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Undergraduate neuroscience faculty: results from a survey of faculty for undergraduate neuroscience members.

ABSTRACT: A survey was presented to members of the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) to get a better idea of how neuroscience research and education is being delivered at the undergraduate level. A total of 155 individuals completed the survey, with 118 coming from faculty at traditional PUIs (primarily undergraduate institutions) and 37 from faculty at doctoral-granting institutions. The survey covered a number of different areas; including types of neuroscience programs, number of neuroscience faculty at the institution, average course loads, average number of research students, and external support for research. Results from this survey indicate that the structure of neuroscience programs vary among institutions. Course loads for faculty at PUIs averaged four to six courses per year and the total number of undergraduate students supervised in research per faculty member averaged five (± 2.8) students per year. Faculty show high success with external funding, both at PUIs and research universities. Faculty ranked FUN programs devoted to supporting both students and faculty development highly. The results of this survey provide data that can be used to determine future directions and priorities for FUN.

SUBMITTER: Hardwick JC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3592718 | biostudies-literature | 2010

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Undergraduate neuroscience faculty: results from a survey of faculty for undergraduate neuroscience members.

Hardwick Jean C JC Smith Jeffrey S JS

Journal of undergraduate neuroscience education : JUNE : a publication of FUN, Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience 20100315 2

A survey was presented to members of the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) to get a better idea of how neuroscience research and education is being delivered at the undergraduate level. A total of 155 individuals completed the survey, with 118 coming from faculty at traditional PUIs (primarily undergraduate institutions) and 37 from faculty at doctoral-granting institutions. The survey covered a number of different areas; including types of neuroscience programs, number of neuroscienc ...[more]

PMID: 23493671

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Project description:Introduction and objectiveThe commitment of pharmacy graduates to patient care and research is crucial to advancing pharmaceutical science and practice. Consequently, the value of involving undergraduate pharmacy students in research has been increasingly recognized. Given that the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University offers two undergraduate pharmacy research courses, it is relevant to explore the perception of faculty members of the delivery, impact, facilitators, barriers, and suggested improvements in these courses. This exploration will help to improve the existing curriculum and to highlight the prospective impact of student involvement in undergraduate pharmacy research courses on the personal and professional growth of students, as well as on the progressive evolution of the pharmacy profession.MethodsA qualitative exploratory case study was performed in which five virtual focus groups were conducted. All eligible faculty members from the clinical pharmacy and pharmaceutical science departments with experience supervising students who had taken one or two undergraduate pharmacy research courses were invited to participate. The focus group questions were based on the Theoretical domain framework of behavioral determinants. Verbatim transcription was performed, and the collected data were thematically analyzed using the computer-assisted coding software NVivo®.ResultsOf the 26 eligible faculty members, 21 participated in this study. Five deductive themes were identified: social professional role and influences, beliefs about capabilities, skills, beliefs about consequences and goals, and environmental resources and behavioral regulations. Overall, faculty members identified themselves as assessors and mentors. Participants expected students to possess independence, responsibility, and motivation. They believed that students generally required more practical research skills. Several benefits of incorporating students into undergraduate research have been highlighted, including increased publication productivity and quality. However, several hurdles to undergraduate research in pharmacy have been identified, including limited resources, limited timeframes, and sometimes delayed ethical approval.ConclusionFaculty members expressed optimism regarding the undergraduate research courses. However, some logistical concerns, including the lengthy ethical approval process and resource availability, must be addressed to optimize the effectiveness of these courses.

Project description:The Navajo Nation placed a moratorium on genetic research studies in 2002, in part due to concerns about historical distrust, exploitation, limited expertise and resources, and the lack of a genetics policy. Navajo tribal leaders, scientists, and policy experts are exploring the possibility of lifting the moratorium, developing a genetic research policy, and discussing its potential health implications. This study aimed to identify the key concerns, needs, and desires of Navajo people regarding genetic research. We conducted a survey of Navajo individuals to assess knowledge of the moratorium and research, gauge interest in genetic research, and quantify appropriate genetic research topics to understand broad views and concerns. We performed descriptive statistics and tested associations between relevant categorical variables using Chi-square tests. We hypothesized that individuals with more knowledge about the moratorium and health research increased the likelihood of supporting and participating in genetic research. A total of 690 surveys from Navajo respondents were analyzed. Of these, 63% of respondents reported being unaware of the Navajo Nation's moratorium on genetic research. There were positive associations between those who knew about the moratorium and willingness to donate biospecimens for research under certain conditions, such as community involvement, review and approval by community leaders, research on diseases affecting the community, and support for lifting the moratorium (p-values < 0.001). We found no significant differences between age, gender, religious/spiritual beliefs, or agency affiliation with knowledge levels of genetics and related topics, participation in relation to beliefs, and donation of biospecimens. Interestingly, respondents who resided off the Navajo Nation were positively associated with having knowledge of the moratorium, having heard of discussions of genetics on the Navajo Nation, and the lawsuit filed by the Havasupai Tribe. Most respondents agreed that it was very important to develop a policy that incorporates cultural knowledge (56%), is beneficial (56%), and has data sharing protections (59%) before allowing genetic research on the Navajo Nation. Overall, a large proportion of respondents (46%) were unsure about lifting the moratorium and instead wanted more genetics education to assess its potential implications. The study results can inform the direction of future guidelines and policies.

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Undergraduate neuroscience faculty: results from a survey of faculty for undergraduate neuroscience members.

Publications

Undergraduate neuroscience faculty: results from a survey of faculty for undergraduate neuroscience members.

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