{"title":"Centering relationships in the biology classroom","authors":"Amy Siegesmund","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00124-23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00124-23","url":null,"abstract":"The landscape of higher education has changed significantly in recent years with a concomitant shift in the classroom. Science courses have historically been content-driven with the need to cover content driving curricular and pedagogical choices. However, educators are recognizing that the curricular approaches of years past no longer provide adequate support for students. A classroom that centers relationships—both among students as well as teachers and students—is one that is better positioned to foster a sense of belonging, science identity, and student success. Furthermore, an educator who builds a professional community and prioritizes self-care is the one who is better equipped to adapt to the ever-changing needs of students. Emphasizing the human component of education creates a classroom where students and teachers feel seen and valued and the educational experience is enriched for all.","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"19 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135388415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Macy J. L. Rennpferd, Madeline V. Schroeder, Jonathan J. Nguyen, Marley A. Lund-Peterson, Onora Lancaster, Danielle L. Jessen Condry
{"title":"Application of the Microbiology Concept Inventory to improve programmatic curriculum","authors":"Macy J. L. Rennpferd, Madeline V. Schroeder, Jonathan J. Nguyen, Marley A. Lund-Peterson, Onora Lancaster, Danielle L. Jessen Condry","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00110-22","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00110-22","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The Microbiology Concept Inventory is an assessment tool derived from the fundamental statements created by the American Society for Microbiology. This two-tier, multiple-choice question inventory requires students to choose the most correct answer for each question and provide a brief justification of their reasoning. Educators can utilize this tool to identify common misconceptions held by students and adjust curriculum to address and prevent the persistence of student misconceptions. Over the course of 5 years, the Microbiology Concept Inventory was annually administered to undergraduate students enrolled in entry-level, mid-level, and senior capstone microbiology courses at a mid-western rural university. Analysis was completed to compare course, year, majors and minors, gender, ethnicity, and cumulative GPA. Results of this study showed a significant difference in Microbiology Concept Inventory scores between students with high cumulative GPAs (3.5–4.0) and students with comparatively lower cumulative GPAs (2.5–2.99, 3.0–3.49). Results between the other demographic categories revealed statistically different scores in favor of white students, but no differences in scores between genders. The results suggest evidence of ethnic bias, but no gender bias as measured by the Microbiology Concept Inventory. Additionally, significant differences in scores across cohorts are indicative of improvements in the curricula due to prior targeted changes. Analysis of concept inventory results can guide curriculum changes for course instructors. Implementation of curriculum changes can enrich students’ academic success.","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135815644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Madhavan Narayanan, Kasey Powers, Dhananjaya Premawardena, Kelly Colby, Janet Liou Mark, Nagaraj Rao, Davida S. Smyth, Mary Knopp-Kelly
{"title":"Peer leader perspectives from a PLTL implementation in a Hispanic-serving institution","authors":"Madhavan Narayanan, Kasey Powers, Dhananjaya Premawardena, Kelly Colby, Janet Liou Mark, Nagaraj Rao, Davida S. Smyth, Mary Knopp-Kelly","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00075-23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00075-23","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is a pedagogical approach that has been shown to benefit all students, especially underrepresented minority students and peer leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In this work, we present results from our study of the impact of PLTL on our peer leaders from a controlled implementation in general biology, general chemistry, and statistics courses at a Hispanic-serving, minority-serving institution. More specifically, we have measured our PLTL program’s impact on our peer leaders' skill development, engagement with the subject material, and sense of belonging as peer leaders. Weekly peer leader reflections analyzed using the Dreyfus model exhibited a consistent set of skills, while those analyzed using the Pazos model revealed a consistent type of student-peer leader interactions, allowing