scholarly journals Combining novel research and community-engaged learning in an undergraduate physiology laboratory course

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah K. Woodley ◽  
Peter E. Freeman ◽  
Tiffany D. Ricketts
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
College Level ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Engaged Learning ◽  
Learning Gains ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Physiology Laboratory ◽  
Physiology Students

To better prepare physiology students for 21st century careers, we incorporated classroom-based undergraduate research experiences and service learning/community-engaged learning (SLCE) into a college-level physiology laboratory course. The interventions were incorporated over 4 yr and assessed using validated surveys of student-reported learning gains related to attitudes toward science, the scientific process, and career paths. Students reported the greatest learning gains in those years when students did novel research oriented around a common theme of water quality. The gains were greater than those of a matched cohort that participated in an apprentice-style summer undergraduate research experience. With respect to the SLCE related to youth science literacy, students provided evidence of learning related to academics, personal growth, and civic mindedness. For example, many expressed discomfort about being in a new situation, often describing the differences between themselves and the youth with whom they interacted. However, students also grew in confidence about collaborating with people who were different from them and in their role as the “scientist.” Limitations of the study include the quasi-experimental design and the incorporation of multiple interventions at the same time. Future studies should examine improvement in content acquisition and competency-based learning skills. Nonetheless, these results suggest that both novel research and SLCE increase student learning in the context of an undergraduate physiology laboratory course. Many of the learning gains observed with the SLCE are particularly important for physiology students, many of whom aspire to careers in health sciences, where they will be regularly working with nonscientists.

scholarly journals From proposal to poster: course-based undergraduate research experience in a physiology laboratory course

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-463
Author(s):  
Jonathan P. Rennhack ◽  
Valerie S. VanRyn ◽  
James M. Poteracki ◽  
Erica A. Wehrwein
Keyword(s):  
Human Physiology ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Michigan State University ◽  
State University ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Draw Conclusion ◽  
Physiology Laboratory ◽  
Analyze Data

The laboratory course is an excellent venue to apply content, practice inquiry, improve critical thinking, practice key clinical skills, and work with data. The use of inquiry-based course projects allows for students to propose open ended questions, form a hypothesis, design an experiment, collect data, analyze data, draw conclusion, and present their findings. This comprehensive experience is ideal for a capstone (senior level) laboratory course that is the culmination of 4 yr of study in the degree. At Michigan State University, the capstone laboratory has incorporated a formal course-based research experience in human physiology. The rationale and logistics for running such an experience are described in this paper.

scholarly journals Layering Learning for Work-Readiness in a Science Programme

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne McKay ◽  
Antoinette Smith-Tolken ◽  
Anne Alessandri
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Working Life ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Work Readiness ◽  
Engaged Learning ◽  
Research Project

In order to prepare our students for a challenging workplace, the Department of Viticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University in South Africa have ‘layered’ Engaged Learning strategies throughout the four-year undergraduate degree in an approach that is innovative in a science-based programme. In this research project, we assessed the effects of service-learning (SL) and a six-month internship on student employability by analysing reflections that were collected over a number of years. We also asked industry members whether they felt students had improved in key areas after the final year internship. The student submissions for SL showed evidence of personal growth and transformation, and those for the internship reflected industry requirements for professional skills in a complex and technically demanding milieu. It was found that these engaged experiences provided sound preparation for working life, as well as  giving students opportunities for self-questioning and personal growth, which is unusual in the natural sciences learning environment.

scholarly journals Implementation of a Service-Learning Project Focused on Handwashing and Vaccinations Within an Undergraduate Microbiology Laboratory Course

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth A. Potter
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Public Speaking ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Knowledge Development ◽  
Microbiology Laboratory ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
Bacterial Cultures ◽  
Student Community ◽  
Strongly Agree ◽  
The Impact

