Adding Authenticity to Inquiry in a First-Year, Research-Based, Biology Laboratory Course

Abstract

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are an effective way to integrate research into an undergraduate science curriculum and extend research experiences to a large, diverse group of early-career students. We developed a biology CURE at the University of Miami (UM) called the UM Authentic Research Laboratories (UMARL), in which groups of first-year students investigated novel questions and conducted projects of their own design related to the research themes of the faculty instructors. Herein, we describe the implementation and student outcomes of this long-running CURE. Using a national survey of student learning through research experiences in courses, we found that UMARL led to high student self-reported learning gains in research skills such as data analysis and science communication, as well as personal development skills such as self-confidence and self-efficacy. Our analysis of academic outcomes revealed that the odds of students who took UMARL engaging in individual research, graduating with a degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) within 4 years, and graduating with honors were 1.5–1.7 times greater than the odds for a matched group of students from UM’s traditional biology labs. The authenticity of UMARL may have fostered students’ confidence that they can do real research, reinforcing their persistence in STEM.

Pupils’ research skills development through project-based learning in biology

“…The introduction of pupils to scientific and creative activities in natural Sciences, training along with scientific activities, and the formation of research skills was evaluated as the key to quality education (Muhibbuddin & Safrida, 2020;Briones et al, 2020;Cazorla-Montero, de Los Rios-Carmenado, & Pasten, 2019;Indorf, Weremijewicz, Janos, & Gaines, 2019).…”

A novel undergraduate biomedical laboratory course concept in synergy with ongoing faculty research

“…This theory states that autonomy, together with a feeling of competence and relatedness, fosters deep learning and academic skills 19 . Students recognized the authenticity of their own real research and felt part of a larger research team 20 . Interestingly, students found the group strategy and organization within the BRL course to be stimulating and constructive as many problems could be solved either within the individual student group or the whole groups, while working toward an answer to the common research question.…”

Assessing scientific literacy skill perceptions and practical capabilities in fourth year undergraduate biological science students

“…Exposure of undergraduate students to laboratory research has been shown to increase their confidence in working independently and problem solving (Harrison, Dunbar, Ratmansky, Boyd, & Lopatto, 2011), while simultaneously gaining practical lab skills (Kremmer & Bringle, 1990;Kardash, 2000;Seymour, 2004) and their scientific knowledge in the form of understanding of experimental procedures and methodologies (Ryder, Leach & Driver, 1999). However, with larger class sizes, research opportunities can be limited (Hunter, 2007), and a lack of inquiry-based lab programing that parallels traditional lecturing appears to create a gap in students' understanding of research study design, data analysis (Yu & Kuo, 2017) and effective communication of experimental results (Indorf, Weremijewicz, Janos, & Gaines, 2019). Therefore, increasing students' exposure to and comprehension of research methodologies could improve their understanding of the scientific literature, although further study is required.…”