REU Site: Undergraduate Biology Education Research

为了加强科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）的学习，我们需要更好地了解学生如何获得和使用STEM知识，以及教师如何促进STEM学习。生物学教育研究人员通过将他们在生物学方面的专业知识应用于本科教学和学科学习的研究来促进这种理解。生物学教育研究是继物理学和化学教育研究之后出现的一个相对年轻的领域。因此，生物学教育研究还存在许多问题，需要更多的生物学教育研究者来解决。本科生物教育研究版本2（UBERV2）本科生研究经验（REU）计划将通过为BER人才库做出贡献来满足这一需求。UBERV2 REU计划将在未来三年内选择和培养24名不同的本科生进行生物教育研究。UBERV2研究员将发展他们的BER理解和技能，同时增加有关生物学教学和学习的理论和知识。UBERV2研究员将与教师导师合作进行个人研究项目。他们还将参与围绕三个领域组织的课程：研究链，职业链和专业链。参加UBERV2后，学生将能够1）使用适当的方法来分析与生物学教学和学习相关的数据，2）评估BER和科学教育研究中的同行评审论文，3）确定合理的教育研究问题和适当的研究设计，4）以科学格式交流他们的研究成果，5）概述教育研究中或与教育研究相关的职业发展道路。这一经验将准备UBERV2研究员在BER追求研究生工作。总体而言，该项目将有助于提高对生物学教学和学习的理解，并建立生物教育研究人才库，预计将导致本科STEM教育的改善。

To enhance learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), we need to better understand how students acquire and use STEM knowledge, and how instructors can facilitate learning in STEM. Biology education researchers contribute to this understanding by applying their expertise in biology to the study of undergraduate teaching and learning in the discipline. Biology education research (BER) is a relatively young field, emerging after physics and chemistry education research. Thus there are many research questions to answer in BER, and this work will require more biology education researchers. The Undergraduate Biology Education Research Version 2 (UBERV2) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program at University of Georgia will address this need by contributing to the BER talent pool.The UBERV2 REU program will select and train 24 diverse undergraduate students in biology education research over the next three years. UBERV2 fellows will develop their BER understanding and skills while adding to theory and knowledge about biology teaching and learning. UBERV2 fellows will collaborate with faculty mentors on individual research projects. They will also engage in program offerings organized around three areas: a research strand, a career strand, and a professionalism strand. After participating in UBERV2 students will be able to 1) use appropriate methods to analyze data associated with biology teaching and learning, 2) evaluate peer-reviewed papers in BER and science education research, 3) identify sound educational research questions and appropriate research designs, 4) communicate their research findings in scientific formats, and 5) outline career pathways in or related to education research. This experience will prepare UBERV2 fellows to pursue graduate work in BER. Overall, the project will contribute enhanced understandings of biology teaching and learning, and build the biology education research talent pool, which is expected to lead to improvements in undergraduate STEM education.