scholarly journals The CURE for Introductory, Large Enrollment, and Online Courses

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 13-21
Author(s):  
Kristen S. Genet ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Open Door ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Introductory Courses ◽  
Stem Majors ◽  
Introductory Course ◽  
Large Enrollment ◽  
Iterative Evaluation

A course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) in a large, introductory course was offered online and in person at an open-door community college. Seated students collaborated during class, and online students collaborated asynchronously at the same pace over 8 wks.This study demonstrates how reflective and iterative evaluation and improvement in CURE integration for introductory courses and non-STEM majors across delivery formats develop best practices for broadening participation.

scholarly journals A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience on the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance and its Molecular Basis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Dickinson ◽  
Joya Mukerji ◽  
Stuart Graham ◽  
Liz Warfield ◽  
Ben Kerr
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Drug Effects ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Stem Majors ◽  
Cellular Machinery ◽  
Transformative Approach ◽  
Introductory Classes ◽  
The University

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) in high-enrollment, introductory classes are a 37 potentially transformative approach to retaining more students in STEM majors. We developed and piloted a CURE 38 in the introductory biology courses at the University of Washington. This CURE focuses on analyzing experimental 39 evolution of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli and generates data on two topics relevant to clinical practice: 40 compensatory mutations and cross-drug effects. By studying mutations in central cellular machinery that confer drug 41 resistance, students not only gain insight into fundamental cellular phenomena, but also recognize the molecular 42 basis of a medically important form of evolutionary change, connecting genetics, microbiology, and evolution.

Using Multidisciplinary Research Experiences to Enhance STEM Learning through Undergraduate, Team-Based, Summer Research Projects for At-Risk Students

2014 ◽  
pp. 198-220
Author(s):  
Jennifer Yantz ◽  
Brittany D. Smith ◽  
Ginger Holmes Rowell ◽  
Thomas Cheatham ◽  
Donald Nelson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Stem Learning ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Stem Majors ◽  
Faculty Mentor ◽  
And Mathematics

Undergraduate research can be one of the most important and influential learning experiences during a student's college career (Light, 2001). Significant retention value is achieved both through one-on-one contact with a faculty mentor (Campbell, 1997; Jacobi, 1991) and by interaction with peers in a learning community (Johnson, 2001). Colleges and universities are using undergraduate research experiences to help improve student retention, graduation, and success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). However, undergraduate research is frequently reserved for the best and brightest students who have achieved junior or senior class status. This case study describes a team-based research experience designed for first-year, at-risk undergraduate students. For this project, the term “at-risk” is defined to be first-time, full-time freshman declared STEM majors with a weak mathematics background as measured by having an ACT-Mathematics sub score of 19 to 23, inclusive. In particular, this case study focuses on the multidisciplinary nature of some of the research projects and the benefits for the students in terms of confidence, depth of learning in STEM, and progress in understanding the scientific process.

scholarly journals The Moderating Effect of Faculty Mentorship on Undergraduate Students’ Summer Research Outcomes

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. ar56
Author(s):  
Angelica Monarrez ◽  
Danielle Morales ◽  
Lourdes E. Echegoyen ◽  
Diego Seira ◽  
Amy E. Wagler
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Research Outcomes ◽  
Poster Presentations ◽  
Faculty Mentorship

This study focused on answering the research question: What are the independent and combined effects of student characteristics and faculty mentorship on the quality of summer undergraduate research experience (SURE) student poster presentations? The results of this study can improve SURE programs by informing directors on best practices for mentor and mentee matching.

scholarly journals Combining Microbial Culturing With Mathematical Modeling in an Introductory Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Furrow ◽  
Hyunsoo G. Kim ◽  
Samah M. R. Abdelrazek ◽  
Katherine Dahlhausen ◽  
Andrew I. Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Modeling ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Introductory Course

scholarly journals Regenerative medicine: a vehicle to infuse laboratory-bench modules into an exercise physiology curriculum

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-42
Author(s):  
Jason M. Brown ◽  
Breonte S. Guy ◽  
Dawn X. Henderson ◽  
C. Edward Ebert ◽  
Jill Harp ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regenerative Medicine ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Exercise Physiology ◽  
Underrepresented Minority ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Stem Majors ◽  
Laboratory Bench ◽  
Stem Pipeline ◽  
And Mathematics

