RCN-UBE: Connecting Curriculum: A Fly-CURE Network

该项目的目标是创建一个研究协调网络（RCN）来连接新的基于课程的本科研究经验（CUREs），这是遗传学实验室CURE的扩展，称为Fly-CURE。Fly-CURE RCN将作为一个集中的中心，为本科生提供四种新的cure课程，包括生物信息学、行为遗传学、分子生物学和发育生物学。这些CUREs的创建不仅将加强关于基因与生长发育之间关系的现有科学知识库，而且还将增加学生对生物学子学科研究的参与。CUREs允许学生参与实践和基于探究的研究，从而提高他们的批判性思维技能，学习收益和科学归属感。这些新的CUREs还将包括以学生为主导的社区服务学习机会，向年轻学习者介绍科学发现，以进一步促进学生对STEM的坚持，并为他们未来的科学职业做好准备。对于教师来说，Fly-CURE RCN将提供积极参与和发表科学研究的机会，并与共享的科学社区建立联系，这在资源不足的机构（包括社区学院、少数族裔服务机构和主要的本科院校）尤其具有挑战性。Fly-CURE RCN的第一个目标是开发四种新的cure，每一种都是为了让本科生参与分析果蝇的突变体，这些突变体是在Fly-CURE的原始基因中发现的，使用不同的学科方法。这个RCN将通过针对社区学院、少数民族服务机构和主要的本科机构的教师来增加实施CUREs的教师数量。Fly-CURE RCN的第二个目标是培养一个由教师参与者组成的科学社区，并评估这种方法在从代表性不足的群体、早期职业教师和一系列机构类型的教师中招聘教师方面是否有效。到目前为止，Fly-CURE成功地留住了教师，并为参与者的专业进步做出了贡献。考虑到小型机构通常可用的有限资源和研究支持，该项目通过专业发展和跨网络的协作互动，为教师参与成功的cure提供所需的科学培训和同伴支持。该项目由生物基础设施司生物科学理事会和本科教育司STEM教育理事会共同资助，作为他们应对本科生物学教育的愿景和变化：行动呼吁（http://visionandchange/finalreport/）所提出的挑战的一部分。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

The goal of this project is to create a Research Coordination Network (RCN) to connect new Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) that are expansions of a genetics laboratory CURE, called Fly-CURE. The Fly-CURE RCN will act as a centralized hub for training undergraduates in four new CUREs encompassing in-demand curricular topics: Bioinformatics, Behavioral Genetics, Molecular Biology, and Developmental Biology. The creation of these CUREs will not only bolster the existing scientific knowledge base regarding the relationship between genes and growth and development, but also increase student participation in research across biological sub-disciplines. CUREs allow students to participate in hands-on and inquiry-based research which increase their critical thinking skills, learning gains, and sense of belonging in science. These new CUREs will also include student-led community-based service learning opportunities to introduce scientific discovery to young learners to further promote student persistence in STEM and prepare them for future scientific careers. For faculty, the Fly-CURE RCN will provide opportunities to actively engage in and publish scientific research and connect with a shared scientific community which is especially challenging at under-resourced institutions including community colleges, minority-serving institutions, and primarily undergraduate institutions.The first goal of the Fly-CURE RCN is to develop four new CUREs, each designed to involve undergraduate students in the analysis of Drosophila melanogaster mutants, discovered in the original genetics Fly-CURE, using different disciplinary approaches. This RCN will increase the number of faculty implementing CUREs by targeting faculty at community colleges, minority-serving institutions, and primarily undergraduate institutions. The second goal of Fly-CURE RCN is to foster a scientific community of faculty participants and assess whether this approach is effective at recruiting faculty from underrepresented groups, early-career faculty, and faculty from an array of institutional types. The Fly-CURE has successfully retained faculty thus far and has contributed to the professional advancement of participants. Considering the limited resources and research support often available at smaller institutions, this project provides the scientific training and peer support needed for faculty involvement in successful CUREs through professional development and collaborative interactions across the network. This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure, and the Directorate for STEM Education, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action (http://visionandchange/finalreport/).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.