and sponsoring companies have limited time and funding to support undergraduate researchers, and most institutions have available (or have allocated) only enough human and financial resources to involve a small fraction of their undergraduates in such experiences. Many more students can be involved as undergraduate researchers if they do scientific research either collectively or individually as part of a regularly scheduled course. Course-based research experiences have been shown to provide students with many of the same benefits acquired from a mentored summer research experience, assuming that sufficient class time is invested, and several different potential advantages. In order to further explore this issue, the Division on Earth and Life Studies and the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education organized a convocation meant to examine the efficacy of engaging large numbers of undergraduate students who are enrolled in traditional academic year courses in the life and related sciences in original research, civic engagement around scientific issues, and/or intensive study of research methods and scientific publications at both two- and four-year colleges and universities. Participants explored the benefits and costs of offering students such experiences and the ways that such efforts may both influence and be influenced by issues such as institutional governance, available resources, and professional expectations of faculty. Integrating Discovery-Based Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum summarizes the presentations and discussions from this event.
Author: Sandra Laursen Publisher: Jossey-Bass ISBN: 0470625619 Category : Education Languages : en Pages : 352
Book Description
Undergraduate research (UR) is widely believed to enhance the learning experience of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs. This is the first comprehensive, practical, research-based book on undergraduate research. It addresses how the benefits to UR participants arise; compares the benefits of UR with other types of educational activities or experience; the long-term value of UR; and more. Intended to assist both existing and new UR practitioners with program design and evaluation needs, the book will also be useful to the wider community of academics, policy-makers, and funders of UR programs.
Author: Erin Dolan Publisher: ISBN: 9781319367183 Category : Languages : en Pages : 240
Book Description
Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) are being championed by high profile organizations (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2011; Olson & Riordan, 2012) for their potential to engage undergraduates in research at scale. CUREs are learning experiences in which whole classes of students address a research question or problem with unknown outcomes or solutions that are of interest to the scientific community. A growing body of evidence demonstrates the benefits of CUREs for student learning, development, and persistence in the natural sciences (Corwin, Graham, & Dolan, 2015; Gentile, Brenner, & Stephens, 2017; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2015; Rodenbusch, Hernandez, Simmons, & Dolan, 2016). This guide will walk you through designing and implementing an Undergraduate Research Experience.
Author: Krissi M. Hewitt Publisher: ISBN: Category : Biology Languages : en Pages : 131
Book Description
There has been a rapid increase in technological advances in the biological sciences that has contributed to an increase in societal issues that require attention from both scientists and citizens. Consequently, there is a need for the development of biologically literate citizens who have the ability to use their knowledge and skills related to biological concepts and competencies to make informed decisions in their daily lives. In order to make progress towards this goal, there have been calls for educational approaches that develop citizens who find biology interesting and important, and who can apply biology to their own lives. Socio-Scientific Issues-Based Education (SSI) is a pedagogical approach that contextualizes science content within global and local social issues that intersect with science (e.g., GMOs, human genome sequencing, and local water quality issues). In this study, I utilized the lens of the Self-Determination Theory of motivation to investigate how the contextualization of biology laboratory course activities with scientific and socially relevant issues impacted undergraduate student motivation and student perceptions regarding their ability to apply biological knowledge and skills in their daily lives. Results from the study showed that the SSI approach positively impacted both immediate and long-term student outcomes related to student motivation and the development of biological literacy in comparison to a control group. The four manuscripts I present in this study relate to the design, implementation and research surrounding a new introductory biology laboratory course for science majors. In Chapter 2, I present details on the SSI curriculum that was the focus of all of the studies in this dissertation, and further draw upon data from a GTA questionnaire to investigate perceptions and experiences of GTAs who taught the course. From the qualitative analyses of these data, came recommendations and considerations regarding implementation of SSI curriculum and preparation for GTAs. Specifically, the recommendations included better alignment of new introductory biology curriculum with the Next Generation Science Standards, further inclusion of GTAs in action research studies in order to aid in their development as faculty and scholars, and incorporating considerations for educators when implementing the issues-oriented model. Chapter 2 provides an example of one of the curricular modules aligned with current biology education reform initiatives (AAAS, 2011), and identifies benefits and challenges of implementing SSI curriculum through a post-survey of students after participating in the module activities. The survey assessment shows the promise of the activity in attending to student engagement, interest and valuing of the learning experience that have been shown to be benefits of SSI curriculum. In Chapter 4, I present a study where I investigated the effects of implementing an SSI-based laboratory curriculum on biology student motivation in a large introductory biology course for science majors. Through a hierarchical linear model, I examined the effects of the SSI curriculum relative to the existing curriculum in place as well as its' effects over the course of the term on biology student motivation. An analysis of the data revealed a significant increase in motivation in the SSI group relative to the control group. In Chapter 5, I advance the field of self-determination theory with a large empirically based study that attended to further developing the relatedness construct, and determine how an SSI course that focused on fostering relevancy by contextualizing introductory biology content with locally and globally relevant socio-scientific issues affected student perceptions of relatedness. Through thematic analysis and quantification of code frequencies to facilitate comparisons between the SSI and the EXT groups, I found similarities in the ways that students perceived their peer and instructor relationships and significant differences between the two groups in the perceptions of the course curriculum as relevant and useful both at the time of the course and one year post. In this dissertation, I present a large, empirical study employing robust theoretical frameworks in order to advance research regarding student motivation related to SSI, and GTA perceptions of the benefits and challenges of implementing SSI curriculum.
