Integrating Undergraduate Science Research: A Commentary to Undergraduate Research Faculty

<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>

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

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.11-01-0005 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 199-208 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

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.

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Participation in a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Results in Higher Grades in the Companion Lecture Course

Educational Researcher ◽

10.3102/0013189x20968097 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 0013189X2096809

Author(s):

Marsha Ing ◽

James M. Burnette ◽

Tarek Azzam ◽

Susan R. Wessler

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Undergraduate Research ◽

Public Institutions ◽

Research Experience ◽

Stem Fields ◽

Academic Characteristics ◽

Course Grades ◽

Undergraduate Science ◽

Hispanic Serving ◽

The Impact

Opportunities for large numbers of undergraduates to engage in authentic research experiences are limited in many large public institutions. These large public institutions serve the vast majority of students who are historically underrepresented in STEM fields, such as first-generation, low-income students of color. Although a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) is one scalable approach to providing such opportunities, there is limited evidence about the impact of participation, particularly for students historically underrepresented in science. This study provides evidence of the influence of student participation in a CURE on undergraduate science course grades using an experimental design and multiple years of data from students at a Hispanic-serving institution. Course grades were compared for five different science courses across five cohorts of students participating in a CURE ( n = 935) and a similar group of students who did not participate in the CURE ( n = 1,144). CURE students had significantly higher overall grades in a lecture course directly related to the CURE even after statistically adjusting for demographic and academic characteristics. Implications for CUREs as a model for improving science knowledge and achievement for students typically underrepresented in STEM fields are discussed.

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High-Impact Practices in Materials Science Education: Student Research Internships Leading to Pedagogical Innovation in STEM Laboratory Learning Activities

MRS Advances ◽

10.1557/adv.2017.106 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (31-32) ◽

pp. 1667-1672 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lon A. Porter

Keyword(s):

Computer Aided Design ◽

Materials Science ◽

Undergraduate Research ◽

Science Research ◽

High Impact ◽

Digital Design ◽

Education Student ◽

Research Experience ◽

Student Research ◽

Pedagogical Innovation

ABSTRACTTraditional lecture-centered approaches alone are inadequate for preparing students for the challenges of creative problem solving in the STEM disciplines. As an alternative, learnercentered and other high-impact pedagogies are gaining prominence. The Wabash College 3D Printing and Fabrication Center (3D-PFC) supports several initiatives on campus, but one of the most successful is a computer-aided design (CAD) and fabrication-based undergraduate research internship program. The first cohort of four students participated in an eight-week program during the summer of 2015. A second group of the four students was successfully recruited to participate the following summer. This intensive materials science research experience challenged students to employ digital design and fabrication in the design, testing, and construction of inexpensive scientific instrumentation for use in introductory STEM courses at Wabash College. The student research interns ultimately produced a variety of successful new designs that could be produced for less than $25 per device and successfully detect analytes of interest down to concentrations in the parts per million (ppm) range. These student-produced instruments have enabled innovations in the way introductory instrumental analysis is taught on campus. Beyond summer work, the 3D-PFC staffed student interns during the academic year, where they collaborated on various cross-disciplinary projects with students and faculty from departments such as mathematics, physics, biology, rhetoric, history, classics, and English. Thus far, the student work has led to three campus presentations, four presentations at national professional conferences, and three peer-reviewed publications. The following report highlights initial progress as well as preliminary assessment findings.

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“Where’s My Mentor?!” Characterizing Negative Mentoring Experiences in Undergraduate Life Science Research

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.19-02-0036 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. ar61 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lisa B. Limeri ◽

Muhammad Zaka Asif ◽

Benjamin H. T. Bridges ◽

David Esparza ◽

Trevor T. Tuma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life Science ◽

