Maximizing the Impacts of Inclusive Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences: from Hypothesis to Undergraduate Conference Participation

该项目旨在通过本科生的研究经验培养一支高技能的STEM劳动力队伍，为国家利益服务。然而，这种经验分布不均，在资源较少的机构可能无法获得。此外，由于时间和经济方面的挑战，许多学生发现很难获得这些机会。为了应对这一挑战，该项目旨在使用数字化的自然历史资料(DNHC)来评估基于课程的本科生研究经验(CURE)的影响。这些治疗方法可以在线、面对面和混合形式在所有类型的机构中教授；它们有可能增加所有学生获得研究经验的机会。来自四个机构(乔治华盛顿大学、威德纳大学、德克萨斯理工大学和韦斯特菲尔德州立大学)的教师将合作衡量这些疗法对学生学习和学生科学认同感的影响。成功完成治疗的学生可以申请参加有指导和资金支持的基于队列的科学会议体验。还将评估会议体验如何进一步影响学生的学习成果。这项研究将从包括少数族裔服务机构和社区学院在内的多个机构产生丰富的数据集。这将记录dNHC治疗和相关会议体验的影响。这将有助于鼓励更广泛地使用dNHC CURE和支持的会议经验，并有助于导致一支多样化和熟练的STEM工作队伍。为dNHC CURE的实施和学生会议演示获得广泛的机构支持，需要明确的证据表明学生的收获以及这些经验对学生科学认同感的转变影响，这有助于STEM的持久性。该项目将正式确定dNHC课程和会议经验对学生学习数据科学和地理空间技能的影响，以及学生对各类机构和学生群体的科学认同感和自我效能感的影响。这将导致更好地理解这些经历在人口统计、学生群体和不同机构类型之间的不同影响。为了完善通过全国会议经验指导本科生的最佳做法，将为教职员工和学生创建培训材料，并将评估本科生会议经验对学生提出治疗研究的影响。该项目将创建一个大型的多机构数据集，使该项目能够为更广泛的本科生STEM教育企业理解治疗和会议经验的重要性做出重大贡献，同时也鼓励和支持通过提供强有力的证据证明治疗的有效性和影响而使其更广泛地传播的努力。更多地使用dNHC疗法，包括会议演讲和参与，将改善本科教育，并增加所有学生的研究机会，无论他们的经济困难、个人义务或身体能力如何，否则可能会限制他们的参与。该项目为不同的早期职业科学家提供培训，掌握对高技能STEM劳动力至关重要的技能，并为学生提供参加会议以提高他们对科学的归属感的机会。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过其参与的学生学习跟踪，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 training a highly skilled STEM workforce through undergraduate research experiences. However, such experiences are unevenly distributed and may not be available at institutions with fewer resources. Additionally, many students find accessing these opportunities difficult due to time and financial challenges. To address this challenge this project aims to assess the impacts of Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) using digitized Natural History Collections (dNHC) data. These CUREs can be taught at all institution types, in online, in-person, and hybrid formats; and they have the potential to increase access to research experiences for all students. Faculty from four institutions (George Washington University, Widener University, Texas Tech University, and Westfield State University) will collaborate to measure the impacts of these CUREs on student learning and student science identity. Students who successfully complete the CUREs may apply to participate in a mentored and financially supported cohort-based scientific conference experience. How the conference experiences may further impact student learning gains will also be assessed. This study will produce a rich dataset from multiple institutions including minority serving institutions and community colleges. This will document the impacts of dNHC CUREs and connected conference experiences. This will help to encourage broader use of dNHC CUREs and supported conference experiences and help lead to a diverse and skilled STEM workforce.Gaining broad institutional support for dNHC CURE implementation and student conference presentations requires clear evidence of student gains and the transformational impacts of these experiences on student science identity which contributes to persistence in STEM. This project will formally determine the impacts of dNHC CUREs and conference experiences on student learning in data science and geospatial skills, and student perceptions of science identity and self-efficacy across institution types and student populations. This will lead to better understanding of the differential effects of these experiences across demographic student populations and diverse institutional types. To refine best practices for mentoring undergraduates through national conference experiences, training materials for faculty and students will be created, and the impacts of undergraduate conference experiences where students present their CURE research will be assessed. This project will create a large multi-institutional dataset that will enable this project to make significant contributions to the broader undergraduate STEM education enterprise's understanding of the importance of CUREs and conference experiences while also encouraging and supporting efforts to make CUREs more widespread by providing strong evidence of their efficacy and impacts. Increased use of dNHC CUREs and including conference presentations and participation will improve undergraduate education and increase the accessibility of research for all students regardless of financial hardships, personal obligations, or physical abilities that may otherwise limit their participation. This project provides training for diverse early career scientists in skills critical to a highly skilled STEM workforce and opportunities for students to attend conferences to improve their sense of belonging in science. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through its 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.