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A central support system can facilitate implementation and sustainability of a Classroom-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in Genomics.

ABSTRACT: In their 2012 report, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology advocated "replacing standard science laboratory courses with discovery-based research courses"-a challenging proposition that presents practical and pedagogical difficulties. In this paper, we describe our collective experiences working with the Genomics Education Partnership, a nationwide faculty consortium that aims to provide undergraduates with a research experience in genomics through a scheduled course (a classroom-based undergraduate research experience, or CURE). We examine the common barriers encountered in implementing a CURE, program elements of most value to faculty, ways in which a shared core support system can help, and the incentives for and rewards of establishing a CURE on our diverse campuses. While some of the barriers and rewards are specific to a research project utilizing a genomics approach, other lessons learned should be broadly applicable. We find that a central system that supports a shared investigation can mitigate some shortfalls in campus infrastructure (such as time for new curriculum development, availability of IT services) and provides collegial support for change. Our findings should be useful for designing similar supportive programs to facilitate change in the way we teach science for undergraduates.

SUBMITTER: Lopatto D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4255357 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A central support system can facilitate implementation and sustainability of a Classroom-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in Genomics.

Lopatto David D Hauser Charles C Jones Christopher J CJ Paetkau Don D Chandrasekaran Vidya V Dunbar David D MacKinnon Christy C Stamm Joyce J Alvarez Consuelo C Barnard Daron D Bedard James E J JE Bednarski April E AE Bhalla Satish S Braverman John M JM Burg Martin M Chung Hui-Min HM DeJong Randall J RJ DiAngelo Justin R JR Du Chunguang C Eckdahl Todd T TT Emerson Julia J Frary Amy A Frohlich Donald D Goodman Anya L AL Gosser Yuying Y Govind Shubha S Haberman Adam A Hark Amy T AT Hoogewerf Arlene A Johnson Diana D Kadlec Lisa L Kaehler Marian M Key S Catherine Silver SC Kokan Nighat P NP Kopp Olga R OR Kuleck Gary A GA Lopilato Jane J Martinez-Cruzado Juan C JC McNeil Gerard G Mel Stephanie S Nagengast Alexis A Overvoorde Paul J PJ Parrish Susan S Preuss Mary L ML Reed Laura D LD Regisford E Gloria EG Revie Dennis D Robic Srebrenka S Roecklien-Canfield Jennifer A JA Rosenwald Anne G AG Rubin Michael R MR Saville Kenneth K Schroeder Stephanie S Sharif Karim A KA Shaw Mary M Skuse Gary G Smith Christopher D CD Smith Mary M Smith Sheryl T ST Spana Eric P EP Spratt Mary M Sreenivasan Aparna A Thompson Jeffrey S JS Wawersik Matthew M Wolyniak Michael J MJ Youngblom James J Zhou Leming L Buhler Jeremy J Mardis Elaine E Leung Wilson W Shaffer Christopher D CD Threlfall Jennifer J Elgin Sarah C R SC

CBE life sciences education 20140101 4

In their 2012 report, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology advocated "replacing standard science laboratory courses with discovery-based research courses"-a challenging proposition that presents practical and pedagogical difficulties. In this paper, we describe our collective experiences working with the Genomics Education Partnership, a nationwide faculty consortium that aims to provide undergraduates with a research experience in genomics through a scheduled course (a ...[more]

PMID: 25452493

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Project description:The benefits of mentored undergraduate research to student success, retention, and persistence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have long been identified. However, many students miss out on the opportunity to engage in research often due to unfamiliarity of various research opportunities or how to approach potential research mentors. To address this, we developed a scalable online badge, Introduction to Research, that draws on aspects of the Entering Research curriculum (Branchaw, Pfund, & Rediske, 2010) to help students explore and prepare for undergraduate research in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. Students in the BUILD Training Program, part of the larger STEM BUILD at UMBC Initiative, completed the badge in conjunction with a 3-week classroom-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) before the start of their second year of undergraduate study at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). We were interested in investigating how this intervention, online badge plus CURE, correlated to students engaging in undergraduate research before the end of their second year at UMBC. We did this through student self-report, comparing students who had participated in the online badge plus CURE (BTP) to those who participated in neither (Control). Our data demonstrate that students who participated in the Introduction to Research Badge and CURE entered into mentored research at a significantly higher rate than students who were exposed to neither. Further, previously validated instruments of students 'research self-efficacy and science identity were used to compare how the Introduction to Research Badge and CURE may impact these two psycho-social variables. Students who participated in the Introduction to Research Badge and CURE had significantly higher gains in research self-efficacy compared to the control group. However, no change was observed in science identity for either group. Collectively, our results suggest that students who engage in the Introduction to Research Badge in combination with a CURE engage in mentored research within a year of completion at higher levels than students who engage in neither.

Project description:Genetic analysis in model systems can provide a rich context for conceptual understanding of gene structure, regulation, and function. With an intent to create a rich learning experience in molecular genetics, we developed a semester-long course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system to disrupt specific genes in the zebrafish. The course was offered to freshman students; nine students worked in four groups (two to three members per group) to design, synthesize, and test the nuclease activity of the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)/sgRNAs for targeted disruption of specific genes in the zebrafish. Each group worked with a gene with an already known mutant phenotype that can be visually scored and a gene that had not been studied in zebrafish previously. Embedded in the course were a series of workshop-styled units or tutorials, including tours to core facilities. The focus was on introducing and developing skills that could be accommodated within the span of a semester. Each group successfully cloned at least one plasmid-encoding CRISPR/sgRNA template, visually analyzed injected embryos, and performed genotyping assays to detect CRISPR-Cas9 activity. In-class discussions, a final end-of-semester written test, and group oral presentations were assessed for an understanding of the CRISPR-Cas9 system, application of the CRISPR-Cas9 system as a gene manipulation tool, and experimental methods used to create plasmid vectors and synthesize sgRNA. In addition, poster presentations were evaluated by faculty, graduate students, and senior undergraduate students at a University research exposition. Self-reflections in the form of group conversations were video recorded. All students (9/9) distinctly showed learning gains after completing the activity, but the extent of the gains was variable, as seen from results of a written test and poster presentation assessment. Qualitative analysis of evaluations and self-reporting data indicated several gains, suggesting that all students found many aspects of the CURE valuable and gained project-specific (conceptual) and transferrable skills (science process and science identity).

Dataset Information

A central support system can facilitate implementation and sustainability of a Classroom-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in Genomics.

Publications

A central support system can facilitate implementation and sustainability of a Classroom-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in Genomics.

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