Evaluation of the Second Edition of Entering Research: A Customizable Curriculum for Apprentice-Style Undergraduate and Graduate Research Training Programs and Courses

Abstract

The second edition of Entering Research (ER) is a collection of customizable active-learning activities, resources, and assessment and evaluation tools for use in undergraduate and graduate research training programs and courses. Results from two design and development research studies examining the effectiveness of the second edition of the ER curriculum and a 2-day ER facilitator training workshop are reported. Pilot testing of the second edition of the curriculum at 20 sites across the country (42 unique implementations) with 78 facilitators and 565 undergraduate and graduate research trainees provides evidence that the ER activities are clear and complete and that they were effective in helping trainees gain knowledge or improve their ability to do research. Overall, research training program directors and trainees were satisfied with courses and workshops that incorporated activities from ER. Likewise, evaluation data from four ER facilitator training workshops showed that participants valued the workshop and reported significant gains in confidence in their ability to successfully develop and implement a custom ER curriculum. Together, these results provide evidence that the ER curriculum and training workshop warrant further efficacy, effectiveness, and scale-up research.

Adaptations to a Secondary School-Based Citizen Science Project to Engage Students in Monitoring Well Water for Arsenic during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…One of the tools that we implemented was an individual curriculum development planning process in the form of an Excel workbook. Our tool was adapted from one used in training sessions for Entering Research, a customizable curriculum for undergraduate and graduate research training (Branchaw et al, 2020). This individual curriculum development planning process uses an Understanding by Design (UbD) framework to guide development of curricula (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005).…”

Entering Research Learning Assessment (ERLA): Validity Evidence for an Instrument to Measure Undergraduate and Graduate Research Trainee Development

“…The ERLA was developed in conjunction with the Entering Research curriculum and conceptual framework ( Branchaw et al. , 2020 ) using a backward design approach.…”

“…As we began to restructure the Entering Research curriculum from a linear, two-semester curriculum in the first edition to a more flexible collection of activities organized by meta–learning objectives in the second edition ( Branchaw et al. , 2020 ), we looked to both practitioners and the literature to help us define the meta–learning objectives that should frame our curriculum.…”

“…(2011) . Twenty-nine new items were developed by the three authors of the curriculum ( Branchaw et al. , 2020 ).…”

“…The ERLA addresses these gaps. First, items for the ERLA align with the areas of trainee development and learning objectives outlined in the Entering Research conceptual framework ( Branchaw et al. , 2020 ; Supplemental Figure S1), which apply to both undergraduate and graduate research trainees.…”