Exploring the Impacts of Data Science Education through a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience and Short Lab Modules

该项目旨在通过在基因组学领域开发可扩展的基于数据科学课程的本科生研究体验（CURE）来服务于国家利益，以提高本科生的定量素养和持久性。该项目将采用CURE让学生参与真正的科学研究，作为课程的一部分。将开发数据科学项目，以创建可扩展的CURE，可在社区学院和四年制教学机构提供，以影响不同的学生群体。因此，该项目将增加主要教学学院及其学生获得研究机会的机会，以增加对数据科学的参与。通过探索数据科学CURE作为干预措施的有效性，该项目将提供有关如何提高STEM定量素养和持久性的见解。这个项目旨在研究如何CURE可以提高学生的持久性和提高分析能力。特别是，该项目旨在生成有关数据科学密集型CURE如何影响学生学习成果的知识。将对一所研究型大学（约翰霍普金斯大学）和一所社区学院（克洛维斯社区学院，一所教学机构，学生人口中有40%是西班牙裔，20%是第一代）的学生群体的结果进行评估。一个经过验证的工具评估与STEM（PITS）持久性相关的因素，将用于调查数据科学CURE是否可以产生类似于先前建立的CURE中所见的这些因素的增加。同样，最近经过验证的BioScore RE工具将用于评估定量技能的改进。用两个非常不同的学生群体和机构环境来评估这些措施，将扩大对CURE影响的了解，并为在广泛的学生群体中进行比较奠定基础。该项目还将调查学生对数据科学的态度，并评估在低年级本科课程中纳入数据科学实验室模块是否是吸引和准备学生参与科学研究机会的有效策略。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing a scalable data-science Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in genomics for increasing quantitative literacy and persistence in undergraduate students. The project will employ a CURE to engage students in genuine scientific research as part of the course curriculum. Data science projects will be developed to create a scalable CURE that can be offered at both community colleges and four-year teaching institutions to impact diverse student populations. As such, this project will increase access to research opportunities for primarily teaching colleges and their students to increase participation in data science. By exploring the efficacy of a data science CURE as an intervention, this project will provide insights on how to increase quantitative literacy and persistence in STEM. This project seeks to investigate how CUREs can increase student persistence and improve analytical skills. In particular, the project aims to generate knowledge on how a data science intensive CURE impacts the student learning outcomes. The outcomes will be evaluated for student populations at a research university (Johns Hopkins University) and a community college (Clovis Community College, a teaching institution with a student population that is 40% Hispanic and 20% first-generation). A validated tool assessing factors linked to persistence in STEM (PITS) will be used to investigate whether a data science CURE can produce increases in these factors similar to those seen in previously established CUREs. Similarly, the recently validated BioSQuaRE tool will be used to assess improvements in quantitative skills. Evaluating these measures with two very different student populations and institutional settings will expand knowledge of CURE impacts and lay the groundwork for comparisons across a wide range of student populations. The project will also investigate student attitudes towards data science and evaluate whether incorporating data science lab modules in a lower-division undergraduate course is an effective strategy to attract and prepare students to participate in scientific research opportunities. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.