1. Opportunities associated with course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs)
Sara E. Brownell
Assistant Professor
School of Life Sciences
Arizona State University

2. What is a CURE?
Why teach a CURE?

3. What is a CURE? Why teach a CURE?
You might think – I’m at the CURE SI – of course I know what a CURE is. But I’d like to possibly challenge some of your assumptions and get you to really think about what makes CUREs different from other types of lab courses

4. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs):
Research embedded in a lab course
We define these research based courses to be….

5. Five proposed dimensions of CUREs
Collaboration
Iteration
Discovery
Broader Impact/Relevance
Scientific practices
We define these research based courses to be….
Corwin Auchincloss et al., 2014

6. What makes CUREs distinct from other types of lab courses?
Collaboration
Iteration
Discovery
Broader Impact/Relevance
Scientific practices
We define these research based courses to be….

7. Most traditional “cookbook” lab courses
Collaboration
Iteration
Discovery
Broader Impact/Relevance
Scientific practices X X X
We define these research based courses to be….

8. Most 1-2 week inquiry-based activities
Collaboration
Iteration
Discovery
Broader Impact/Relevance
Scientific practices X
We define these research based courses to be….

9. What really makes CUREs distinct from other types of lab courses
Collaboration
Iteration
Discovery
Broader Impact/Relevance
Scientific practices
We define these research based courses to be….

10. What really makes CUREs distinct from other types of lab courses
Collaboration
Iteration
Discovery
Broader Impact/Relevance
Scientific practices
We define these research based courses to be….
Novel findings that have potential for an impact beyond the course
Brownell and Kloser 2015

11. What really makes CUREs distinct from other types of lab courses
Collaboration
Iteration
Novel findings that have broader relevance
Scientific practices
We define these research based courses to be….
“real research”
“authentic research”

12. Novel findings that have potential for an impact beyond the course: Publications
We define these research based courses to be….

13. Novel findings that have potential for an impact beyond the course:
Database
Community report
We define these research based courses to be….

14. Find someone at your table and discuss which of the following scenarios would classify as a CURE

15. Is it a CURE?
Scenario #1: If the answer to the research question is unknown to the student, but the scientific community knows the answer
Scenario #2:
If students use primary literature to come up with only “thought experiments” that are novel
Scenario #3:
If students identify whether Maria or Kate has more bacteria on her shoes
Scenario #4:
If students try to characterize a novel mutant version of a protein, but they get negative results

16. Failed experiments and negative results are part of science
Is it a CURE?
What matters is that someone outside of the course would care about the results
Failed experiments and negative results are part of science
The distinction of a CURE is the potential for someone to build on to the findings

17. What is a CURE? Why teach a CURE?
We need to determine what a CURE is before we can begin to explore what a CURE can lead to…

18. What is a CURE?
Why teach a CURE?

19. Student outcomes
Faculty outcomes
Equity-related
outcomes

20. Student outcomes
Faculty outcomes
Equity-related
outcomes

21. Brainstorm with your neighbor about possible student outcomes of a CURE

22. Student outcomes Conceptual knowledge gains:
Understanding of cell cycle
Knowledge of steps of PCR
What is research?
Student outcomes
Technical skills:
Run specific equipment
Pipet
“Think and
work like scientists”
Process skills gains:
Ability to design an experiment
Ability to analyze data
Oral and written communication
Non-cognitive gains:
Science identity
Sense of belonging
Self-efficacy
Interest in future research experiences

23. Student outcomes Faculty outcomes Equity-related outcomes
While most of the published CURE literature focuses on student outcomes – faculty can also benefit from CUREs
Equity-related
outcomes

24. Brainstorm with your neighbor about possible faculty outcomes of a CURE

25. Faculty perceptions of faculty benefits of CUREs
CUREs connect teaching and research: 76% Faculty enjoy teaching CUREs: 74% CUREs contribute positively towards promotion/tenure: 68% CUREs can/do result in publications: 61% Students collect data for faculty research: 61%
Shortlidge, Bangera, and Brownell. BioScience 2016

26. Faculty perceptions of faculty benefits of CUREs
CUREs connect teaching and research: 76% Faculty enjoy teaching CUREs: 74% CUREs contribute positively towards promotion/tenure: 68% CUREs can/do result in publications: 61% Students collect data for faculty research: 61%
The finding of CUREs connecting teaching and research is potentially a solution for the balancing act of many faculty…
Shortlidge, Bangera, and Brownell. BioScience 2016

27. Equity-related outcomes
Student outcomes
Faculty outcomes
Most courses just focus on students – student outcomes. CUREs are new in that they can benefit students AND faculty. But I want you to think even more broadly – because CUREs can not only change students and faculty in the short-term of a course – but have potential long-term impacts on who gets to participate in scientic research and ultimately leads to a more diverse scienticic community
Equity-related
outcomes

28. The training path to become a science faculty member
Independent undergraduate research experiences
Ph.D. research experiences
Postdoctoral research experiences
Academic faculty

29. Problem: There are a limited number of independent research experiences
Solution:
High enrollment CUREs (or many low enrollment CUREs) increase the number of these opportunities, increasing access

30. Increase access to scientific research
Problem: There are a limited number of independent research experiences
Solution:
High enrollment CUREs (or many low enrollment CUREs) increase the number of these opportunities, increasing access

31. Problem: Some students don’t know how to get a research experience, lack confidence to apply, or don’t have the time
Solution:
Require students to enroll in a CURE as part of their normal curriculum, decreases these student-level barriers

32. Decrease barriers to scientific research
Problem: Some students don’t know how to get a research experience, lack confidence to apply, or don’t have the time
Solution:
Require students to enroll in a CURE as part of their normal curriculum, decreases these student-level barriers

33. Problem: There is a selection process where faculty members choose who gets to do an independent research experience -Incentives for faculty to pick the “best” students -Implicit biases against certain groups of students
Solution:
Require students to enroll in a CURE as part of their normal curriculum, eliminates these selection-level barriers

34. Decrease barriers to scientific research
Problem: There is a selection process where faculty members choose who gets to do an independent research experience -Incentives for faculty to pick the “best” students -Implicit biases against certain groups of students
Solution:
Require students to enroll in a CURE as part of their normal curriculum, eliminates these selection-level barriers

35. The training path to become a science faculty member
Independent undergraduate research experiences
CUREs
Broaden participation
in scientific research
Ph.D. research experiences
Decrease barriers to students
getting involved in independent
undergraduate research
Postdoctoral research experiences
Diversify who goes on
in scientific research
Academic faculty

36. Equity-related outcomes
Student outcomes
Faculty outcomes
Most courses just focus on students – student outcomes. CUREs are new in that they can benefit students AND faculty. But I want you to think even more broadly – because CUREs can not only change students and faculty in the short-term of a course – but have potential long-term impacts on who gets to participate in scientic research and ultimately leads to a more diverse scienticic community
Equity-related
outcomes

37. Brainstorm with your neighbor how you would go about designing a CURE.
What would be your first step?
What do you think you would need to be successful?
How would you measure success?

38. A backward design approach to CUREs
Cooper, Soneral, Brownell. Under re-review. JMBE.

39. What is a CURE?
Why teach a CURE?
Questions?