TURBO: The Undergraduate Saco River Biodiversity Observatory -- A Long-Term Ecological Research-Style Research Experience to Enhance STEM Education

University Of New England, Biddeford ME

Investigators

Abstract

STEM education is increasingly important for success in a society that depends on science and technology, but college students' persistence in STEM programs of study, which are often dominated by traditional lectures and standard lab exercises, is generally low. Integrating undergraduate research opportunities into the curriculum has been shown to increase student learning and persistence. This project will implement an interdisciplinary curriculum that provides authentic research experiences for all STEM students in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of New England. The investigators will create a project-oriented learning experience using the local estuary of the Saco River by developing new course modules, stimulating undergraduate research projects, conducting an interdisciplinary conference focusing on the project's theme, and implementing targeted faculty development. The investigators will examine the extent to which the increased hands-on, interdisciplinary approaches to student learning lead to increased student retention and persistence in STEM. Across all STEM departments in the college, at least 29 courses with an enrollment of more than 1,600 students will work simultaneously on assessing, monitoring, or modeling aspects of the Saco River estuary. Students will investigate urban, salt marsh, intertidal, and open water habitats and apply methods of ecology, physiology, molecular biology, botany, zoology, mathematics, chemistry, and physics. A central database and web portal will make the data available for interdisciplinary data mining within the university and by the public. The investigators aim to demonstrate that experiential learning based on Kolb's learning theory can deepen students' understanding of the process of research as practiced by scientists in a long-standing NSF program, Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER). The activities will include working in groups to solve problems, using large data sets, and participating in the creation and sharing of data. Such an approach will also help students to comprehend science as more than rote learning -- as something that can be questioned and produced by them. Furthermore, the project will use place-based education to draw students into the project and into STEM. With this approach, (1) surrounding phenomena are the foundation for curriculum development, (2) students become creators rather than consumers of knowledge, (3) students' questions are central in determining what is studied, (4) teachers act as experienced guides and co-learners, and (5) the wall between school and community becomes permeable and is crossed frequently. Through repeated exposure to place-based education over their four years at the university, undergraduates will gain progressive, in-depth experiences with STEM, which will enable them to connect the process of discovery with learning and knowledge creation and will prepare them to be leaders, teachers, and innovators.