for peer leaders to be assigned to specific levels in the hierarchy of each of the models. Analysis of eight skill-based Likert-scale questions on the SALG survey showed an overall positive shift at the highest level. Independent of the skill or interaction level of the peer leader, we observed several instances of peer leaders acknowledging development in their communication skills, sincere attempts at creating an engaging classroom, and a deep investment in their student’s success. Peer leaders also reported improvements in understanding of the subjects they were teaching, wanting to persevere and solve problems independently, and feeling passionate about helping other students.","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135815764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nivetha Sivarajah, Jenevan A. Irranious, Sivagini Krishnamoorthy, Thayaparan Kalaineethan, Deluxeani Kugathasan, Uventhikka Sivanantham, Mary E. McMillan, Natkunam Ketheesan
{"title":"Research Ready: a student-initiated workshop model for developing foundational research skills","authors":"Nivetha Sivarajah, Jenevan A. Irranious, Sivagini Krishnamoorthy, Thayaparan Kalaineethan, Deluxeani Kugathasan, Uventhikka Sivanantham, Mary E. McMillan, Natkunam Ketheesan","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00091-23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00091-23","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Travel restrictions, pandemics, economic downturn, and increasing costs in organizing workshops all impact on face-to-face training of undergraduates planning to undertake research. The inability to obtain basic, first-hand information regarding research in practice causes undue stress for students and leads to unrealistic expectations regarding research projects. Here, we describe how a student initiated online workshop, co-designed by a group of undergraduate leaders in conjunction with a panel of international academic researchers, and enabled the delivery of an introductory workshop on research training to meet student needs. Post-workshop, over 80%–95% of the participants rated their understanding of different aspects of research in practice as either being good or excellent. The design of this workshop provides an innovative template, in particular for resource-restricted countries, on how student-initiated workshops with multi-institutional academic collaboration could enhance training in research practice.","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"54 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136059312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David Lopatto, S. Catherine Silver Key, Melanie Van Stry, Jamie Siders, Wilson Leung, Katie M. Sandlin, Chinmay P. Rele, Laura K. Reed, Abby E. Hare-Harris, Adam Haberman, Adam J. Kleinschmit, Alder Yu, Alexa Sawa, Alexis Nagengast, Alisha Howard, E Alma, Rodriguez Estrada, Amy T. Hark, Ana Almeida, Andrew M. Arsham, Ann K. Corsi, Anna K. Allen, Anthony D. Aragon, Aparna Sreenivasan, Brian Yowler, Carina E. Howell, Catherine Reinke, Chelsey C. McKenna, Christine M. Fleet, Christopher J. Jones, Cindy Arrigo, Cindy Wolfe, Claudia Uhde-Stone, Daron Barnard, Enrique Rodriguez-Borrero Don Paetkau, Evan Merkhofer, Eve M. Mellgren, Farida Safadi-Chamberlain, Geoffrey D. Findlay, Gerard McNeil, Heidi S. Bretscher, Hemayet Ullah, Hemlata Mistry, H. Howard Xu, Indrani Bose, Jack Vincent, Jacob D. Kagey, Jacqueline K. Wittke-Thompson, James E. J. Bedard, James S. Godde, James V. Price, Jamie O. Dyer, Jennifer A. Roecklein-Canfield, Jennifer Jemc, Jennifer Kennell, Jeroen Gillard, John M. Braverman, John P. Stanga, Joyce Stamm, Juan C. Martínez-Cruzado, Judith Leatherman, Justin R. DiAngelo, Justin Thackeray, Karen L. Schmeichel, Katherine C. Teeter, Kayla Bieser, Kellie S. Agrimson, Kenneth Saville, Leocadia Paliulis, Lindsey J. Long, Lisa Kadlec, M. Logan Johnson, Maire K. Sustacek, Maria Santisteban, Marie Montes-Matias, Martin G. Burg, Mary Ann V. Smith, Matthew Skerritt, Matthew Wawersik, Melinda A. Yang, Michael R. Rubin, Michele Eller, Monica L. Hall-Woods, Natalie Minkovsky, Nicole Salazar Velmeshev, Nighat P. Kokan, Nikolaos Tsotakos, Norma Velazquez-Ulloa, Paula Croonquist, Rivka L. Glaser, Robert A. Drewell, Sarah C. R. Elgin, Sarah Justice, Scott Tanner, Shallee T. Page, Siaumin Fung
