An inclusive Research and Education Community (iREC) model to facilitate undergraduate science education reform

Funding: This work was supported by Howard Hughes Medical Institute grants to DIH is GT12052 and MJG is GT15338.Over the last two decades, there have been numerous initiatives to improve undergraduate student outcomes in STEM. One model for scalable reform is the inclusive Research Education Community (iREC). In an iREC, STEM faculty from colleges and universities across the nation are supported to adopt and sustainably implement course-based research – a form of science pedagogy that enhances student learning and persistence in science. In this study, we used pathway modeling to develop a qualitative description that explicates the HHMI Science Education Alliance (SEA) iREC as a model for facilitating the successful adoption and continued advancement of new curricular content and pedagogy. In particular, outcomes that faculty realize through their participation in the SEA iREC were identified, organized by time, and functionally linked. The resulting pathway model was then revised and refined based on several rounds of feedback from over 100 faculty members in the SEA iREC who participated in the study. Our results show that in an iREC, STEM faculty organized as a long-standing community of practice leverage one another, outside expertise, and data to adopt, implement, and iteratively advance their pedagogy. The opportunity to collaborate in this manner and, additionally, to be recognized for pedagogical contributions sustainably engages STEM faculty in the advancement of their pedagogy. Here, we present a detailed pathway model of SEA that, together with underpinning features of an iREC identified in this study, offers a framework to facilitate transformations in undergraduate science education.Peer reviewe

Models of classroom assessment for course-based research experiences

Course-based research pedagogy involves positioning students as contributors to authentic research projects as part of an engaging educational experience that promotes their learning and persistence in science. To develop a model for assessing and grading students engaged in this type of learning experience, the assessment aims and practices of a community of experienced course-based research instructors were collected and analyzed. This approach defines four aims of course-based research assessment—(1) Assessing Laboratory Work and Scientific Thinking; (2) Evaluating Mastery of Concepts, Quantitative Thinking and Skills; (3) Appraising Forms of Scientific Communication; and (4) Metacognition of Learning—along with a set of practices for each aim. These aims and practices of assessment were then integrated with previously developed models of course-based research instruction to reveal an assessment program in which instructors provide extensive feedback to support productive student engagement in research while grading those aspects of research that are necessary for the student to succeed. Assessment conducted in this way delicately balances the need to facilitate students’ ongoing research with the requirement of a final grade without undercutting the important aims of a CRE education

Translational and Molecular Medicine: A cutting-edge undergraduate program that maximizes research exposure for the next generation of Canadian scientists

A problem in undergraduate science education is that students, despite being able to recall content, experience difficulty applying concepts to real-world situations. To overcome this challenge, the University of Ottawa has developed a research-focused undergraduate program called Translational and Molecular Medicine (TMM). The objective of TMM is to equip students with the analytical and critical thinking skills required to solve biomedical research problems. To reach this objective, TMM adopts three practises that divert from the structure of traditional programs. The first is that theoretical and practical courses are highly integrated. Students learn how experimental systems work in the classroom and, in parallel, are taught how to use these systems in the laboratory. The second practise is that instructors use a range of active learning and problem-based strategies in the classroom and the laboratory. Learning is guided to help students reach beyond recall to a level where they can identify research questions, predict experimental outcomes and accurately interpret data. This practice is ideal for TMM as it maintains limited enrollment to ensure high student-professor interaction and an overall enhanced learning experience. The final practise is to provide students with opportunities to apply their knowledge to real-world situations through multiple short-term laboratory placements and an intensive honours project. We aim to provide colleagues interested in implementing similar programs or practises with helpful feedback based on our experiences and also look forward to using TMM as a starting point for discussion on effective strategies for student engagement and learning in a laboratory setting