Undergraduate Research Experiences for STEM Students Successes, Challenges, and Opportunities (2017) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 11-32
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Many faculty members and other scientists recall that their own research experiences as an undergraduate were pivotal to their career success. Today, there are various forms of UREs available to students at a wide variety of institutions.
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The PCAST report recommended that all relevant federal agencies examine their programs and make changes in an effort to decrease any policy or practice that creates barriers to early engagement of students in research. It also called on the agencies to "encourage projects that establish collaborations between research universities and community colleges or other institutions that do not have research programs" (President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2012, p.
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The program was canceled in 1981 but relaunched in its current form as Research Experiences for Undergraduates in 1987 (Bennett, 2015)
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Many professional and disciplinary societies have initiatives to fund student research or engage faculty in discussions about improving undergraduate research. For example, the Mathematical Association of America works to provide avenues for undergraduate students to engage in research and hosts a special interest group devoted to research in undergraduate mathematics education.
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. The Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Network was initiated in 2012 to help faculty address challenges inherent to integrating research experiences into undergraduate courses in the biological sciences.2 CONTEXT OF THE STUDY In the past decade, discussions of undergraduate research have intensified among various national and regional groups across campuses, in response to the need to better prepare an increasingly diverse student population to face 21st century challenges (Auchincloss et al., 2014; Bangera and Brownell, 2014; Brownell et al., 2015; Litzinger et al., 2011)
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Funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and numerous other funding entities has also driven efforts in undergraduate STEM education that have increased undergraduate opportunities to participate in research. Consensus studies and other activities of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies)
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reported on a summit that addressed the relationships between community colleges and four-year institutions, with a focus on partnerships and articulation processes that can facilitate student success in STEM. It also considered how to expand participation of students from historically underrepresented populations in undergraduate STEM, as well as how subjects such as mathematics can serve as gateways or barriers to college completion.
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. Although students from historically underrepresented groups express greater interest in pursuing a STEM degree now compared with 30 years ago, there has not been a corresponding increase in the overall completion rates in STEM degrees, nor has there been a decrease in the notable disparities among historically underrepresented groups ( agan et al., 2013, 2014; Estrada et al., 2016; Hurtado et al., 2012; E N ational Science Foundation, 2014)
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The literature reviews searched for information on UREs, undergraduate research opportunities, research experiences for undergraduates, CUREs, mentors, apprentices, advisors, identity, and persistence. We also searched for evaluations of URE programs.
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It will critically assess the associated costs involved in providing authentic research experiences within the context of undergraduate STEM education across all types of post-secondary institutions of higher learning, and provide recommendations for research and practice. The committee will also discuss the needs of faculty and departmental administra tors in order to successfully implement or improve and expand undergraduate research opportunities.
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Request to Define Authentic Research The committee's charge (see Box 1-1) includes providing a definition for authentic undergraduate research experiences.
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UREs therefore include many 5 Personal communication from Susan Camarena, National Science Foundation, to the Com mittee on Strengthening Research Experiences for Undergraduate STEM Students, Novem ber 10, 2016.
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Claims are also made that research experiences promote the development of robust, integrated, conceptual knowledge by engaging participants in STEM practices (Brownell and Kloser, 2015; Litzinger et al., 2011)
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Does following a procedure that involves STEM practices help students develop a personal belief that they can learn disciplinary content and use the knowledge to solve relevant problems? Do research experiences promote agency by giving students choices in managing their experiment, recognizing and addressing problems, refining the research design, and exploring alternative explanations?
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Their knowledge is not generated solely for academic purposes but rather to use in a research setting, and the latter objective enables more robust, deeper learning and integration to occur, tied into current practice within the STEM profession. For some students, the URE also provides a place to explore how the goals of the relevant STEM discipline relate to their personal and perhaps cultural values, which may or may not be reflected in the dominant culture.
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Implicit in the causal claim is what social science researchers call a counterfactual: an alternative outcome an individual would have experienced in the presence of a different cause, or absent the cause under investigation. Examining differences between comparable students allows for causal claims.
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Many of the studies in this category relied either on student self-reports of their increased knowledge of the research process, confidence in their ability to participate, development of their research identity, or some other attribute, with student responses collected either retrospectively or at the beginning and end of the URE being studied. REPORT ORGANIZATION This report examines the types of UREs available and considers the roles of students, faculty, administrators, funders, and others involved with UREs.
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Although the committee advocates for further studies to better understand UREs and identify optimal approaches, we also recognize that many campuses are currently expanding the UREs available to their students. Therefore, this chapter aims to provide guidance based on the currently available information for institutions, campus leaders, and URE designers and implementers.
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. Toward a conceptual framework for measuring the effectiveness of course-based undergraduate research experiences in undergraduate biol ogy.
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. Undergraduate research experiences from a longitudinal perspective.
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. Community Colleges in the Evolving STEM Educational Landscape: Summary of a Summit.
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. Redefining authentic research experiences in introductory biology laboratories and barriers to their implementation.
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