Collaborative Research: The Ciliate Genomics Consortium Model for Sustainable Teaching-Research Integration

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Engaging more undergraduates in research experiences is a priority for improving science education and course-based research experiences are a promising approach to reaching larger numbers of students. The Ciliate Genomics Consortium (CGC) is a student-centered, nation-wide collaborative learning community that uses scalable functional genomics research for integration into courses in a variety of biology sub-disciplines. The CGC employs an integrative teaching and research model that combines both inquiry-driven class laboratory activities and collaborative consortium pedagogies to advance faculty research. Previously, the CGC developed modular course-based research curricula that, when adopted by the research community using the ciliate Tetrahymena, effectively engaged greater numbers of students in authentic research while advancing faculty research. This work expands the consortium by creating new or improving tested curricula to promote their broad adoption, creating more opportunities for teaching/research integration. If successful, this project provide evidence that students in classroom settings can contribute substantially to faculty and community research priorities with a variety of model organisms. To achieve project goals, the CGC will: 1) develop curricula adaptable to faculty research interests, integrate consortium activities with research community resources, and assess student learning gains; and 2) disseminate the CGC model through training workshops and assess the impact on faculty teaching and student learning. Curricula are disseminated through annual workshops and test whether research communities can foster learning communities that promote faculty adoption of classroom-based research as a high impact teaching practice. In this model, members of a research community form a professional learning community to enhance and apply best STEM teaching practices. To learn more about the effectiveness of this approach for both students and educators, the project will assess the pedagogy and report any conceptual gains this research-based curriculum offers over other instructional models, and present limitations and challenges observed. Several validated instruments will be used to measure confidence and learning gains with newly developed assessments to evaluate predicted cognitive gains. Cohorts of students at each institution are identified, not engaged in the CGC curriculum, to control for instructor and institutional factors.