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

Abstract

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.

Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences in a Chemical Engineering Laboratory Promote Consequential Agency

“…Mateo specifically indicated that the context itself as motivating, and others noted endemic feedback, as when Emma’s model was “super weird,” when Dinesh’s experiment was not “going right” or, as Sophia suggested, that the published research could offer insight about the choices they should make. This finding extends past research showing that the context of CUREs can support student sense-making, ,, suggesting context might operate in more complex ways. In these expressions, students attributed agency to the context, displayed as consistent use of third-person subjects (e.g., “the model,” “it”).…”

“…A direct relationship between students and their chosen fields has been found to foster excitement and a sense of ownership that translates to persistence in science, both in chemistry and chemical engineering. , Sometimes, CUREs are designed and implemented as a replacement for lectures . However, most CUREs are set in laboratory courses, providing students with opportunities to design experiments. ,− While many CUREs are set in upper-division courses, this is not always the case, with some implemented in general chemistry. , These hands-on authentic experiences give students a glimpse into what being a professional in their field might be like, while supporting increased science self-efficacy, including skills beyond using basic equipment . By authentic, we mean that the problems tackled have a “primary purpose and source [that is] a need, a practice, a task, a quest and a thirst existing in a context outside of schooling.”…”

A case study of a novel summer bridge program to prepare transfer students for research in biological sciences

“…While there are no universal guidelines for interpreting Cronbach's alpha values, these values fall within the good to excellent range of reliability (Taber, 2018). Analogous modifications were previously determined to retain high internal consistency and reliability (Lo & Le, 2021;Mordacq et al, 2017). Students also indicated their intentions to continue their scientific training through coursework, laboratory experiences, and career pathways using previously developed items (Lo et al, 2014).…”

Research on the Teaching Concept of Undergraduate Education Based on Vocational Education

“…Among them, what kind of teaching method should be adopted to meet the needs of undergraduate vocational education to cultivate high-quality technical talents is the first issue to be considered. Whether from the objective needs of economic and social development or from the internal requirements of vocational education to achieve high-quality development, it is urgent to explore undergraduate vocational education [5]. However, in the current practice of vocational education reform, China still lacks in-depth theoretical research and practical exploration on how to build vocational education at undergraduate level.…”