Author(s):
Title: DCURE (Digital Course Based Undergraduate Research Experience): expanding student opportunities in research in quantitative plant biologyStudents engaging in research expand their STEM skills, enhance their understanding of the scientific process, and exhibit greater self-identification as scientists. One successful approach to the expansion of such opportunities has been through Course-Based-Undergratdaute-Research-Experiences (CUREs). Need: However, the closures associated with the pandemic shed light on the fact that not all institutions have the capacity to offer CURE with live plant experiments and not all students have the capacity to enroll in in person research courses. These observations highlighted the need for further innovation with more inclusive research opportunities. To fill this gap, we developed a novel digital CURE (DCURE) module built on the foundation of an existing successful live-plant CURE. In the in-person live-plant CURE, students measure quantitative variation of plant traits and develop quantitative methods of evaluating hypotheses in ecological genetics. For the DCURE, we adapted photography and herbarium techniques to prepare images for students to quantify plant traits and make discoveries through the use of digital tools. Our guiding research questions: Do students obtain learning gains in a digital CURE in quantitative experimental ecological genetics? Do faculty obtain pedagogical gains in a CURE network? Are digital CURE modules successful in expanding students’ content knowledge, skills, and metacognitive benefits as previously demonstrated for in-person CUREs? Outcomes: We created, implemented, and evaluated the new CURE module through an iterative process of design, evaluation and refinement. We completed the plant experiments the semester prior to the course such that images for measurement were available at the start of the semester. Prior to each semester, we held on-line workshops for all participating instructors. Since spring of 2022, the module has been deployed in nearly 40 course sections, with over 1100 students, and 10 institutions including 2-year, 4-year, public, private, PUI, HBCU and HSI. Our qualitative evaluation analysis approach uncovered evidence of students mastering content in topics of genetic variation in phenotypic responses to the environment and students made novel discoveries. Students learned methods of data management and data analysis in small and large datasets, and technical proficiency in the use of digital measurement tools. Faculty obtained pedagogical gains through pre-semester workshops, post-semester roundtables, and during semester connections via slack communications, enhancing pedagogy in courses. We also found evidence of students’ metacognitive gains including: the importance of patience in measuring, learning teamwork skills, and application of the skills and knowledge learned for future classes. Broader Impacts: The DCURE approach connected students across institutions, highlighted the collaborative nature of science, and offered much needed flexibility for students to contribute to scientific inquiry. The broader impacts of this work include a curricular framework for future quantitative biology DCURE that is effective across course and institution types. Additionally, our project increased the number of research opportunities available for students and reached students outside the traditional mentored laboratory research-experience or the strictly in-person CURE. Our project provided opportunities for increasing student preparation for the STEM workforce across sub-disciplines of biology including agriculture, genetics, and healthcare and strengthened a faculty professional network.
Coauthors
April M. Bisner, College of Charleston, Charleston SC; Allan E. Strand, College of Charleston, Charleston SC; Matt T. Rutter College of Charleston, Charleston SC; Hilary Callahan, Barnard College, NY, NY; Cynthia Chang, UW-Bothell, Bothell WA; Caprice Disbrow SRJC, Santa Rosa, CA; Tara Enders, Hofstra University, Hofstra NY; Michelle Geary, West Valley College, Saratoga CA; Lua Lopez Perez, Cal State San Bernardino, San Bernardino CA; Larry Lowe, Benedict College, Columbia SC; Mao-Lun Weng, Westfield State University, Westfield, MA; Mike Wolyniak, Hampden Sydney College, Hampden Sydney VA; Sara Wyse, Bethel University, Arden Hills MNl; Danielle Jensen Ryan, Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, Wyoming.
