RCN-UBE Incubator: Promoting Authentic Research Experiences in Introductory Biology Laboratories

这个项目将为网络的发展奠定框架，以增加本科生实验课程中真实研究经验的使用，特别是在入门水平。智力价值：本科生研究已被证明增加了学生对科学内容、实验设计和科学本质的理解，但对教学实践的调查表明，在实验室课程中真实的研究经验是例外，而不是常态。我们将接待一个由本科生研究理事会(CUR)、生物学实验室教育协会(ABLE)和其他组织的感兴趣的教师组成的规划小组，以确定关键问题并提出在实验室入门课程中实施真实研究经验的想法。与准备准备21世纪生物学学生网络的会议将把这项工作与本科生物学教育中的其他研究网络整合在一起。最后，我们建议对生物学教师在实验室课程中的真实研究经验进行调查，以确定将真实研究经验纳入实验室课程的成功模式和常见障碍。广泛影响：计划小组和调查的参与者将从一系列生物子学科、地理区域和机构类型中招募，包括为少数群体服务的机构和社区学院。规划小组的工作将有助于将该项目发展成为RCN-UBE的全面提案，调查结果将发表在本科生STEM教育界的期刊上。该项目由生物基础设施司生物科学局和本科教育司教育和人力资源局共同资助。

This project will lay the framework for the development of a network to increase the use of authentic research experiences in undergraduate laboratory courses, especially at the introductory level.Intellectual Merit: Undergraduate research has been shown to increase student understanding of scientific content, experimental design, and the nature of science, yet surveys of teaching practices show that authentic research experiences in laboratory courses are the exception, rather than the norm. We will host a planning group of interested faculty from the Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR), the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE), and other organizations to identify key issues and develop ideas for implementing authentic research experiences in introductory laboratory courses. Meeting with the Preparing to Prepare the 21st Century Biology Student network will integrate this work with other research networks in undergraduate biology education. Finally, we propose to survey biology faculty on authentic research experiences in laboratory courses to identify successful models of and common barriers to incorporating authentic research experiences in laboratory courses.Broader Impacts: Participants in the planning group and in the survey will be recruited from a range of biology sub-disciplines, geographical regions, and institution types, including minority-serving institutions and community colleges. The work of the planning group will help develop this project into a full RCN-UBE proposal, and the findings of the survey will be published in a journal of the undergraduate STEM education community. This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education.