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

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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.