TY - JOUR
T1 - Open inquiry versus broadly relevant short-term research experiences for non-biology majors
AU - Hebert, Sadie
AU - Blum, Jessamina E.
AU - Wassenberg, Deena
AU - Marks, David
AU - Barry, Kate
AU - Cotner, Sehoya
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Author(s). Published by the American Society for Microbiology.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Undergraduate student participation in course-based research experiences results in many positive outcomes, but there is a lack of evidence demonstrating which elements of a research experience are necessary, especially for non-biology majors. Broad relevance is one element that can be logistically challenging to incorporate into research experiences in large-enrollment courses. We investigated the impacts of broad relevance in a short-term research experience in an introductory biology course for non-majors. Students either participated in an open-inquiry research experience (OI-RE), where they developed their own research question, or a broadly relevant research experience (BR-RE), where they investigated a question assigned to them that was relevant to an ongoing research project. We found a significant association between the type of research project experienced and students’ preference for an experience, with half of the students in the OI-RE group and nearly all students in the BR-RE group preferring a broadly relevant research experience. However, since science confidence increased over the course for both groups, these findings indicate that while students who participated in a BR-RE valued it, broadly relevant research experiences may not be necessary for positive outcomes for non-majors.
AB - Undergraduate student participation in course-based research experiences results in many positive outcomes, but there is a lack of evidence demonstrating which elements of a research experience are necessary, especially for non-biology majors. Broad relevance is one element that can be logistically challenging to incorporate into research experiences in large-enrollment courses. We investigated the impacts of broad relevance in a short-term research experience in an introductory biology course for non-majors. Students either participated in an open-inquiry research experience (OI-RE), where they developed their own research question, or a broadly relevant research experience (BR-RE), where they investigated a question assigned to them that was relevant to an ongoing research project. We found a significant association between the type of research project experienced and students’ preference for an experience, with half of the students in the OI-RE group and nearly all students in the BR-RE group preferring a broadly relevant research experience. However, since science confidence increased over the course for both groups, these findings indicate that while students who participated in a BR-RE valued it, broadly relevant research experiences may not be necessary for positive outcomes for non-majors.
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U2 - 10.1128/JMBE.V22I1.2167
DO - 10.1128/JMBE.V22I1.2167
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85102287587
SN - 1935-7877
VL - 22
JO - Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education
JF - Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education
IS - 1
ER -