“Hands-On, Minds-On, and Science-Up”: A Concept-Based Learning Laboratory With a Taste of Research Experience for an Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering Course

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taisiya Sigaeva ◽  
Cyrus J. B. M. Fiori ◽  
Maria J. Pino Alban ◽  
Youssef Beauferris ◽  
Donovan Stagg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Biomedical Engineering ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Laboratory Exercise ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Hands On ◽  
University Of Calgary ◽  
The University

Abstract In this paper, we bridged faculty research expertise with concept-based learning pedagogy to design and implement a unique laboratory experience for biomedical engineering undergraduate students enrolled in the biomechanics of tissues course at the University of Calgary. This laboratory aimed to increase student engagement, facilitate deeper understanding of course content, and provide an opportunity for accelerated undergraduate research through “hands-on,” “minds-on,” and “science-up” learning components, respectively. The laboratory exercise involves testing aortic tissues using a novel miniaturized planar biaxial machine. This type of machine is normally reserved for use in the context of research. The relevance of the proposed laboratory as a teaching tool was assessed using student feedback. Results indicate an overall valuable and positive learning experience for students.

scholarly journals STUDENT REFLECTIONS IN COURSE-BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIMENT IN A FIRST-YEAR CIRCUITS COURSE

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yani Jazayeri
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Self Determination Theory ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
First Year ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
University Of Calgary ◽  
Research Experiment ◽  
The University ◽  
Authentic Learning Experiences ◽  
Student Reflections

At the University of Calgary, we piloted a course-based undergraduate research experience in thefirst year circuits course. The intention was to provide authentic learning experiences, with the ultimate goal of fostering deep learning in the students. Using qualitative coding, these reflections were analyzed with a framework from self-determination theory to understand the studentlearning and motivation throughout the experience. There were 10 themes that emerged, categorized within the three elements of the theoretical framework: competence, relatedness, and autonomy.

Delivering practical crystallography experience to undergraduate students

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (a1) ◽  
pp. C1276-C1276
Author(s):  
Lucy Mapp ◽  
Simon Coles
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Laboratory Notebook ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Laboratory Manuals ◽  
Active Research ◽  
Polymorphic System ◽  
The University

Teaching of laboratory-based chemistry in universities has barely evolved since its inception. Practical work is generally conducted in a highly structured, dedicated teaching laboratory environment or on a `student-as-apprentice' basis in an active research laboratory. Exposure to crystallography as an undergraduate is generally limited to theoretical lecture-based courses, with little or no practical experience, despite the fact that training in the use of expensive research-based instruments is becoming a necessity of modern science. We present a course based around the solid-state structural chemistry of a molecular polymorphic system, delivered to third year undergraduates (70 students) at the University of Southampton which contains numerous novel features: 1) Students work in pairs (maximum group size of 8). 2) It is a `hands-on' experience for every participant, involving single crystal and powder diffractometers (Rigaku XtaLab mini and MiniFlex benchtop systems) dedicated to educational activities. 3) It is a student-led activity, designed as an `advanced practical' providing a taste of the research experience. 4) Laboratory manuals are available to students via an Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) system. 5) Plans, experimental enactments, observations and conclusions are recorded by students in the ELN (directly linked to the manual sections). 6) Feedback and assessment is delivered through the ELN by directly linking instructor comments to the student ELN record. The experiment comprises about 15 manual sections in the LabTrove ELN system, which has a similar design to a blog, enabling student comments and assessor feedback to be linked to these sections. This talk will outline the design of the experiment and instruments involved, the mode and logistics of delivery, and will discuss the evaluation of its impact on student learning by analysis of feedback questionnaires.

Assessing Efficacy of a New Research-Oriented Peer Mentoring Program: YOU’RE@CU

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Y. Tsai ◽  
Daria Kotys-Schwartz ◽  
Virginia Ferguson ◽  
Beverly Louie
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Engineering Research ◽  
University Of Colorado ◽  
New Research ◽  
The University

At the University of Colorado, Boulder, a new program designed to link graduate students with 1st and 2nd year undergraduate students through engineering research projects and mentoring relationships was initiated in Spring 2011. Your Own Undergraduate Research Experience at the University of Colorado (YOU’RE@CU) has three main goals: (1) increase retention of undergraduate students in engineering, particularly women and underrepresented minorities (URMs); (2) excite undergraduate student interest in research projects and future careers in academia or industry; (3) provide graduate students with training and hands-on mentoring experience with the expectation that this will positively influence graduate student choices to seek a career in academia. This paper illustrates the details of the YOU’RE@CU program during its pilot implementation in Spring 2011. The assessment strategy and methods are also explained, with presentation of qualitative data and discussion of the overall data analysis process.