Psychosocial Support ◽

Undergraduate Research ◽

Science Research ◽

Future Research ◽

Research Experiences ◽

Career Support ◽

Abuse Of Power ◽

Unequal Treatment ◽

And Mathematics

Undergraduate research experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields are championed for promoting students’ personal and professional development. Mentorship is an integral part of undergraduate research, as effective mentorship maximizes the benefits undergraduates realize from participating in research. Yet almost no research examines instances in which mentoring is less effective or even problematic, even though prior research on mentoring in workplace settings suggests negative mentoring experiences are common. Here, we report the results of a qualitative study to define and characterize negative mentoring experiences of undergraduate life science researchers. Undergraduate researchers in our study reported seven major ways they experienced negative mentoring: absenteeism, abuse of power, interpersonal mismatch, lack of career support, lack of psychosocial support, misaligned expectations, and unequal treatment. They described some of these experiences as the result of absence of positive mentoring behavior and others as actively harmful behavior, both of which they perceive as detrimental to their psychosocial and career development. Our results are useful to mentors for reflecting on ways their behaviors might be perceived as harmful or unhelpful. These findings can also serve as a foundation for future research aimed at examining the prevalence and impact of negative mentoring experiences in undergraduate research.

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Assessing students’ ability to critically evaluate evidence in an inquiry-based undergraduate laboratory course

AJP Advances in Physiology Education ◽

10.1152/advan.00118.2016 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

pp. 154-162

Author(s):

Kay Colthorpe ◽

Hyab Mehari Abraha ◽

Kirsten Zimbardi ◽

Louise Ainscough ◽

Jereme G. Spiers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Research ◽

Critical Evaluation ◽

Scientific Research ◽

Research Articles ◽

Communication Processes ◽

Primary Literature ◽

Undergraduate Laboratory ◽

Scientific Research Articles ◽

Undergraduate Science ◽

The Impact

The ability to critically evaluate and use evidence from one’s own work or from primary literature is invaluable to any researcher. These skills include the ability to identify strengths and weakness of primary literature, to gauge the impact of research findings on a field, to identify gaps in a field that require more research, and to contextualize findings within a field. This study developed a model to examine undergraduate science students’ abilities to critically evaluate and use evidence through an analysis of laboratory reports from control and experimental groups in nonresearch-aligned and research-aligned inquiry-based laboratory classes, respectively, and contrasted these with published scientific research articles. The reports analyzed ( n = 42) showed that students used evidence in a variety of ways, most often referring to literature indirectly, and least commonly highlighting limitations of literature. There were significant positive correlations between grade awarded and the use of references, evidence, and length, but there were no significant differences between control and experimental groups, so data were pooled. The use of evidence in scientific research articles ( n = 7) was similar to student reports except that expert authors were more likely to refer to their own results and cite more references. Analysis showed that students, by the completion of the second year of their undergraduate degree, had expertise approaching that of published authors. These findings demonstrate that it is possible to provide valuable broad-scale undergraduate research experiences to all students in a cohort, giving them exposure to the methods and communication processes of research as well as an opportunity to hone their critical evaluation skills.

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Undergraduate research experiences: Impacts and opportunities

Science ◽

10.1126/science.1261757 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 347 (6222) ◽

pp. 1261757 ◽

Cited By ~ 181

Author(s):

Marcia C. Linn ◽

Erin Palmer ◽

Anne Baranger ◽

Elizabeth Gerard ◽

Elisa Stone

Keyword(s):

Design Research ◽

Undergraduate Research ◽

Science Research ◽

Self Report ◽

Research Experiences ◽

Scarce Resources ◽

Multiple Indicators ◽

Rigorous Research ◽

Effective Use ◽

Indicators Of Success

Most undergraduates give high ratings to research experiences. Studies report that these experiences improve participation and persistence, often by strengthening students’ views of themselves as scientists. Yet, the evidence for these claims is weak. More than half the 60 studies reviewed rely on self-report surveys or interviews. Rather than introducing new images of science, research experiences may reinforce flawed images especially of research practices and conceptual understanding. The most convincing studies show benefits for mentoring and for communicating the nature of science, but the ideas that students learn are often isolated or fragmented rather than integrated and coherent. Rigorous research is needed to identify ways to design research experiences so that they promote integrated understanding. These studies need powerful and generalizable assessments that can document student progress, help distinguish effective and ineffective aspects of the experiences, and illustrate how students interpret the research experiences they encounter. To create research experiences that meet the needs of interested students and make effective use of scarce resources, we encourage systematic, iterative studies with multiple indicators of success.

