Abstract
Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are a type of laboratory learning environment associated with a science course, in which undergraduates participate in novel research. According to Auchincloss et al. (CBE Life Sci Educ 2104; 13:29–40), CUREs are distinct from other laboratory learning environments because they possess five core design components, and while national calls to improve STEM education have led to an increase in CURE programs nationally, less work has specifically focused on which core components are critical to achieving desired student outcomes. Here we use a backward elimination experimental design to test the importance of two CURE components for a population of non-biology majors: the experience of discovery and the production of data broadly relevant to the scientific or local community. We found nonsignificant impacts of either laboratory component on students’ academic performance, science self-efficacy, sense of project ownership, and perceived value of the laboratory experience. Our results challenge the assumption that all core components of CUREs are essential to achieve positive student outcomes when applied at scale.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1515 |
| Journal | Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank Daniel Baltz and Sadie Hebert for help with data organization and interpretation, Deena Was-senburg for help with data collection from students, Kris-tina Prescott for TA support and training, J.D. Walker for statistical support, and Michael Miller for coordinating the PHS collaboration. This work was supported in part by a National Science Foundation IUSE grant (Integrated Science Education for Discovery in Introductory Biology, Proposal number 1432414), awarded to Sehoya Cotner and Catherine Kirkpatrick, and grants to Michael Miner from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (2001-JR-BX-0003) and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (R49 CE000265-02 and 5R01 CE001210-03). This work was approved by IRB protocol number 1405E50826, and has complied with all relevant institutional guidelines and policies. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Funding Information:
We thank Daniel Baltz and Sadie Hebert for help with data organization and interpretation, Deena Was-senburg for help with data collection from students, Kristina Prescott for TA support and training, J.D. Walker for statistical support, and Michael Miller for coordinating the PHS collaboration. This work was supported in part by a National Science Foundation IUSE grant (Integrated Science Education for Discovery in Introductory Biology, Proposal number 1432414), awarded to Sehoya Cotner and Catherine Kirkpatrick, and grants to Michael Miner from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (2001-JR-BX-0003) and the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (R49 CE000265-02 and 5R01 CE001210-03). This work was approved by IRB protocol number 1405E50826, and has complied with all relevant institutional guidelines and policies. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Publisher Copyright:
©2018 Author(s). Published by the American Society for Microbiology. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license