CUREs in biochemistry—where we are and where we should go

Several course‐based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have been published in the literature. However, only limited attempts have been made to rigorously identify the discovery‐type research abilities that students actually develop during such experiences. Instead, there has been a greater focus on technical or procedural‐type knowledge or general CURE skills that are too comprehensive to effectively assess. Before the extent of discovery‐type learning outcomes can be established in students (termed verified learning outcomes or VLOs), it is important to rigorously identify the anticipated learning outcomes (ALOs) and to then develop student assessments that target each ALO to reveal the nature of such student learning. In this article we present a matrix of 43 ALOs, or course‐based undergraduate research abilities (CURAs), that instructors anticipate students will develop during a recently‐developed biochemistry CURE focusing on the prediction of protein function from structure. The CURAs were identified using the process for identifying course‐based undergraduate research abilities (PICURA) and classified into seven distinct themes that enabled the characterization of the CURE and a comparison to other published inventories of research competencies and CURE aspects. These themes and the CURE protocols aligning to the CURAs were used to form the ALO matrix that was, in turn, used to inform the design of an assessment that revealed evidence that a student had developed some of the targeted CURAs. Future research will focus on further assessment development that targets other identified CURAs. This approach has potential applications to other CUREs both in biochemistry and other science disciplines. © 2018 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(5):478–492, 2018.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Brownell & Kloser and Bell et al . ) the learning objectives that students are expected to achieve during a particular CURE need to be identified before a CURE can be evaluated. Such learning objectives can then be used to inform assessment design to confirm to what extent students are achieving these objectives .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anticipated learning outcomes for a biochemistry course‐based undergraduate research experience aimed at predicting protein function from structure: Implications for assessment design

Irby

Pelaez

Anderson

2018

“…During Step 2, students must devise a more specific, self‐directed research question (whose answer is unknown) backed by previous published research and approved by the instructor, formulate a hypothesis, and design an accompanying experiment to test the hypothesis. As indicated by the requirements for a CURE, the outcome must be unknown to the instructor and the students while extending what is already in the literature and have the potential to advance the field . In Step 3, students conduct their autonomous experiment while utilizing learned techniques and collecting data.…”

Section: Course Details and Implementationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, in Step 4, students interpret their data and present the results of their study in a professional scientific manner (i.e., poster, presentation, and/or scientific paper). Throughout this entire framework, students work in pairs to reinforce the collaborative nature of science , whereas the instructor is available to act as a research consultant, guiding student scientists through hurdles that may arise during each step.…”

Section: Course Details and Implementationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A current goal in higher education is to develop students' ability to think like a scientist . One such way to accomplish this goal is to incorporate CUREs (Course‐Based Undergraduate Research Experiences) into traditional laboratory courses . This laboratory exercise describes a CURE developed for molecular cell biology, cell biology, cell culture, and immunology laboratory courses using THP‐1 cells.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Making it stick: A CURE designed to introduce students to the scientific process and the host response to foreign materials

Slee

McLaughlin

2019

Often overlooked in many molecular cell biology laboratory and cell culture courses, suspension cells represent an important aspect of molecular cell biology and cell culture. Most primary cell cultures and cell lines are adherent cells which grow in monolayers on surfaces. However, other cells such as hematopoietic cells, certain tumor cells, and cells of the immune system are suspension cells which are anchorage‐independent which grow and divide in solution. THP‐1 cells are a commercially available, spontaneously immortalized monocyte‐like cell line derived from the peripheral blood of a patient with acute monocytic leukemia. These cells are an excellent model for suspension cell culture and studies of the immune system. Researchers have used THP‐1 cells to study the host response to implantable devices and biomaterials in vitro. Tissue contacting surfaces of implantable materials initiate a host inflammatory response characterized by many events, one of which includes macrophage attachment to the surface, which ultimately leads to degradation and failure of the material. Using the THP‐1 adhesion assay embedded in this CURE, students can participate in the scientific process by testing substances which may prevent the host inflammatory response to implantable devices and biomaterials. © 2019 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 47(4):417–425, 2019.

A 13‐week research‐based biochemistry laboratory curriculum

Lefurgy

Mundorff

2017

Here, we present a 13-week research-based biochemistry laboratory curriculum designed to provide the students with the experience of engaging in original research while introducing foundational biochemistry laboratory techniques. The laboratory experience has been developed around the directed evolution of an enzyme chosen by the instructor, with mutations designed by the students. Ideal enzymes for this curriculum are able to be structurally modeled, solubly expressed, and monitored for activity by UV/Vis spectroscopy, and an example curriculum for haloalkane dehalogenase is given. Unique to this curriculum is a successful implementation of saturation mutagenesis and high-throughput screening of enzyme function, along with bioinformatics analysis, homology modeling, structural analysis, protein expression and purification, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, UV/Vis spectroscopy, and enzyme kinetics. Each of these techniques is carried out using a novel student-designed mutant library or enzyme variant unique to the lab team and, importantly, not described previously in the literature. Use of a well-established set of protocols promotes student data quality. Publication may result from the original student-generated hypotheses and data, either from the class as a whole or individual students that continue their independent projects upon course completion. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(5):437-448, 2017.