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An Intensive Primary-Literature–based Teaching Program Directly Benefits Undergraduate Science Majors and Facilitates Their Transition to Doctoral Programs

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.06-02-0144 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 340-347 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Carol A. Kozeracki ◽

Michael F. Carey ◽

John Colicelli ◽

Marc Levis-Fitzgerald

Keyword(s):

Scientific Literacy ◽

Graduate Program ◽

Doctoral Programs ◽

Undergraduate Research ◽

Scientific Journal ◽

Research Experience ◽

Journal Articles ◽

School Of Medicine ◽

Primary Literature ◽

Undergraduate Science

UCLA's Howard Hughes Undergraduate Research Program (HHURP), a collaboration between the College of Letters and Science and the School of Medicine, trains a group of highly motivated undergraduates through mentored research enhanced by a rigorous seminar course. The course is centered on the presentation and critical analysis of scientific journal articles as well as the students' own research. This article describes the components and objectives of the HHURP and discusses the results of three program assessments: annual student evaluations, interviews with UCLA professors who served as research advisors for HHURP scholars, and a survey of program alumni. Students indicate that the program increased their ability to read and present primary scientific research and to present their own research and enhanced their research experience at UCLA. After graduating, they find their involvement in the HHURP helped them in securing admission to the graduate program of their choice and provided them with an advantage over their peers in the interactive seminars that are the foundation of graduate education. On the basis of the assessment of the program from 1998–1999 to 2004–2005, we conclude that an intensive literature-based training program increases student confidence and scientific literacy during their undergraduate years and facilitates their transition to postgraduate study.

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Citizen Science in Vegetable Garden Cultivar Evaluation in Tennessee

Horticulturae ◽

10.3390/horticulturae7110422 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (11) ◽

pp. 422

Author(s):

Virginia R. Sykes ◽

Natalie R. Bumgarner ◽

Stefanie Brooke Keadle ◽

Aleksandra Wilson ◽

Francisco Palacios

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

Food Production ◽

Community Gardens ◽

Science Research ◽

The United States ◽

Quality Data ◽

Home Garden ◽

Trial Management ◽

High Quality ◽

Research Faculty

Edible food production is a growing area of horticultural interest that can engage multiple generations of rural to urban residents with varying levels of experience. Residential or community garden food production can provide many benefits, including the production of healthy produce, establishment of community or social connections, and increased physical activity. Regardless of experience, food gardeners are interested in growing crops and cultivars well-suited to their region and which provide both productivity and crop quality. This means that cultivar selection is a common question for gardeners. However, formal cultivar evaluation is relatively rare in the non-commercial food production sector due to the number of cultivars, the challenges of replicated trial management, and the scarcity of public researchers focused on consumer horticulture. This limits the information available to support new gardeners, which lowers the chances of overall success including high-quality harvests. Such crop and variety selection questions are common for Extension personnel in the United States as well as many others who work with gardeners. Even with this high level of interest, funding for consumer garden trials is limited and the cost of replicated trials across various geographical sites is high. To fill this gap in research and address the need for high-quality data to support education, University of Tennessee Extension and research faculty have developed a citizen science approach called the Home Garden Variety Trial (HGVT) program. The HGVT is a collaborative effort between Extension and research faculty and educators, who select trials, provide seeds, and compile data, and citizen scientists around the state, who conduct the trials using their usual gardening practices in their own home or community gardens. Beginning in 2017, the collaborators have conducted five years of research involving over 450 individual gardeners in more than half of the counties in Tennessee. The HGVT is a novel and effective tool to introduce gardeners to new crops and cultivars while providing previously unavailable data to researchers. Together, researchers and home gardeners collect and compile data that supports residential and community food production success while engaging new and experienced gardeners in participatory science research.

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Essay: Student Science Research in Education Abroad

Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad ◽

10.36366/frontiers.v12i1.185 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 123-125

Author(s):

Carol Mankiewicz

Keyword(s):

Undergraduate Research ◽

Science Research ◽

Quaternary Geology ◽

Education Abroad ◽

Faculty Advisor ◽

Western Mongolia ◽

Research In Education

This essay reflects on the experience of mentoring undergraduate research on a project on quaternary geology in the Turgen Uul Area, Northern Altay, Western Mongolia (Tavan Har) from the perspective of the faculty advisor.

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