Regenerative medicine is a novel discipline that both excites undergraduates and may be used as a vehicle to expose students to scientific concepts and opportunities. The goal of this article is to describe the implementation of a National Science Foundation-funded Targeted Infusion Project in which underrepresented minority undergraduates are exposed to laboratory-bench skills and summer research opportunities that they may not have encountered otherwise. A 3-wk infusion of laboratory-bench and data presentation skills, in the context of a regenerative medicine/bioengineering project, aimed to engage students and expose them to opportunities as summer researchers and teaching assistants. The infusion aimed to assess the extent to which students improved 1) attitudes toward laboratory-bench-based techniques, using attitudes toward science as a proxy; 2) perceptions of scientific inquiry; 3) intentions to engage in undergraduate research; and 4) intentions to persist in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related fields. Results indicate that the 3-wk infusion had no effect on science attitudes, but transcribed responses to structured interviews administered after the summer research experience indicated that students who completed summer research projects had positive experiences. Differences in intentions to engage in research were detected between groups of students in different STEM majors, in addition to differences in intentions to pursue a career in science. We describe the implementation of the infusion and briefly discuss quantitative outcomes. We conclude that infusion of laboratory-bench modules in the context of a regenerative medicine/bioengineering project may play a small but important role in increasing (minority) participation and persistence in the STEM pipeline.

scholarly journals Student Outcomes From a Large-Enrollment Introductory Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience on Soil Microbiomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanley M. Lo ◽  
Bryan D. Le
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Research Skills ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Design Elements ◽  
Mathematics Majors ◽  
Large Enrollment ◽  
And Mathematics

In recent years, national reports have called for undergraduate laboratory education that engages students in authentic research experiences. As a result, a number of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have been developed in biological sciences and some specifically in microbiology. Students benefit from CUREs much like in traditional mentored research experiences, where students carry out independent projects in faculty laboratories. These benefits include increased self-efficacy in research skills, enhanced identification as scientists, and higher graduation rates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors. Because mentored research experiences are not readily available to every student, CUREs represent a potential mechanism to democratize the research experience by providing such opportunities to all students. However, many of existing CUREs described in the literature are designed for advanced undergraduates or are limited to a small number of students. Here, we report student outcomes from a large-enrollment introductory CURE on soil microbiomes that engages students in a real-world context with microbiology. In pre- and post-course surveys, students reported significant gains in self-efficacy on a number of research skills. These results are triangulated with post-course survey data on project ownership, sense of community, and CURE design elements such as collaboration, iteration, discovery, and relevance.

scholarly journals A Low-Intensity, Hybrid Design between a “Traditional” and a “Course-Based” Research Experience Yields Positive Outcomes for Science Undergraduate Freshmen and Shows Potential for Large-Scale Application

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. ar53
Author(s):  
Thushani Rodrigo-Peiris ◽  
Lin Xiang ◽  
Vincent M. Cassone
Keyword(s):  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Stem Majors ◽  
Outcomes Evaluation ◽  
And Mathematics

Based on positive student outcomes, providing research experiences from early undergraduate years is recommended for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors. To this end, we designed a novel research experience called the “STEMCats Research Experience” (SRE) for a cohort of 119 second-semester freshmen with diverse college preparatory levels, demographics, and academic majors. The SRE targeted student outcomes of enhancing retention in STEM majors, STEM competency development, and STEM academic performance. It was designed as a hybrid of features from apprenticeship-based traditional undergraduate research experience and course-based undergraduate research experience designs, considering five factors: 1) an authentic research experience, 2) a supportive environment, 3) current and future needs for scale, 4) student characteristics and circumstances, and 5) availability and sustainability of institutional resources. Emerging concepts for facilitating and assessing student success and STEM curriculum effectiveness were integrated into the SRE design and outcomes evaluation. Here, we report the efficient and broadly applicable SRE design and, based on the analysis of institutional data and student perceptions, promising student outcomes from its first iteration. Potential improvements for the SRE design and future research directions are discussed.

scholarly journals Dinner and Data Management: Engaging undergraduates in research data management topics outside of the curriculum

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron Cook ◽  
Tobin Magle ◽  
Heather Shimon ◽  
Trisha Adamus
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Data Management ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Research Data ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Research Data Management ◽  
Data Ethics ◽  
Core Concepts

Researchers are faced with unprecedented challenges due to the size and complexity of data, and libraries are stepping in to help by providing guidance on research data management primarily to graduate students and faculty. Currently, many universities are encouraging an undergraduate research experience where students engage in research projects in the classroom and in research labs, yet research data management is often not included as part of these opportunities. At UW-Madison, we piloted researchERS (Emerging Research Scholars), a program for undergraduates from all disciplines to learn data management skills. Focusing on core concepts as well as data ethics, reproducibility, and research workflows, the format of the program included seven evening workshops, two networking events, and one field trip. Each workshop invited campus and community speakers relevant to the workshop’s theme as a way to introduce the students to the network of available resources and data expertise and provided food for attendees. The workshops also built in customized activities to show students how to incorporate best practices into their work. Local businesses provided a tour of their facilities as well as a talk on how they leverage data. This paper will describe this program as well as the benefits and drawbacks of tailoring a research data management program toward undergraduates.

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