NSF Award
2417437
This project aims to serve the national interest by improving undergraduate education through educator professional development and implementation of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) to promote participation in STEM for individuals who have been historically marginalized from such opportunity. Extensive evidence demonstrates that CUREs improve student learning and interest in STEM. In addition, CUREs are an opportunity to provide more students with research experiences. The first objective of this project is to provide professional development to STEM faculty (Biology, Biomedical Science, and Engineering) from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and South Texas Community College (STC) to support their development and implementation of CURE curricula for undergraduate students. The second objective is to investigate faculty’s self-efficacy toward designing and implementing CUREs and their perceptions of undergraduate students’ abilities to engage in research. The third objective of this study proposes to investigate the extent to which participation in a CURE laboratory affects student outcomes, including learning, academic achievement, and attitudes/interest in STEM, compared to learners experiencing a traditional laboratory course. The fourth objective is strengthening the two- to four-year college pathway for STEM majors between UTRGV and STC.<br/><br/>Research demonstrates that CUREs improve students’ achievement, retention, and self-perceptions about learning, as well as scientific thinking and practices. Driven by UTRGV and STC’s unique environment, with an approximate ninety percent Hispanic student enrollment, the study focuses on undergraduates historically underrepresented in STEM. This project plans to generate empirical evidence to advance our understanding of improving undergraduate engagement, interest, and learning in STEM through CUREs and to strengthen pathways for students in STEM education and careers. The project team aims to support STEM faculty’s development of CUREs through a year-long professional development program that includes course design, implementation, and evaluation. The team intends to study the effects of professional development and CURE implementation on STEM faculty’s self-efficacy toward CUREs and perceptions toward their students. The project also plans to investigate the impact of CURE curricula on students’ learning, attitudes, and interest in STEM compared to traditional laboratory courses. This study draws on experiential learning theories and empirical findings in the literature on CUREs. The study plans to utilize a mixed methods approach, including quantitative (i.e., surveys) and qualitative (i.e., curricula, observations, artifacts) data and a quasi-experimental design. Completion of this project endeavors to have broad impacts; in the short term, the project investigates ways to address the learning needs of undergraduate students in STEM courses through faculty professional development. The project intends to provide predominantly Hispanic students with course-based undergraduate research experiences, leading to improved STEM engagement, interest, and learning. However, the ultimate impact is much broader, as the research team plans to disseminate results nationally through STEM education conferences and journal publications. As a result, the project could help broaden Hispanic students’ participation in STEM, leveraging UTRGV’s unique role in serving a regional community that is more than ninety percent Hispanic. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through its Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
