Document Type

Paper

Publication Date

4-24-2024

Faculty Mentor

Rebecca Roberts

Abstract

It is important to understand whether students are acquiring intended educational objectives. A course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) lab seeks to blend the logistical ease and accessibility of college courses with the educational benefits of research experiences. By employing inquiry-based teaching methods, CURE labs enable students to collaborate in a group setting under the guidance of a faculty member, engaging in hands-on research. This project studies how educational outcomes of CURE labs can be measured. CURE labs may improve anything from technical lab skills, to scientific literacy, to persistence in science. These short-, middle-, and long-term goals may be measured to improve understanding of how these outcomes may best be obtained. While numerous studies demonstrate ways to measure short-term outcomes like content knowledge or technical skills, there are notable gaps in the literature concerning the assessment of more complex outcomes, such as students' capacity to navigate uncertainty or to truly assimilate into scientific culture.

Comments

Presented as part of the Ursinus College Celebration of Student Achievement (CoSA) held April 24, 2024.

The downloadable file is a poster.

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