A fundamental misalignment: intended learning and assessment practices in undergraduate science research projects

2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 869-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Wilson ◽  
Susan Howitt ◽  
Denise Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Science Research ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Undergraduate Science

scholarly journals Student and faculty outcomes of undergraduate science research projects by geographically dispersed students

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawton Shaw ◽  
Dietmar Kennepohl
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Pass Rates ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Geographically Dispersed ◽  
Undergraduate Science ◽  
Research Students

<p>Senior undergraduate research projects are important components of most undergraduate science degrees. The delivery of such projects in a distance education format is challenging. Athabasca University (AU) science project courses allow distance education students to complete research project courses by working with research supervisors in their local area, coordinated at a distance by AU faculty. This paper presents demographics and course performance for 155 students over five years. Pass rates were similar to other distance education courses. Research students were surveyed by questionnaire, and external supervisors and AU faculty were interviewed, to examine the outcomes of these project courses for each group. Students reported high levels of satisfaction with the course, local supervisors, and faculty coordinators. Students also reported that the experience increased their interest in research, and the probability that they would pursue graduate or additional certification. Local supervisors and faculty affirmed that the purposes of project courses are to introduce the student to research, provide opportunity for students to use their cumulative knowledge, develop cognitive abilities, and independent thinking. The advantages and challenges associated with this course model are discussed.</p>

scholarly journals Undergraduate Science Research: A Comparison of Influences and Experiences between Premed and Non–Premed Students

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Brongo Pacifici ◽  
Norman Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Medical School ◽  
Graduate School ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
School Research ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Undergraduate Science ◽  
Rule Out

Most students participating in science undergraduate research (UR) plan to attend either medical school or graduate school. This study examines possible differences between premed and non–premed students in their influences to do research and expectations of research. Questionnaire responses from 55 premed students and 80 non–premed students were analyzed. No differences existed in the expectations of research between the two groups, but attitudes toward science and intrinsic motivation to learn more about science were significantly higher for non–premed students. Follow-up interviews with 11 of the students, including a case study with one premed student, provided explanation for the observed differences. Premed students, while not motivated to learn more about science, were motivated to help people, which is why most of them are pursuing medicine. They viewed research as a way to help them become doctors and to rule out the possibility of research as a career. Non–premed students participated in research to learn more about a specific science topic and gain experience that may be helpful in graduate school research. The difference in the reasons students want to do UR may be used to tailor UR experiences for students planning to go to graduate school or medical school.

scholarly journals STARBASE: A Network of Fully Autonomous Telescopes for Hands-on Science Education

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 ◽  
pp. 31-32
Author(s):  
Richard Gelderman ◽  
David Barnaby ◽  
Michael Carini ◽  
Karen Hackney ◽  
Richard Hackney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Space Science ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Scientific Investigations ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Network Of Networks ◽  
Dedicated Hardware

AbstractStudents Training for Achievement in Research Based on Analytical Space-science Experiences (STARBASE) is being established to provide exciting hands-on research opportunities for students. STAR-BASE is a network of networks, consisting of dedicated hardware, universities, professional astronomers, teachers, and students all working together in scientific investigations. Funded through the NASA Office of Space Science, the STARBASE network is working to bring major science research projects to motivated students all over the globe.

scholarly journals Child-Led Research: Questioning Knowledge

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricio Cuevas-Parra ◽  
E. Kay M. Tisdall
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Childhood Studies ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Developmental Models ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Generational Difference

Over the last twenty years, childhood studies has challenged the schooled and developmental models of childhood. The children’s rights agenda has combined with academic childhood studies, to emphasise that children are and can be social actors and to seek ways to recognise and support their participation rights. For those who promote the participation of children and young people, there is considerable enthusiasm to involve them in all research stages—from research planning, fieldwork, and analysis to dissemination, leading to growth in what is often called ‘child-led research’. This article draws upon an empirical study of ‘child-led research’ projects, undertaken in Bangladesh, Jordan and Lebanon, for a critical examination of the meanings and implications of ‘child-led research’. In particular, this paper explores what counts as knowledge in social science research within contexts of generational difference and power.