{"title":"Supporting the democratization of science during a pandemic: genomics Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) as an effective remote learning strategy","authors":"David Lopatto, S. Catherine Silver Key, Melanie Van Stry, Jamie Siders, Wilson Leung, Katie M. Sandlin, Chinmay P. Rele, Laura K. Reed, Abby E. Hare-Harris, Adam Haberman, Adam J. Kleinschmit, Alder Yu, Alexa Sawa, Alexis Nagengast, Alisha Howard, E Alma, Rodriguez Estrada, Amy T. Hark, Ana Almeida, Andrew M. Arsham, Ann K. Corsi, Anna K. Allen, Anthony D. Aragon, Aparna Sreenivasan, Brian Yowler, Carina E. Howell, Catherine Reinke, Chelsey C. McKenna, Christine M. Fleet, Christopher J. Jones, Cindy Arrigo, Cindy Wolfe, Claudia Uhde-Stone, Daron Barnard, Enrique Rodriguez-Borrero Don Paetkau, Evan Merkhofer, Eve M. Mellgren, Farida Safadi-Chamberlain, Geoffrey D. Findlay, Gerard McNeil, Heidi S. Bretscher, Hemayet Ullah, Hemlata Mistry, H. Howard Xu, Indrani Bose, Jack Vincent, Jacob D. Kagey, Jacqueline K. Wittke-Thompson, James E. J. Bedard, James S. Godde, James V. Price, Jamie O. Dyer, Jennifer A. Roecklein-Canfield, Jennifer Jemc, Jennifer Kennell, Jeroen Gillard, John M. Braverman, John P. Stanga, Joyce Stamm, Juan C. Martínez-Cruzado, Judith Leatherman, Justin R. DiAngelo, Justin Thackeray, Karen L. Schmeichel, Katherine C. Teeter, Kayla Bieser, Kellie S. Agrimson, Kenneth Saville, Leocadia Paliulis, Lindsey J. Long, Lisa Kadlec, M. Logan Johnson, Maire K. Sustacek, Maria Santisteban, Marie Montes-Matias, Martin G. Burg, Mary Ann V. Smith, Matthew Skerritt, Matthew Wawersik, Melinda A. Yang, Michael R. Rubin, Michele Eller, Monica L. Hall-Woods, Natalie Minkovsky, Nicole Salazar Velmeshev, Nighat P. Kokan, Nikolaos Tsotakos, Norma Velazquez-Ulloa, Paula Croonquist, Rivka L. Glaser, Robert A. Drewell, Sarah C. R. Elgin, Sarah Justice, Scott Tanner, Shallee T. Page, Siaumin Fung","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00039-23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00039-23","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the nature of course delivery from largely in-person to exclusively remote, thus disrupting the well-established pedagogy of the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP; https://www.thegep.org ). However, our web-based research adapted well to the remote learning environment. As usual, students who engaged in the GEP’s Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) received digital projects based on genetic information within assembled Drosophila genomes. Adaptations for remote implementation included moving new member faculty training and peer Teaching Assistant office hours from in-person to online. Surprisingly, our faculty membership significantly increased and, hence, the number of supported students. Furthermore, despite the mostly virtual instruction of the 2020–2021 academic year, there was no significant decline in student learning nor attitudes. Based on successfully expanding the GEP CURE within a virtual learning environment, we provide four strategic lessons we infer toward democratizing science education. First, it appears that increasing access to scientific research and professional development opportunities by supporting virtual, cost-free attendance at national conferences attracts more faculty members to educational initiatives. Second, we observed that transitioning new member training to an online platform removed geographical barriers, reducing time and travel demands, and increased access for diverse faculty to join. Third, developing a Virtual Teaching Assistant program increased the availability of peer support, thereby improving the opportunities for student success. Finally, increasing access to web-based technology is critical for providing equitable opportunities for marginalized students to fully participate in research courses. Online CUREs have great potential for democratizing science education.","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136058847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Julie A. Merkle, Olivier Devergne, Seth M. Kelly, Paula A. Croonquist, Cory J. Evans, Melanie A. Hwalek, Victoria L. Straub, Danielle R. Hamill, Alexandra Peister, David P. Puthoff, Ken J. Saville, Jamie L. Siders, Zully J. Villanueva Gonzalez, Jacqueline K. Wittke-Thompson, Kayla L. Bieser, Joyce Stamm, Alysia D. Vrailas-Mortimer, Jacob D. Kagey
{"title":"Fly-CURE, a multi-institutional CURE using <i>Drosophila</i> , increases students' confidence, sense of belonging, and persistence in research","authors":"Julie A. Merkle, Olivier Devergne, Seth M. Kelly, Paula A. Croonquist, Cory J. Evans, Melanie A. Hwalek, Victoria L. Straub, Danielle R. Hamill, Alexandra Peister, David P. Puthoff, Ken J. Saville, Jamie L. Siders, Zully J. Villanueva Gonzalez, Jacqueline K. Wittke-Thompson, Kayla L. Bieser, Joyce Stamm, Alysia D. Vrailas-Mortimer, Jacob D. Kagey","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00245-22","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00245-22","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The Fly-CURE is a genetics-focused multi-institutional Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) that provides undergraduate students with hands-on research experiences within a course. Through the Fly-CURE, undergraduate students at diverse types of higher education institutions across the United States map and characterize novel mutants isolated from a genetic screen in Drosophila melanogaster . To date, more than 20 mutants have been studied across 20 institutions, and our scientific