Instructional Models for Course-Based Research Experience (CRE) Teaching

Abstract

The course-based research experience (CRE) with its documented educational benefits is increasingly being implemented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. This article reports on a study that was done over a period of 3 years to explicate the instructional processes involved in teaching an undergraduate CRE. One hundred and two instructors from the established and large multi-institutional SEA-PHAGES program were surveyed for their understanding of the aims and practices of CRE teaching. This was followed by large-scale feedback sessions with the cohort of instructors at the annual SEA Faculty Meeting and subsequently with a small focus group of expert CRE instructors. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, the survey data were analyzed for the aims of inquiry instruction and pedagogical practices used to achieve these goals. The results characterize CRE inquiry teaching as involving three instructional models: 1) being a scientist and generating data; 2) teaching procedural knowledge; and 3) fostering project ownership. Each of these models is explicated and visualized in terms of the specific pedagogical practices and their relationships. The models present a complex picture of the ways in which CRE instruction is conducted on a daily basis and can inform instructors and institutions new to CRE teaching.

FIGURE 1.

Being a scientist and generating data. Model presents co-occurrence relationships between coded verbal responses to survey items followed by member checking for validity. Lines represent co-occurring verbal codes within instructor statements concerning the instructional aim of being a scientist and generating data. The size of the box represents the number of related instructional practices. The model reveals the central role of ambiguity and uncertainty in CRE instruction and role of a series of instructor activities to alleviate, contextualize, and address this aspect of the CRE laboratory.

FIGURE 2.

A model of procedural knowledge instruction. Model presents co-occurrence relationships between coded verbal responses to survey items followed by member checking for validity. Lines represent co-occurring verbal codes within instructor statements concerning the aim of procedural knowledge instruction. The size of the box represents the number of related instructional practices. The model reveals the broader context within which protocols are taught in a CRE, specifying the importance of scientific background, modeling scientific thinking, and documentation in developing student understanding and use of scientific protocols.

FIGURE 3.

A model of fostering project ownership. Model presents co-occurrence relationships between coded verbal responses to survey items followed by member checking for validity. Lines represent co-occurring verbal codes within instructor statements concerning the aim of fostering project ownership. The size of the box represents the number of related instructional practices. The model situates the development of project ownership within the learning of specific protocols followed by a series of instructor practices that encourage and support personal responsibility, peer collaboration, and shared research presentation.