Rebraiding Photovoice: Methodological Métissage at the Cultural Interface

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Standpoint Theory ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Visual Research ◽  
Cultural Interface

Photovoice, the most prevalent participatory visual research methodology utilised within social science research, has begun making its way into Indigenous contexts in light of its critical and pedagogical potential. However, this potential is not always actualised as the assumptions that undergird photovoice are often the same ones that (re)produce inequalities. Working from the notion that methodologies are the space in between theory, methods, and ethics, this manuscript works with/in the cultural interface between the Western theories that shape photovoice (i.e., standpoint theory, praxis) and Indigenous analogues (i.e., Nakata's [2007a, 2007b] Indigenous standpoint theory, Grande's [2004, 2008] Red pedagogy) in order to differentially (re)braid photovoice. Following a thumbnail description of these four bodies of scholarship, a concept key to photovoice (i.e., voice) is differentially configured with, in, and for the cultural interface to provide research considerations for various stages of participatory visual research projects (i.e., fieldwork, analysis, dissemination).

scholarly journals Blown Away: Interns Experience Science, Research, and Life on Top of Mount Washington

2015 ◽  
Vol 96 (9) ◽  
pp. 1533-1543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Kelsey ◽  
Cyrena-Marie Briedé ◽  
Kaitlyn O’Brien ◽  
Thomas Padham ◽  
Matthew Cann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Select Group ◽  
Mount Washington

Abstract With extreme winds, rapidly changing weather, and myriad weather conditions during any given month, Mount Washington, New Hampshire (1,917 m MSL), is an ideal location to observe and learn about atmospheric sciences. During the summer of 2013, Mount Washington Observatory (MWO) welcomed a select group of interns to experience life at the “Home of the World’s Worst Weather” and develop scientific and meteorological skills. The goals of the internship program are to learn how to observe and forecast mountain weather; develop data analysis and critical thinking skills through individual research projects; and live, work, and collaborate effectively with others at a remote mountain-top observatory. Interns are typically undergraduate students or recent graduates of atmospheric science programs and are selected from a highly competitive field of applicants. The summer 2013 interns worked on a variety of research projects, ranging from developing a forecast tool for the gustiness of wind at the summit to understanding the evolution of atmospheric and environmental conditions that lead to avalanches in nearby Tuckerman Ravine. To accomplish their research projects, the interns learned how hourly weather observations are made, used data analysis software, and practiced critical thinking about their methods and results. Weekly meetings with the interns and the MWO director of research allowed for the sharing of research progress, peer feedback, and practice presenting scientific results. The internships ended with presentations of their scientific research to MWO observers, staff, and observatory members. Post-internship survey responses revealed the program was highly effective at meeting its goals and provided constructive suggestions for future internship programs.

scholarly journals Succeeding with interactive research: How to manage research with and about society

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Hagedorn Krogh ◽  
Morten Velsing Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Leadership ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Research Management ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
External Stakeholders ◽  
Governance Network ◽  
Scientific Standards ◽  
Multiple Actors ◽  
Tools And Methods

Increasingly, social science research is carried out in collaboration with partners outside universities, yet research methodology is lacking on how to manoeuvre in a terrain where multiple actors set expectations for research. This article conceptualizes interactive research as research with and about society, and provides a set of systematic reflections on how to manage opposing pressures, tensions and dilemmas in interactive research projects. We formulate and address three major interactive research management tasks: ensuring continual commitment from external stakeholders, maintaining the capacity for critique and ensuring that scientific standards are met. Based on our own experience and theories of interactive governance, network management and collaborative leadership, as well as on existing methodological literature, we provide guidance and suggest concrete tools and methods for performing the tasks in order to avoid the pitfalls and harvest the gains of interactive research.

scholarly journals A successful story of translational orthodontic research: Micro-osteoperforation-from experiments to clinical practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 6-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Yuching Chou ◽  
Mani Alikhani
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Translational Research ◽  
Clinical Application ◽  
Clinical Studies ◽  
Basic Science ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Basic Science Research

The gap between basic science research and clinical application has long existed and therefore translational research has emerged in recent years to bridge such gap. Consortium for Translational Orthodontic Research (CTOR) was established with missions to integrate resources from different entities and to provide a platform for interdisciplinary groups who share the same vision to exchange ideas and inspire innovations. During its short existence, CTOR has successfully carried out several research projects which led to various innovations. Micro-osteoperforation is by far one of the most successful examples of translational research in the orthodontic field. It exemplifies how translational research can benefit scientists, clinicians, and patients. In this article, the process of its development, the rationale and scientific evidence from animal and clinical studies, and how it can be applied in daily practice will be depicted.

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