data have led to eleven publications with more than 500 students as authors. To evaluate the impact of the Fly-CURE experience on students, we developed and validated assessment tools to identify students’ perceived research self-efficacy, sense of belonging in science, and intent to pursue additional research opportunities. Our data, collected over three academic years and involving 14 institutions and 480 students, show gains in these metrics after completion of the Fly-CURE across all student subgroups analyzed, including comparisons of gender, academic status, racial and ethnic groups, and parents’ educational background. Importantly, our data also show differential gains in the areas of self-efficacy and interest in seeking additional research opportunities between Fly-CURE students with and without prior research experience, illustrating the positive impact of research exposure (dosage) on student outcomes. Altogether, our data indicate that the Fly-CURE experience has a significant impact on students’ efficacy with research methods, sense of belonging to the scientific research community, and interest in pursuing additional research experiences.","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"131 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136136712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A procedure to harmonize the hydrodynamic force during microbial cultivation in shaking flasks","authors":"Lúcia Chaves Simões, Isabel Oliveira, Anabela Borges, Inês Bezerra Gomes, Manuel Simões","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00099-23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00099-23","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Shake flask cultivation is a routine technique in microbiology and biotechnology laboratories where cell growth can be affected by the hydrodynamic conditions, which depend on the agitation velocity, shaking diameter, and shake flask size. Liquid agitation is implemented inherently to increase aeration, substrate transfer to the cells, and prevent sedimentation, disregarding the role of hydrodynamics in microbial growth and metabolism. Here, we present a simple approach to help standardize the hydrodynamic forces in orbital shakers to increase the experimental accuracy and reproducibility and give students a better knowledge of the significance of the agitation process in microbial growth.","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"52 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135014134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lexi Wachtell, Amanda Gardiner, Matt Sievers, Katie Dickinson, Grace E. C. Dy, Elizabeth H. Glenski, Joya Mukerji, Elli Theobald, Elisa T. Tran, Vicente Velasco, Scott Freeman
{"title":"Measuring undergraduates’ understanding of the culture of scientific research as an outcome variable in research on CUREs","authors":"Lexi Wachtell, Amanda Gardiner, Matt Sievers, Katie Dickinson, Grace E. C. Dy, Elizabeth H. Glenski, Joya Mukerji, Elli Theobald, Elisa T. Tran, Vicente Velasco, Scott Freeman","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00187-22","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00187-22","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Researchers who work on course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) and issues related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) retention have begun exploring changes in student thinking about what it means to be a scientist. To support this effort, we developed rubrics to score answers to three open-response prompts: What does it mean to think like a scientist? What does it mean to do science? and Did you do real research in your coursename labs? The rubric development process was iterative and was based on input from the literature, experienced researchers, and early-career undergraduates. A post hoc analysis showed that the rubric elements map to 27 of 31 statements in the Culture of Scientific Research (CSR) framework, suggesting that scored responses to the three prompts can assess how well students understand what being a science professional entails. Scores on responses from over 400 students who were starting an introductory biology course for majors furnish baseline data from the rubrics and suggest that (i) undergraduates at this level have, as expected, a novice-level understanding of CSR, and (ii) level of understanding in novice students does not vary as a function of demography or academic preparation. Researchers and instructors are encouraged to add CSR to their list of learning objectives for CUREs and consider assessing it using the rubrics provided here.","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135396512","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Josie L Otto, Gary S McDowell, Meena M Balgopal, Rebeccah S Lijek
