A high-enrollment course-based undergraduate research experience improves student conceptions of scientific thinking and ability to interpret data

Abstract

We present an innovative course-based undergraduate research experience curriculum focused on the characterization of single point mutations in p53, a tumor suppressor gene that is mutated in more than 50% of human cancers. This course is required of all introductory biology students, so all biology majors engage in a research project as part of their training. Using a set of open-ended written prompts, we found that the course shifts student conceptions of what it means to think like a scientist from novice to more expert-like. Students at the end of the course identified experimental repetition, data analysis, and collaboration as important elements of thinking like a scientist. Course exams revealed that students showed gains in their ability to analyze and interpret data. These data indicate that this course-embedded research experience has a positive impact on the development of students' conceptions and practice of scientific thinking.

Figure 1.

Research questions explored by students in the course over a 10-wk period. Students work through each of these questions to determine the functional defect of their mutant p53. The experimental protocols for each experiment have been developed; thus, the authenticity of the course stems from the data analysis on mutant alleles that have not previously been characterized, as well as the progressive refinement of student-articulated hypotheses and conclusions.

Figure 2.

Collaboration among students in the course. Students work with one partner on a specific mutant allele of p53 for the whole 10 wk. In each 20-student combined lab section, two pairs of partners work on each mutant. For mutant group discussions, students from different lab sections who all work on the same mutant p53 compare data.