Author: National Research Council Publisher: National Academies Press ISBN: 0309085357 Category : Education Languages : en Pages : 208
Book Description
Biological sciences have been revolutionized, not only in the way research is conductedâ€"with the introduction of techniques such as recombinant DNA and digital technologyâ€"but also in how research findings are communicated among professionals and to the public. Yet, the undergraduate programs that train biology researchers remain much the same as they were before these fundamental changes came on the scene. This new volume provides a blueprint for bringing undergraduate biology education up to the speed of today's research fast track. It includes recommendations for teaching the next generation of life science investigators, through: Building a strong interdisciplinary curriculum that includes physical science, information technology, and mathematics. Eliminating the administrative and financial barriers to cross-departmental collaboration. Evaluating the impact of medical college admissions testing on undergraduate biology education. Creating early opportunities for independent research. Designing meaningful laboratory experiences into the curriculum. The committee presents a dozen brief case studies of exemplary programs at leading institutions and lists many resources for biology educators. This volume will be important to biology faculty, administrators, practitioners, professional societies, research and education funders, and the biotechnology industry.
Author: Stephen M. Rybczynski Publisher: ISBN: Category : Teaching Languages : en Pages : 99
Book Description
There continues to be interest in reforming educational practices to better prepare students to succeed. For example, cooperative learning, scientific inquiry, and explicit and reflective (ER) discussions are advocated to improve student attitude and achievement; however, research suggests this is not always the case. The efficacy of reform efforts should be assessed to make informed decisions regarding best instructional practices. In this dissertation, we used qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the effects of two non-traditional instructional practices in an introductory undergraduate biology course; out-of-class collaborative group study in a large-lecture course and the revision of a lab course from expository to inquiry instruction, with and without ER discussions. In chapter 1, we related out-of-class study group (SG) usage to performance on content exams, explored patterns of SG usage, and qualitatively described student perceptions of SGs. No relationship was found between gains in content knowledge and SG use. Students that participated in SGs did, however, believe they were beneficial and four patterns of SG use were identified. Thematic analysis revealed pre-conceptions and in-class experiences influence student decisions to utilize SGs. Students require guidance in the successful use of SGs, and instructors can help by making students aware of potential group composition problems, helping organize groups that are compatible, and providing materials to focus study efforts. In chapters 2 and 3, we assessed how different instructional models affected three aspects of student attitude towards biology lab: confidence, perception of usefulness, and motivation to overcome challenges (effectence motivation; EM). We quantified the effects of inquiry versus expository instruction, both with and without ER, on sub-aspects of attitude, and used qualitative methods to identify factors influencing attitude. There were no differences among treatment combinations in relative change in attitude (RCA) for confidence, usefulness, or EM; however, significant differences in RCA for confidence and EM were found among lab sections. Factors other than instructional model, especially course content, the teaching assistant, assessment, and students' personal characteristics played a larger role in determining attitude and should be considered when implementing curriculum reforms.
Author: Cody Patrick Watters
Author: Cody Patrick Watters
Author: Erin Dolan
Author: Kenneth Charles Knoth
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Author: Sandra Laursen
Author: Davida Smyth
Author: Erin Dolan
Author: Krissi M. Hewitt
Author: National Research Council
Author: Stephen M. Rybczynski