RCN-UBE Incubator: Promoting Authentic Research Experiences in Introductory Biology Laboratories

这个项目将为建立一个网络奠定框架，以增加在本科实验课程中，特别是在入门阶段，使用真实的研究经验。智力优势：本科研究已被证明可以提高学生对科学内容、实验设计和科学本质的理解，然而教学实践调查显示，在实验课程中真正的研究经验是例外，而不是常态。我们将主办一个计划小组，由来自本科研究委员会（CUR）、生物实验教育协会（ABLE）和其他组织的感兴趣的教师组成，以确定关键问题并制定在入门实验课程中实施真实研究经验的想法。与准备21世纪生物学学生网络的会面将把这项工作与其他本科生物学教育的研究网络结合起来。最后，我们建议对生物学教师在实验课程中的真实研究经验进行调查，以确定将真实研究经验纳入实验课程的成功模式和常见障碍。更广泛的影响：计划小组和调查的参与者将从一系列生物学分支学科、地理区域和机构类型中招募，包括少数民族服务机构和社区大学。规划小组的工作将有助于将该项目发展成为一个完整的RCN-UBE提案，调查结果将发表在本科STEM教育界的期刊上。该项目由生物基础设施司生物科学理事会和本科教育司教育和人力资源理事会共同资助。

This project will lay the framework for the development of a network to increase the use of authentic research experiences in undergraduate laboratory courses, especially at the introductory level.Intellectual Merit: Undergraduate research has been shown to increase student understanding of scientific content, experimental design, and the nature of science, yet surveys of teaching practices show that authentic research experiences in laboratory courses are the exception, rather than the norm. We will host a planning group of interested faculty from the Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR), the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE), and other organizations to identify key issues and develop ideas for implementing authentic research experiences in introductory laboratory courses. Meeting with the Preparing to Prepare the 21st Century Biology Student network will integrate this work with other research networks in undergraduate biology education. Finally, we propose to survey biology faculty on authentic research experiences in laboratory courses to identify successful models of and common barriers to incorporating authentic research experiences in laboratory courses.Broader Impacts: Participants in the planning group and in the survey will be recruited from a range of biology sub-disciplines, geographical regions, and institution types, including minority-serving institutions and community colleges. The work of the planning group will help develop this project into a full RCN-UBE proposal, and the findings of the survey will be published in a journal of the undergraduate STEM education community. This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education.