REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Model-based Reasoning in STEM Education at the Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester Institute Of Tech, Rochester NY

Investigators

Abstract

This Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) project recognizes the national priority to support research that addresses the fact that students tend to lack the ability to understand scientific phenomena that are not directly observable. The research team at Rochester Institute of Technology involves undergraduate collaborators in the investigation of how students learn from the tools we use to explain scientific concepts; models (bridges between ideas and empirical observations) and representations (descriptions of models). Ancillary activities include cohort-wide research methods workshops, research group meetings, communication workshops, and social events. The work takes place within the Science and Mathematics Education Research Collaborative (SMERC), a group of ten faculty members interested in exploring questions related to Discipline-Based Educational Research in biology, chemistry, and physics. In order to broaden participation students who are from underrepresented groups in STEM, including Native American, African American, Latino, and Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing populations, are actively recruited. This two-part REU project consists of a virtual, pre-summer training session followed by and intensive 9-week summer research experience. In the virtual course, January Jump-Start, students are introduced to the research projects, professional ethics, and research methodologies. Students also perform literature reviews and initiate the Institution Review Board (IRB) process as part of this course. During the summer, students participate a research experience within the following clusters: (a) use of models and representation in experimental laboratory work, (b) conceptual meaning underlying mathematical representations of physics, (c) conceptual meaning underlying visual representations of biochemistry and molecular biology, and (d) developing and evaluating curricula emphasizing modeling and representation. Data generated through entrance and exit surveys, weekly meetings, and assessment of research artifacts and workshops reflects the student's satisfaction with the experience, attitudes about research, and preparation to apply for research careers in Discipline-based Education Research (DBER). After graduation, the students are tracked and interviewed about the project's impact. Dissemination of the project results should provide a model for cross-disciplinary DBER research. The project team presents their work through at a variety of disciplinary national meetings including, the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Conference, the Annual Meeting of the American Chemical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers/Physics Education Research Conference, and the Conference on Transforming Research in Undergraduate STEM Education. Project deliverables include results of summative evaluation and the course materials developed for the January Jump Start.