A Course-Based Research Experience: How Benefits Change with Increased Investment in Instructional Time

作者：Shaffer Christopher D^*; Alvarez Consuelo J; Bednarski April E; Dunbar David; Goodman Anya L; Reinke Catherine; Rosenwald Anne G; Wolyniak Michael J; Bailey Cheryl; Barnard Daron; Bazinet Christopher; Beach Dale L; Bedard James E J; Bhalla Satish; Braverman John; Burg Martin; Chandrasekaran Vidya; Chung Hui Min; Clase Kari; DeJong Randall J; DiAngelo Justin R; Du Chunguang; Eckdahl Todd T; Eisler Heather; Emerson Julia A; Frary Amy; Frohlich Donald

来源：CBE Life Sciences Education, 2014, 13(1): 111-130.

DOI：10.1187/cbe-13-08-0152

There is widespread agreement that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs should provide undergraduates with research experience. Practical issues and limited resources, however, make this a challenge. We have developed a bioinformatics project that provides a course-based research experience for students at a diverse group of schools and offers the opportunity to tailor this experience to local curriculum and institution-specific student needs. We assessed both attitude and knowledge gains, looking for insights into how students respond given this wide range of curricular and institutional variables. While different approaches all appear to result in learning gains, we find that a significant investment of course time is required to enable students to show gains commensurate to a summer research experience. An alumni survey revealed that time spent on a research project is also a significant factor in the value former students assign to the experience one or more years later. We conclude: 1) implementation of a bioinformatics project within the biology curriculum provides a mechanism for successfully engaging large numbers of students in undergraduate research; 2) benefits to students are achievable at a wide variety of academic institutions; and 3) successful implementation of course-based research experiences requires significant investment of instructional time for students to gain full benefit.

• 出版日期2014-3