Two relevant topics in keeping populations healthy are handwashing and vaccinations. Thus, the service-learning project titled “We Are Healthy” campaign was introduced within a microbiology laboratory course with two objectives; our biologists would better understand the importance of these actions by designing activities that engage the student community and to obtain an understanding of the campus community’s behaviors and beliefs concerning these topics. Students designed the campaign to include handwashing stations, pictures of bacterial cultures from swabbing common surfaces, and trivia questions testing their peers’ knowledge of various vaccines, as well as handwashing and vaccination surveys. To assess the impact of the campaign on microbiology students (n = 34), they were provided 10 questions that were scored on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). Student gains (score > 3) were reported for depth in knowledge, development of better public speaking skills, and greater respect for volunteers suggesting that the campaign was beneficial. This study subsequently led to the receiving of grants that allowed the continuation of the campaign within the course, the securing of funding for handwashing and hand sanitizing stations and the initiation of new undergraduate research projects.

Undergraduate Research in Kinesiology: Examples to Enhance Student Outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-313
Author(s):  
James A. Carson ◽  
John K. Petrella ◽  
Vanessa Yingling ◽  
Mallory R. Marshall ◽  
Jenny O ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Education ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Higher Learning ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
High Quality Research ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Education Experience ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Learning

Undergraduate research is emphasized as a critical component of today’s science-based undergraduate education and widely accepted as an important part of the overall undergraduate education experience. While educators agree on the value of undergraduate research, significant challenges exist related to the design of the undergraduate research experience and the faculty member’s role in it. Additional challenges include providing high-quality research experiences that benefit the education of a large number of students while maintaining feasibility and cost-effectiveness. The scope of this review is to provide an overview of research and service-learning experiences in kinesiology departments at 3 institutions of higher learning that vary in size and mission.

Designing Authentic Undergraduate Research Experiences in a Single-Semester Lab Course

2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (7) ◽  
pp. 526-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Mennella
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Laboratory Course ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Undergraduate Research Experiences ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Scheduled Time

The importance of a robust undergraduate research experience has been demonstrated time and again. However, too few undergraduates engage in genuine research and leverage this opportunity. Here, I present a laboratory course in cell and molecular biology that is designed to mimic a true research project. Students work through a 10-step experimental design culminating in the construction, expression, and visualization of microtubules fused to green fluorescent protein in baker's yeast. The steps of this project include the isolation of the tubulin gene from yeast genomic DNA, the cloning of that gene into an expression vector, the amplification of this plasmid in E. coli, and the expression of fluorescent tubulin in yeast. Controls and validation steps are embedded throughout the project, as they would be in a genuine research project. This laboratory course more closely resembles a one-semester undergraduate research experience than a typical lab course. However, because this course reaches a much larger number of students compared with undergraduate research opportunities, it provides students with a valuable research experience that remains confined to the scheduled time block of a typical lab course. In this way, many of the benefits of research are experienced by a large number of undergraduates.

Improving Eco-literacy through Service Learning: A Natural History Service Project Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 222-227
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Collins ◽  
Lynn Donahue
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
Science Curriculum ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
College Level ◽  
Service Project ◽  
Holistic Understanding

Eco-literacy (knowledge of natural history, and direct observation of the natural world and the organisms it contains) is critical to a holistic understanding of biology. Many undergraduate biology students lack this knowledge and experience, often because of a lack of engagement with the environmental science curriculum. The effectiveness of service learning is well established, but few examples of service-learning projects in the context of natural history education have been published. We describe how we used best practices for the development of a field-based service-learning project in a college-level natural history course. The project was built around established learning goals and was conducted through a partnership with a local state park. Students worked in groups to conduct bird biodiversity surveys and prepared a printed bird-watching guide, which was presented to park staff. The project was linked to a series of assignments intended to maximize academic and personal growth, including a project plan, progress report, and reflection paper. Students reported increased engagement in the course curriculum and an increased sense of the relevance of the course content.

scholarly journals The Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment (URSSA): Validation for Use in Program Evaluation