Engaging and Supporting Underrepresented Undergraduate Students in Linguistic Research and Across the University

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne H. Charity Hudley
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Underrepresented Students ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Research Focus ◽  
Linguistically Diverse Students ◽  
Linguistic Research ◽  
The University ◽  
Work Done

This article describes my prior work as co-founder and director of the William & Mary Scholars Undergraduate Research Experience (WMSURE), a cross-departmental and cross-school program at the College of William & Mary, designed to support underrepresented undergraduate students in research. I focus first on how this program paved the way for more underrepresented students to major in and do research in linguistics at the College of William & Mary in a way that work done just within the linguistics program could not have done alone. I also describe how, as a result of my research focus on culturally and linguistically diverse students, my role as director of WMSURE expanded into work with admissions and development to recruit students who were interested in linguistics as well as to raise funds to support their research. I detail how a linguistic lens on social justice has provided the platform for spearheading this endeavor to promote the success of underrepresented students and thereby foster broader inclusion and equity efforts at William & Mary and across the university as a whole, providing a model for other linguists to promote similar endeavors elsewhere.

scholarly journals OCEAN EDUCATION • Virtual and Remote—Hands-On Undergraduate Research in Plankton Ecology During the 2020 Pandemic: COVID-19 Can’t Stop This!

Oceanography ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Marrec ◽  
◽  
Andria Miller ◽  
Lucie Maranda ◽  
Susanne Menden-Deuer
Keyword(s):  
Research Training ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Safe Delivery ◽  
Research Fellowship ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Internship Programs ◽  
The University

The pandemic has had innumerable impacts on the oceanographic community, including on summer research internship programs that expose undergraduates to diverse career paths in oceanography while immersed in an active laboratory. For many students, these internships are formative in their career choices. The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Oceanography (SURFO) at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography is one of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs that proceeded remotely during the summer of 2020. Here, we highlight one project that, although remote, maintained a hands-on research experience focused on quantitative skill building. The pandemic forced the REU advisors to identify key learning goals and ensure their safe delivery, given the circumstances. Although all participants agreed that in-person instruction would have been preferable, we were pleased that we did not let a virus halt essential oceanographic research training.

Curation of the John and Phil Palmquist Archaeological Collection

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
John F. Doershuk ◽  
Warren D. Davis ◽  
John Palmquist
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
The State ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Collections Management ◽  
University Of Iowa ◽  
Surface Survey ◽  
Private Collection ◽  
Hands On ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The 2018 SAA statement encouraging collaboration between archaeologists and “responsible and responsive stewards” included recommendations epitomizing decades of established practice at the University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist (OSA), a research center housing the State Archaeological Repository of Iowa. At the time the SAA statement was published, OSA staff were actively implementing a grant supporting transfer to the State Repository of the John and Phil Palmquist Archaeological Collection. This grant was designed to provide hands-on research experience for undergraduate students interested in archaeology and collections management while recording improved site locational data and artifact specific documentation, including on relatively rare (for the area) red pipestone artifacts. Although modest by some standards, the Palmquist Collection includes 860 artifacts from 26 locations recorded through 40 years of surface survey by the family in a portion of Iowa that is rarely the focus of professional archaeologists. This article provides a case study of responsible archaeological practice implementing SAA recommendations, including treating collector-collaborators with respect, encouraging collector assistance in the recording of finds, capturing research data from a private collection, and facilitating curation of privately owned materials. We include brief consideration of the impact of the Palmquist Collection on the understanding of southwestern Iowa archaeology.

scholarly journals Fermentation revival in the classroom: investigating ancient human practices as CUREs for modern diseases

