Initial Publication Date: September 22, 2020

Workshop 2: Toolkit for student success: Developing course-based undergraduate research opportunities across STEM to broaden participation and help all students succeed.

Workshop Description:

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) improve students' attitudes toward science, thereby positively impacting all students' academic success. Student success rates are lower for Black, Hispanic, and Native students compared to other demographics, and implementing research experiences can help students to see a place for themselves in STEM courses and careers by providing them with role models and meaningful experiences. This workshop consists of five synchronous meetings over the course of one term, with asynchronous preparation. Participants will discuss the different approaches of implementing course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in science courses, work on implementing/improving their own CURE's in the Winter 2021 term, and share materials as a toolkit for other science faculty to implement CUREs in the future.

This is a funded faculty inquiry group with space for more participants who can earn a stipend for participating. To learn more, and sign up for this FIG, please email the workshop convener.

Where: Lane Community College.

When: October 9 - December 14, 2020.

Format: We will have five 1-hour virtual meetings (9:00-10:00 am, Pacific Time), with work to be done in preparation for each meeting. See the details below.

Connecting: We will use Zoom videoconferencing for our meetings. It's preferable if you can use your webcam so we can all be visible. Log in information: Point your browser to https://lanecc.zoom.us/j/6531228754

Who: STEM Faculty at Lane Community College. Register for this workshop.

Workshop Goals:

  • Support the academic success of all students (especially for underrepresented students) through implementing and improving course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs).
  • Discuss the different characteristics and components of CUREs in science courses in synchronous meetings and through asynchronous activities.
  • Work on implementing/improving their own CUREs in the Winter 2021 term.
  • Participants will collaborate in a Science Undergraduate Research Journal containing the how-to guidelines about CUREs key components.

Workshop Program

Notes: This page will be updated with more detail and links to resources as we go along. We'll post the recordings along with our notes from each meeting.

Meeting 1: What is and what isn't a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) (October 9th).

Reading:

Workshop Activities:

  • Goals and overview of FIG/Workshop activities (5 minutes).
  • Introductions: What is your name, pronouns, discipline, and experience implementing CUREs? (5 minutes).
  • Activity: What are the main elements that can make a successful CURE? (10 minutes).
  • Activity: Tell me about its features and I will tell you if it is a CURE or not a CURE (10 minutes).
  • Complete a post-workshop Roadcheck Evaluation (5 min): https://serc.carleton.edu/sage2yc/teams/lane/workshop2020/eow.html.

Prior to Meeting 2:

  1. Self-evaluate an individually implemented CURE or an assigned CURE based on the use of science practices, discovery, broader relevance or importance, collaboration, and itineration.
  2. Read the article "The Essential Features of Undergraduate Research" by David Lopatto (2003). Please take notes about the different types of gains (ex. cognitive, career outcomes) that students obtain after participating in CUREs.
  3. Read the article "Define Your Goals Before You Design a CURE: A Call to Use Backward Design in Planning Course-Based" by Katelyn M. Cooper and others (2017) https://www.asmscience.org/docserver/fulltext/jmbe/18/2/jmbe-18-30.pdf?expires=1600881952&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=1BFAD0644ADB9E1ADEF7491F025F310Dabout using backward design to develop course-based undergraduate research experiences.

Meeting 2: The Why about CUREs & The ABCs of Designing a CURE in Science Courses (October 30th).

Workshop Activities:

  • Participants present their CUREs self-evaluation or evaluation of an assigned CURE (10 minutes). Q & A session (5 minutes).
  • Creating a flyer to sell CUREs to students and faculty in science courses. Brainstorming about the top ten gains that have been cited by science students after participating in CUREs (8 minutes).
  • Talk. Would science students at LCC benefit from participating in CUREs? (8 minutes).
  • Talk. CUREs in non-major and major biology courses & Honors Program at LCC: M.S. Stacey Kiser (Guest Speaker) (10 minutes). Q & A session (5 minutes).
  • Talk. Design elements that should be considered when implementing CUREs: research goals, students' goals, objectives, tasks, equity and inclusion, assessments, data quality, and authorship (10 minutes).

