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.
Development and assessment of a course-based undergraduate research experience for online astronomy majors
Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) have been shown to provide students with
a variety of learning benefits including better conceptual understanding, improved critical thinking and data
literacy skills, and increased interest in pursuing scientific careers. Additionally, CUREs provide students
with opportunities to participate in authentic research experiences that have a broader impact outside of the
classroom. Despite the numerous benefits, the field of astronomy has lagged behind disciplines like biology
and chemistry when it comes to including CUREs in the curriculum. Not limited to astronomy, however, is
the lack of research opportunities and courses offered to students enrolled in undergraduate degree
programs online. In the Fall of 2020, Arizona State University (ASU) introduced the nation’s first online
bachelor’s degree program in astronomy and planetary sciences (APS). To make research accessible to a
more diverse population of learners, it is imperative that students in this program have access to the same
opportunities to participate in authentic research as those in the parallel in-person program. In this work, we
describe the development, implementation, and assessment of a fully online CURE for astronomy majors as
part of the APS program. We conducted a mixed methods analysis consisting of a Likert style survey
administered pre- and postcourse as well as student interviews at the conclusion of the semester. Survey
results from the course’s first two offerings (N ¼ 24) indicated that students’ research self-efficacy and
science identity both improved. An exoplanet-specific multiple-choice assessment (N ¼ 26) showed
statistically significant improvements in conceptual understanding postcourse. Additionally, student
interview (N ¼ 11) responses relayed that students felt a stronger sense of belonging to both ASU
and the larger astronomy community after participation in the course. The results from this study are
encouraging and suggest that student participation in this online CURE led to similar improvements across
a variety of outcomes previously identified in studies of in-person CUREs spanning multiple disciplines.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2121225
- PAR ID:
- 10543517
- Publisher / Repository:
- PRPER
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Physical Review Physics Education Research
- Volume:
- 19
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2469-9896
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
more » « less
-
Provost, Joseph ; Cornely, Kathleen ; Parente, Amy ; Peterson, Celeste ; Springer, Amy (Ed.)more » « less
Abstract College science programs exhibit high rates of student attrition, especially among Students of Color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those with disabilities. Many of the reasons students choose to leave or feel pushed out of science can be mitigated through participation in faculty-mentored research. However, faculty resources are limited, and not every student has access to faculty mentoring due to systemic or structural barriers. By bringing authentic scientific research into the classroom context, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) expand the number of students who participate in research and provide benefits similar to faculty-mentored research. Instructors also benefit from teaching CUREs. Using a systematic review of 14 manuscripts concerning the Malate Dehydrogenase CUREs Community (MCC) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) CUREs, we demonstrate that CUREs can be implemented flexibly, are authentic research experiences, generate new scientific discoveries, and improve student outcomes. Additionally, CURE communities offer substantial advantages to faculty wishing to implement CUREs.
-
Dr. Alice Suroviec (Ed.)Approaches to student-centered active learning have evolved. The progression in course-design has led to the development of new learning paradigms such as collaborative, problem based, and project-based learning. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are a learning pedagogy that infuses research experiences within the curriculum. This method of instruction increases opportunities for students to participate in more authentic education experiences and is especially beneficial in the science education pathway. CUREs encourage students to be autonomous and emphasize teamwork. Our research proposes methodologies that can maximize student performance, particularly benefiting underrepresented and underprepared female students. Pre- and post- assessments of a CURE classroom were administered to gauge student engagement and success in a General Chemistry course. Specifically, our research focuses on female engagement in CURE projects and overall success and retention rates to test if the teaching methods will support increased gender equity in STEM.more » « less
-
Marshall, Pamela Ann (Ed.)ABSTRACT The initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the nature of course delivery from largely in-person to exclusively remote, thus disrupting the well-established pedagogy of the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP; https://www.thegep.org ). However, our web-based research adapted well to the remote learning environment. As usual, students who engaged in the GEP’s Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) received digital projects based on genetic information within assembled Drosophila genomes. Adaptations for remote implementation included moving new member faculty training and peer Teaching Assistant office hours from in-person to online. Surprisingly, our faculty membership significantly increased and, hence, the number of supported students. Furthermore, despite the mostly virtual instruction of the 2020–2021 academic year, there was no significant decline in student learning nor attitudes. Based on successfully expanding the GEP CURE within a virtual learning environment, we provide four strategic lessons we infer toward democratizing science education. First, it appears that increasing access to scientific research and professional development opportunities by supporting virtual, cost-free attendance at national conferences attracts more faculty members to educational initiatives. Second, we observed that transitioning new member training to an online platform removed geographical barriers, reducing time and travel demands, and increased access for diverse faculty to join. Third, developing a Virtual Teaching Assistant program increased the availability of peer support, thereby improving the opportunities for student success. Finally, increasing access to web-based technology is critical for providing equitable opportunities for marginalized students to fully participate in research courses. Online CUREs have great potential for democratizing science education.more » « less
-
Advancement of the scientific enterprise relies on individuals conducting research in an ethical and responsible manner. Educating emergent scholars in the principles of ethics/responsible conduct of research (E/RCR) is therefore critical to ensuring such advancement. The recent impetus to include authentic research opportunities as part of the undergraduate curriculum, via course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), has been shown to increase cognitive and noncognitive student outcomes. Because of these important benefits, CUREs are becoming more common and often constitute the first research experience for many students. However, despite the importance of E/RCR in the research process, we know of few efforts to incorporate E/RCR education into CUREs. The Ethics Network for Course-based Opportunities in Undergraduate Research (ENCOUR) was created to address this concern and promote the integration of E/RCR within CUREs in the biological sciences and related disciplines. During the inaugural ENCOUR meeting, a four-pronged approach was used to develop guidelines for the effective integration of E/RCR in CUREs. This approach included: 1) defining appropriate student learning objectives; 2) identifying relevant curriculum; 3) identifying relevant assessments; and 4) defining key aspects of professional development for CURE facilitators. Meeting outcomes, including the aforementioned E/RCR guidelines, are described herein.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.19.020156
