Undergraduate journal club as an intervention to improve student development in applying the scientific process

Abstract

Active learning improves student performance in STEM courses. Exposure to active learning environments generally occurs through traditional laboratory courses and independent research, both of which require access to resources that are limited at many universities. A previously reported active learning-based undergraduate journal club improved student achievement in communicating science. Here, we expanded on this previous journal club to improve student performance in the process of science. We developed and implemented a series of workshops and seminars referred to as "CASL Club," an undergraduate journal club targeted at improving student development in applying the scientific process. Students were surveyed before and after CASL club about their confidence in accessing, analyzing, and reporting scientific research. Post-CASL club, the students reported increases in confidence in their abilities to access and present scientific articles and write scientific abstracts. Additionally, the students reported improved confidence and performance in their courses. Compared to the previous journal club study, the majority of sampled journal club participants were not exposed to primary literature as part of their general coursework. Our results illustrate active-learning based undergraduate journal clubs as a way to expose students to primary literature and improve students' ability to apply scientific process in an active-learning environment at resource-limited universities.

Figure 1. Specific tools and skills were introduced during each session to help students achieve the three objectives of CASL Club

Workshop sessions were designed around the three objectives. Objective-specific tools were introduced and skills were practiced over the eight hour-long sessions.

Figure 2

General tips for implementing a CASL Club.

Figure 3. CASL Club students identified as scientists with self-reported confidence in general skills related to searching and analyzing scientific literature, which contrasted with the small number of students self-reporting regular reading of journal articles

Student responses to the statements (A) “I am a scientist,” “I am a researcher,” (B) “I can usually understand the main points of a scientific journal article” and “I am confident in my ability to find a scientific journal article online” on a pre-survey administered prior to beginning the CASL Club and (C) “I regularly read scientific journal articles” on a pre-survey administered prior to beginning the CASL Club and a post-survey administered at the end of the course were measured on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Horizontal bars indicate means, and error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 4. Comparison of pre- and post-surveys shows increases in self-reported confidence in specific skills related to searching, analyzing, and discussing scientific literature

Student responses to the statements “I know which electronic databases to use to locate scientific journal articles” (circles), “I know how to write a good abstract for a scientific journal article” (squares), and “I can create a good PowerPoint presentation of a scientific journal article” (triangles) on a pre-survey administered prior to beginning the CASL Club (open shapes) and a post-survey administered at the end of the course (closed shapes) were measured on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Horizontal bars indicate means, and error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals. *, p<0.05; **, p<0.005 (Mann-Whitney test).

Figure 5. Variation in exposure to reading and/or discussion of scientific literature between two sampled student populations from two universities

The previous study sampled 33 students prior to beginning the journal club (Robertson, 2012). Our pre-course survey sample included 12 students.

Figure 6. Comparison of pre- and post-surveys shows increases in self-reported feelings of scientific independence

Student responses to the statements “With the skills I have now, I can discover something new that no one else knows” (circles) and “I can design my own experiment to test a hypothesis” (squares) on a pre-survey administered prior to beginning the CASL Club (open shapes) and a post-survey administered at the end of the course (closed shapes) were measured on a Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Horizontal bars indicate means, and error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals. *, p<0.05 (Mann-Whitney test).