Prior to Meeting 3:

  1. Share in google drive the CUREs or inquiry-based materials that participants have used.
  2. Explore the "CURE Collection" in the CUREnet webpage: https://serc.carleton.edu/curenet/collection.html, and select the one that most catches your attention and that could be implemented in your courses.
  3. Explore the section called "How to Use CUREs" on the following webpage from CUREnet https://serc.carleton.edu/curenet/pedagogy.html from Carleton College.

Meeting 3: CUREs and Inquiry Learning in Chemistry and Physics courses at LCC & Funding Options to Implement CUREs (November 13th).

Workshop Activities:

  • I would love to adopt a CURE titled ________________________________ because __________________; nevertheless,_________________________. (10 minutes).
  • Participants present their CUREs self-evaluation or evaluation of an assigned CURE (10 minutes).  Q & A session (5 minutes).
  • Talk. Implemented CUREs in chemistry courses at LCC: Dr. Douglas Young (Guest Speaker) (10 minutes). Q & A session (5 minutes).
  • Talk. Implementing Inquiry learning experiences in a physics course at LCC: Andrea Goering (Guest speaker) (10 minutes). Q & A session (5 minutes).
  • Talk. Potential funding opportunities to run CUREs in science courses (5 minutes).

Prior to Meeting 4:

  1. Interview a faculty member that belongs to the same science discipline about how he/she/they have implemented CUREs in their previous courses. Specifically, ask about their top five pieces of advice!
  2. Explore the section called "How to Use CUREs" on the following webpage from CUREnet https://serc.carleton.edu/curenet/pedagogy.html from Carleton College.

Meeting 4: CUREs in Biology and EES Courses at LCC (November 20th). 

Workshop Activities:

  • Participants present their CUREs self-evaluation or evaluation of an assigned CURE (10 minutes). Q & A session (5 minutes).
  • Discussion about the top five pieces of advice to implement CUREs in science courses at LCC (10 minutes).
  • Talk. Implementing CUREs in Biology courses at LCC: Pat Boleyn (Guest Speaker) (10 minutes). Q & A session (5 minutes).
  • Talk. Implementing CUREs in EES courses at Thomas Nelson Community College: Pete Berquist (10 minutes). Q & A session (5 minutes).
  • Talk. Common supplementary materials that support the implementation of CUREs or inquiry learning experiences in science courses (5 minutes).

Prior to Meeting 5:

  1. Access our "Science Undergraduate Research Journal" moodle shell (https://www.lanecc.edu/honors/undergraduate-research) and read the information about Zooniverse projects that have been implemented as CUREs in biology remote asynchronous courses at LCC.

Meeting 5: CUREs in Anatomy & Physiology/Microbiology, Our Science Undergraduate Research Journal & CUREs Option for Online/Remote courses (December 4th). 

Workshop Activities: 

  • Participants present their CUREs self-evaluation or evaluation of an assigned CURE (10 minutes). Q & A session (5 minutes).
  • Talk. Implementing CUREs in Anatomy & Physiology/Microbiology courses (10 minutes): TBD. Q & A session (5 minutes).
  • A preview of our Science Undergraduate Research Journal (15 minutes).
  • Talk. Adopting a Zooniverse project as an option for CUREs in online/remote science courses (10 minutes).
  • Complete a post-workshop Roadcheck Evaluation (5 min): https://serc.carleton.edu/sage2yc/teams/lane/workshop2020/eow.html.

Post-Workshop Activities

Winter 2021 Term:

  • Implement your improved CURE.
  • Add any new or improved CUREs materials in our Science Undergraduate Research Journal.

Workshop Conveners

  • Edgar Francisco Rosas Alquicira (LCC).
  • Guest speakers: Stacey Kiser (LCC), Andrea Goering (LCC), Pat Boleyn (LCC), Pete Berquist (Thomas Nelson Community College), and Douglas Young (LCC).

If you would like further information about this workshop, please contact (rosasalquicirae@lanecc.edu)

This workshop is part of the Supporting and Advancing Geoscience in Two-Year Colleges: Faculty as Change Agents project and is supported by the National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education through grants DUE 1525593, 1524605, 1524623, and 1524800.

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this website are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.