Advanced biology students’ individual conceptions of scientific researchers after participating in biomedically relevant CRE
ABSTRACT While undergraduate research has been shown to be a high-impact educational practice, it is logistically impossible for all undergraduate biology majors to have long-term faculty-mentored research experience. Therefore, biology educators and researchers must devise opportunities to engage m...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Society for Microbiology
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.00183-23 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850061141815853056 |
|---|---|
| author | Ashley L. Waring-Sparks Rachel A. Waring-Sparks Rebekka Darner Nathan T. Mortimer |
| author_facet | Ashley L. Waring-Sparks Rachel A. Waring-Sparks Rebekka Darner Nathan T. Mortimer |
| author_sort | Ashley L. Waring-Sparks |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT While undergraduate research has been shown to be a high-impact educational practice, it is logistically impossible for all undergraduate biology majors to have long-term faculty-mentored research experience. Therefore, biology educators and researchers must devise opportunities to engage more students in undergraduate research outside of working directly in their labs. Course-Based Research Experiences (CREs), structured as authentic research experiences, are one such opportunity. In this work, we describe the effects of a CRE with biomedical relevance on students’ research skills, attitudes toward science, and perceptions of scientific research and scientific researchers. Results demonstrate that students gained experience in independent research skills including designing their own research project, being accountable for part of a project, and writing a research proposal. Students’ perceptions of scientific research and researchers, assessed by the Draw-A-Researcher Task, did not show changes among the whole group, but individual analysis yielded meaningful results related to students’ personal changes in how they perceived research and researchers, including their perception of themselves as researchers. This work demonstrates the substantial impact of CREs on upper-level biology undergraduate and graduate students. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bd7936a910714a0281d5d20dff57bb76 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1935-7877 1935-7885 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | American Society for Microbiology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-bd7936a910714a0281d5d20dff57bb762025-08-20T02:50:20ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologyJournal of Microbiology & Biology Education1935-78771935-78852024-12-0125310.1128/jmbe.00183-23Advanced biology students’ individual conceptions of scientific researchers after participating in biomedically relevant CREAshley L. Waring-Sparks0Rachel A. Waring-Sparks1Rebekka Darner2Nathan T. Mortimer3School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USACenter for Civic Engagement, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USACenter for Mathematics, Science, & Technology, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USADepartment of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USAABSTRACT While undergraduate research has been shown to be a high-impact educational practice, it is logistically impossible for all undergraduate biology majors to have long-term faculty-mentored research experience. Therefore, biology educators and researchers must devise opportunities to engage more students in undergraduate research outside of working directly in their labs. Course-Based Research Experiences (CREs), structured as authentic research experiences, are one such opportunity. In this work, we describe the effects of a CRE with biomedical relevance on students’ research skills, attitudes toward science, and perceptions of scientific research and scientific researchers. Results demonstrate that students gained experience in independent research skills including designing their own research project, being accountable for part of a project, and writing a research proposal. Students’ perceptions of scientific research and researchers, assessed by the Draw-A-Researcher Task, did not show changes among the whole group, but individual analysis yielded meaningful results related to students’ personal changes in how they perceived research and researchers, including their perception of themselves as researchers. This work demonstrates the substantial impact of CREs on upper-level biology undergraduate and graduate students.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.00183-23Course-Based Research Experiencebiology majorsmolecular biologybiomedical researchDraw-A-Researcher Task |
| spellingShingle | Ashley L. Waring-Sparks Rachel A. Waring-Sparks Rebekka Darner Nathan T. Mortimer Advanced biology students’ individual conceptions of scientific researchers after participating in biomedically relevant CRE Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education Course-Based Research Experience biology majors molecular biology biomedical research Draw-A-Researcher Task |
| title | Advanced biology students’ individual conceptions of scientific researchers after participating in biomedically relevant CRE |
| title_full | Advanced biology students’ individual conceptions of scientific researchers after participating in biomedically relevant CRE |
| title_fullStr | Advanced biology students’ individual conceptions of scientific researchers after participating in biomedically relevant CRE |
| title_full_unstemmed | Advanced biology students’ individual conceptions of scientific researchers after participating in biomedically relevant CRE |
| title_short | Advanced biology students’ individual conceptions of scientific researchers after participating in biomedically relevant CRE |
| title_sort | advanced biology students individual conceptions of scientific researchers after participating in biomedically relevant cre |
| topic | Course-Based Research Experience biology majors molecular biology biomedical research Draw-A-Researcher Task |
| url | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jmbe.00183-23 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ashleylwaringsparks advancedbiologystudentsindividualconceptionsofscientificresearchersafterparticipatinginbiomedicallyrelevantcre AT rachelawaringsparks advancedbiologystudentsindividualconceptionsofscientificresearchersafterparticipatinginbiomedicallyrelevantcre AT rebekkadarner advancedbiologystudentsindividualconceptionsofscientificresearchersafterparticipatinginbiomedicallyrelevantcre AT nathantmortimer advancedbiologystudentsindividualconceptionsofscientificresearchersafterparticipatinginbiomedicallyrelevantcre |