Connected While Distant: Networking CUREs Across Classrooms to Create Community and Empower Students
Connected While Distant: Networking CUREs Across Classrooms to Create Community and Empower Students
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DOI：
10.1093/icb/icab146
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发表时间：
2021-06-30
影响因子：
2.6
通讯作者：
Hanson, John D.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Connors, Patrice K.;Lanier, Hayley C.;Hanson, John D.
联系、合作和社区是科学家个人成功的关键，也是变革性科学进步的关键。有意识地将这些内容纳入科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）教育可以更好地为未来几代研究人员做好准备。基于课程的本科生研究经验（CURES）是一种新的，快速增长的STEM教学实践，为本科生提供了获得研究技能的机会。因为他们在一个专注于相关科学问题的真实研究经验的课程中吸引所有学生，CURE提供了一个机会，在学生中培养社区，同时促进批判性思维能力，并积极影响他们作为科学家的身份。在这里，我们回顾了在生物科学的CURE开发的多机构网络，并强调通过参与一个CURE网络的学生和教师所获得的好处。在整个过程中，我们介绍松鼠网，一个以生态为重点和基于实地的CURE网络，有意在学生和教师之间建立联系。松鼠网CURE也可以搭建到课程中，形成课程之间的联系，并很容易过渡到基于距离的交付。未来对松鼠网等网络化CURE的评估将有助于阐明CURE网络如何创建社区，以及培养的研究社区如何影响学生的表现，科学观念和归属感。我们假设网络化的CURE有可能在学生和教师之间创造更广泛的归属感，这可能会导致更好的科学和更自信的科学家。
Connections, collaborations, and community are key to the success of individual scientists as well as transformative scientific advances. Intentionally building these components into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education can better prepare future generations of researchers. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are a new, fast-growing teaching practice in STEM that expand opportunities for undergraduate students to gain research skills. Because they engage all students in a course in an authentic research experience focused on a relevant scientific problem, CUREs provide an opportunity to foster community among students while promoting critical thinking skills and positively influencing their identities as scientists. Here, we review CUREs in the biological sciences that were developed as multi-institutional networks, and highlight the benefits gained by students and instructors through participation in a CURE network. Throughout, we introduce Squirrel-Net, a network of ecology-focused and field-based CUREs that intentionally create connections among students and instructors. Squirrel-Net CUREs can also be scaffolded into the curriculum to form connections between courses, and are easily transitioned to distance-based delivery. Future assessments of networked CUREs like Squirrel-Net will help elucidate how CURE networks create community and how a cultivated research community impacts students' performance, perceptions of science, and sense of belonging. We hypothesize networked CUREs have the potential to create a broader sense of belonging among students and instructors alike, which could result in better science and more confident scientists.