Catalyst Project: Incorporating Inclusive Teaching Practices in the Design of a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience in Polymer Chemistry

催化剂项目为历史上的黑人学院和大学（HBCU）提供支持，致力于建立教师的研究能力，以加强科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）本科教育和研究。预计该奖项将进一步提高教师的研究能力，改善研究和教学机构，并参与本科生的研究经验。路易斯安那州泽维尔大学旨在通过基于课程的本科生研究经验（CURES）扩大参与STEM。具体而言，该项目确定了高分子化学课程的上层原理，通过开发CURE来增强实验室部分。此外，有一个确定的需要，以扩大跨STEM学科的CURE的可用性和该项目的目的是开发一个实践社区（CoP），以培养讨论和有效地实施额外的CURE。在教学上，传统的经验，为学生在教育实验室的目的是提供一个框架，学生加强他们的理解涵盖在传统的讲座时间的概念。通过引导学生沿着一条线性的智力路径走向单一的结论，这种实验室体验最大限度地减少了学生的智力参与，并绕过了科学探究的本质-提出了一个可以通过实验解决的问题。基于课程的本科生研究经验（CURES）为学生提供了提高科学素养的机会，同时通过在课堂上进行的导师指导的研究经验来建立基本的实验室技能。该项目的总体目标是通过CURE扩大对STEM的参与。为了实现这一目标，该提案侧重于以下目标：（1）开发一门CURES课程，重点是使用包容性教学实践提高学生在聚合物结构-性能关系和实验室培训方面的学习成果，以及（2）实施当地实践社区，与路易斯安那州泽维尔大学的其他教师合作，在STEM学科中提供更多的CURES课程。提供一个以高分子化学为重点的CURES课程将扩大学生在功能材料开发中有意义的研究经验的参与。此外，通过一个由路易斯安那州泽维尔大学代表各种STEM学科的教师组成的实践社区，这个项目有很大的潜力，以增加研究经验的本科生在少数民族的数量-服务机构。这个项目是由历史上黑人学院和大学本科计划和既定计划，以刺激竞争力的研究共同资助。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得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的支持。

Catalyst Projects provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to work towards establishing research capacity of faculty to strengthen science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate education and research. It is expected that the award will further the faculty member's research capability, improve research and teaching at the institution, and involve undergraduate students in research experiences. Xavier University of Louisiana seeks to broaden participation in STEM through course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). Specifically, the project identifies the upper-level Principles of Polymer Chemistry course to enhance the laboratory component through the development of a CURE. In addition, there is an identified need to broaden the availability of CUREs across STEM disciplines and the project aims to develop a community of practice (CoP) to cultivate discussion and effectively implement additional CUREs.Pedagogically, the traditional experience for students in educational laboratories are designed to provide a framework where students reinforce their understanding of concepts covered in traditional lecture periods. By leading students down a linear intellectual pathway towards a single conclusion, such laboratory experiences minimize student intellectual engagement, and bypass the essence of scientific inquiry – asking a question that can be addressed through experimentation. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) offer students the opportunity to increase their scientific literacy while building essential laboratory skills through instructor-guided, research experiences that occur within the classroom. The overall goal of this project is to broaden participation in STEM through CUREs. Towards this goal, this proposal focuses on the following objectives: (1) develop a CUREs course that focuses on improving student learning outcomes in polymer structure-property relationships and laboratory training using inclusive teaching practices, and (2) implement a local community of practice to work with other faculty at Xavier University of Louisiana towards offering more CUREs courses across STEM disciplines. Offering a CUREs course that focuses on polymer chemistry will expand student involvement in meaningful research experiences in the development of functional materials. Additionally, through a community of practice that is inclusive of faculty representing a variety of STEM disciplines at Xavier University of Louisiana, this project has significant potential to increase the number of research experiences for undergraduate students at a minority-serving institution.This project is jointly funded by Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.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.