A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in Biology: Developing Systems Thinking through Field Experiences in Restoration Ecology

In this study, we posit that integrating design-based research (Scott et al., 2020) and nature-based learning (Jordan and Chawla, 2019) approaches in biology can lead to gains in holistic systemic thinking (Verhoeff et al., 2018), thinking like a scientist, and greater equity for historically unrepresented student groups. While such experiences can be achieved through participation in research apprenticeships and internships, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have a greater potential to impact a broader range of students. This paper invites not only the students to broaden their thinking to expand their horizons, but also faculty to broaden their design and implementation of science education. Similar to Wilson et al.’s (2020) approach of using modeling to help students build schemas for understanding and using core biology knowledge, we present a multi-week CURE in introductory biology for majors to develop systems-thinking and foundational research skills that lead to a significant learning experience for students

Two Stories to Tell: Different Student Outcome Measures Correlate with Different Instructor Adaptations to COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic severely disrupted college students’ learning experiences. A growing body of research is attempting to examine the impact of faculty efforts to support students during this difficult time. However, different outcomes measures might lead to varying inferences about the impact of instructors’ adaptations to their pedagogy. We explore this potential for varying inferences through a mixed-methods study of 11 courses taught at a Hispanic-Serving Institution in the United States in Spring 2020. First, using qualitative analytical methods, we identify five types of instructional adaptations made by faculty. Second, we use quantitative methods to uncover associations between these instructional adaptations and a variety of course outcome measures. While all of these instructional adaptations were perceived as beneficial by students, only one--ensuring access to instructor time--was significantly correlated with students’ reported motivational and personal gains from their coursework. However, only a different adaptation—ensuring access to class resources—was significantly correlated with reduced equity gaps measured through course grades. We discuss the implications of these findings for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers

New Generation of Educators Initiative: Transforming teacher preparation.

The focus of the New Generation of Educators Initiative (NGEI) was to answer the question "What would it take to transform teacher education?" From 2016 to 2019, with support from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, teacher education programs at 10 California State University (CSU) campuses partnered with local school districts to design and demonstrate innovative practices that could transform teacher preparation. This report documents the learnings from multiple participants in this transformative work, including Foundation program staff and representatives from partnerships between universities and school districts

Linking Labs, Writing, and Information Literacy to Improve Student Success

Our research and technical writing class develops discipline specific communication and critical thinking skills as a flexible hybrid corequisite to first upper division science laboratory courses. It scaffolds ethics, writing mechanics, information literacy, self-promotion and synthesis assignments focused on the science writing genre (lab notebooks, research papers, posters, grants, online, CVs). Students generate and interpret data from graphs, construct explanations, and practice linking empirical claims to evidence. Instructor, peer and writing tutor feedback is provided on drafts to fulfill California State University’s graduate writing assessment requirement. Significant improvement on final research papers following the course interventions was measured