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. ar33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Weston ◽  
Sandra L. Laursen
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Affective Learning ◽  
Underlying Structure ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Learning Gains ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Research Student ◽  
Item Responses ◽  
Highly Correlated

This article examines the validity of the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment (URSSA), a survey used to evaluate undergraduate research (UR) programs. The underlying structure of the survey was assessed with confirmatory factor analysis; also examined were correlations between different average scores, score reliability, and matches between numerical and textual item responses. The study found that four components of the survey represent separate but related constructs for cognitive skills and affective learning gains derived from the UR experience. Average scores from item blocks formed reliable but moderate to highly correlated composite measures. Additionally, some questions about student learning gains (meant to assess individual learning) correlated to ratings of satisfaction with external aspects of the research experience. The pattern of correlation among individual items suggests that items asking students to rate external aspects of their environment were more like satisfaction ratings than items that directly ask about student skills attainment. Finally, survey items asking about student aspirations to attend graduate school in science reflected inflated estimates of the proportions of students who had actually decided on graduate education after their UR experiences. Recommendations for revisions to the survey include clarified item wording and increasing discrimination between item blocks through reorganization.

scholarly journals Assessing Service-Learning in a College-Level Adolescent Development Course

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-101
Author(s):  
Cheryl L. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Adolescent Development ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Academic Learning ◽  
College Level ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Traditional Course ◽  
Development Course

Service-learning is an instructional method in which students learn course content by actively participating in thoughtfully organized service experiences related to the content. Effectively linking service-learning to course content not only offers students a powerful opportunity to maximize academic learning, but also promotes their personal growth and instills a commitment to lifelong, civic engagement. Service-learning was integrated into an upper level Family and Consumer Sciences Adolescent Development course. In addition to completing the traditional course work, students also completed a service-learning experience at a community agency that served adolescents. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the service-learning component, students were surveyed at the end of the semester about their service-learning experiences. All agreed they had learned more about course concepts as a result of their SL experience, and the majority felt their service-learning activity provided a needed service to the agency and community.

scholarly journals Who is the Teacher and Who is the Student? The Dual Service- and Engaged-Learning Pedagogical Model of Anatomy Academy

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 238212051988327
Author(s):  
Molly M Diaz ◽  
Kenechukwu Ojukwu ◽  
Jessica Padilla ◽  
Kevin Steed ◽  
Naomi Schmalz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Engaged Learning ◽  
Science Knowledge ◽  
Science Interest

Anatomy Academy is a simultaneous service-learning experience for preprofessional school undergraduate students and preclinical professional students acting as classroom paraprofessional teachers (Mentors), and engaged-learning experience for fourth to sixth grade elementary school children (Students). Using didactic and kinesthetic active learning teaching strategies in small-group classroom environments, Mentors taught anatomy, physiology, and nutrition concepts to Students. In this study of the program’s early years (2012-2014), overall objectives of improving Mentors’ pedagogical confidence; and Students’ science interest, science knowledge, and exercise self-efficacy were assessed. Mentors showed (89% response of 595 surveyed) improvement in content delivery ( P < .001), student engagement ( P < .001), classroom management ( P < .001), and professionalism ( P = .0001). Postprogram Mentor reflections were categorized into 7 major themes that demonstrated personal growth through the service-learning opportunity: (1) realization of an ability to make a difference in the world now; (2) acknowledgment of the importance of listening in teaching; (3) recognition that lives can and will change with “a little love”; (4) insight into the effectiveness of guiding Students through material rather than lecturing; (5) awareness of the value of respect in the learning environment; (6) cognizance of the power of individualized attention to motivate Students; and (7) reflection of one’s own personal growth through the open influence of Students. Students showed (88% response of 1259 surveyed) improvement in science knowledge ( P = .014) and exercise self-efficacy ( P = .038), but not science interest ( P = .371). Thus, while Students are learning more science and becoming more aware of their health, we need to be more overt in our presence as scientists in the educational arena.

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