{"title":"Preprint Peer Review Enhances Undergraduate Biology Students' Disciplinary Literacy and Sense of Belonging in STEM.","authors":"Josie L Otto, Gary S McDowell, Meena M Balgopal, Rebeccah S Lijek","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00053-23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00053-23","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Education about scientific publishing and manuscript peer review is not universally provided in undergraduate science courses. Since peer review is integral to the scientific process and central to the identity of a scientist, we envision a paradigm shift where teaching peer review becomes integral to undergraduate science education. We hypothesize that teaching undergraduates how to peer review scientific manuscripts may facilitate their development of scientific literacy and identity formation. To this end, we developed a constructivist, service-learning curriculum for biology undergraduates to learn about the mechanisms of peer review using preprints and then to write and publish their own peer reviews of preprints as a way to authentically join the scientific community of practice. The curriculum was implemented as a semester-long intervention in one class and, in another class, as an embedded module intervention. Students' scientific literacy and peer review ability were assessed using quantitative methods. Student's perceptions of their scientific literacy and identity were assessed using thematic analysis of students' reflective writing. Here, we present data on the improvement in the peer review ability of undergraduates in both classes and data on the curriculum's interrelated impact on students' development of scientific literacy, identity, and belonging in peer and professional discourse spaces. These data suggest that undergraduates can and should be trained in peer review to foster the interrelated development of their scientific literacy, scientific identity, and sense of belonging in science.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"24 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/0c/7c/jmbe.00053-23.PMC10443316.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10442606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Classification of Features across Five CURE Networks Reveals Opportunities to Improve Course Design, Instruction, and Equity.","authors":"Alita R Burmeister, Melanie Bauer, Mark J Graham","doi":"10.1128/jmbe.00033-23","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00033-23","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are tools used to introduce students to authentic participation in science. Several specific CUREs have been shown to benefit students' interest and retention in the biological sciences. Nevertheless, CUREs vary greatly in terms of their context, methodology, and degree of research authenticity, so different types of CUREs may differently influence student outcomes. This programmatic diversity poses a challenge to educators who want to better understand which course components and features are reliably present in a CURE curriculum. To address these issues, we identified, catalogued, and classified 112 potential features of CUREs across the biosciences. To develop the list, we interviewed instructors experienced with teaching individual and large networked CUREs across a diversity of the biological disciplines, including: Squirrel-Net (field-based animal behavior), SEA-PHAGES (wet lab microbiology and computational microbiology), Tiny Earth (environmental and wet lab microbiology), PARE (environmental microbiology), and the Genomics Education Partnership (eukaryotic computational biology). Twenty-five interviewees contributed expert content in terms of CURE features and classification of those items into an organized list. The resulting list's categories encompasses student experiences with the following: (i) the scientific process; (ii) technical aspects of science; (iii) the professional development associated with research; and (iv) building scientific identity. The most striking insight was that CUREs vary widely in terms of which features they contain, since different CUREs will by necessity have different approaches to science and student involvement. We also identified several features commonly thought to be crucial to CUREs yet have ambiguous definitions. This ambiguity can potentially confound efforts to make CUREs research-authentic and aligned with the central goals of science. We disambiguate these terms and represent their varied meanings throughout the classification. We also provide instructor-friendly supplementary worksheets along with considerations for instructors interested in expanding their CURE course design, instruction, and equity.</p>","PeriodicalId":46416,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education","volume":"24 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/a9/f6/jmbe.00033-23.PMC10443406.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10063602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}