2020 ◽  
Vol 367 (21) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer K Lyles ◽  
Monika Oli
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Bioinformatic Analysis ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Group Presentation ◽  
Student Knowledge ◽  
Laboratory Equipment ◽  
Lecture Material ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Human Practices ◽  
Survey Responses

ABSTRACT A course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) was designed to integrate key microbiological principles and techniques into an authentic research experience in a classroom setting and was implemented in an undergraduate microbiology laboratory course. Students conducted a 6-week study in order to determine the identity and quantity of unique probiotic species from various types of kefir. This course module followed an inquiry-based pedagogical approach in which students use the scientific process to investigate an unknown question with no predetermined outcome. During each lab, relevant microbiological topics and laboratory concepts were presented. Students then performed various laboratory techniques, reinforcing the lecture material with hands-on experience. In addition, students participated in reflection through group presentation of their results, bioinformatic analysis and literature review. Based on data collected from pre- and post-study survey responses, both student knowledge and attitudes towards the topics covered improved due to participation in this CURE. Importantly, this CURE can be implemented at many levels of education, requiring only minimal resources and common laboratory equipment.

scholarly journals Early year undergraduate researchers’ reflections on the values and perceived costs of their research experience

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaye D. Ceyhan ◽  
John W. Tillotson
Keyword(s):  
Achievement Motivation ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Value Theory ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Expectancy Value ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Future Work

Abstract Background Prior research reported that motivational beliefs that individuals attach to specific tasks predict continuing interest and persistence in the task. A motivational approach may be particularly useful for understanding undergraduate students’ engagement with research in their first and second years in college. The current study utilizes the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation to qualitatively explore how much and in what ways early year undergraduate researchers value their research experience and what kinds of costs they associate with it. Results The results revealed that intrinsic value had the highest expression in participants’ motivation to engage in research. The second most expressed value type was the utility value of undergraduate research with regards to obtaining the desired outcomes, and attainment value played the least important role in participants’ motivation to engage in research. Findings also indicated that some of the participants associated a cost(s) to their research experience. The highest mentioned perceived cost was opportunity cost, where participants commented on losing other valued alternatives when engaging in research. Participants commented on the time, effort, or amount of work needed to engage in research, and a few participants commented on the emotional cost associated with their research experience in terms of the fear of failure. Conclusion As perceived cost is the least studied in the expectancy-value framework, this study contributes to cost values within college students, particularly about early year undergraduate researchers. The findings of this study can form the basis for future work on exploring ways to increase the values and decrease the costs students experience in their undergraduate research experiences.

scholarly journals A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience on the Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance and its Molecular Basis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Dickinson ◽  
Joya Mukerji ◽  
Stuart Graham ◽  
Liz Warfield ◽  
Ben Kerr
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Drug Effects ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Stem Majors ◽  
Cellular Machinery ◽  
Transformative Approach ◽  
Introductory Classes ◽  
The University

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) in high-enrollment, introductory classes are a 37 potentially transformative approach to retaining more students in STEM majors. We developed and piloted a CURE 38 in the introductory biology courses at the University of Washington. This CURE focuses on analyzing experimental 39 evolution of antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli and generates data on two topics relevant to clinical practice: 40 compensatory mutations and cross-drug effects. By studying mutations in central cellular machinery that confer drug 41 resistance, students not only gain insight into fundamental cellular phenomena, but also recognize the molecular 42 basis of a medically important form of evolutionary change, connecting genetics, microbiology, and evolution.

Thoughts and Highlights Involving an Urban Museum Education Partnership and a University

2021 ◽  
pp. 186-204
Author(s):  
Bryna Bobick
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Elementary Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Museum Education ◽  
Art Museum ◽  
Urban Art ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Museum Professionals ◽  
University Museum ◽  
The University

This chapter examines the partnership between an urban art museum and a university. It involves museum educators, art education faculty, and undergraduate students. It specifically explores the development of hands-on museum activities for elementary students created by the university participants. The chapter is written from a higher education perspective. It provides a description of all facets of the partnership from its planning to the completion of the museum activities. The partnership provided the university students authentic museum experiences and ways to make professional connections with museum professionals. Recommendations for those who wish to develop university/museum partnerships are shared.

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