I-Corps L: Journal of Undergraduate Research : An Educational Platform for Improving Scientific Literacy

Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

The Journal of Undergraduate Research (JUR) Press is an educational platform for improving scientific literacy that includes a range of research journals that are registered with the United States Library of Congress. This innovation serves as a platform for the dissemination and sharing of scholarly work and research findings among undergraduate STEM students throughout the world. Each issue has an ISSN number and is distributed internationally in both print and electronic formats. The editorial boards are comprised of undergraduate STEM students who are trained through a series of online courses and include participating editors from around the world. JUR Press is headquartered at Colorado State University and has four domestic, regional editorial offices along with five international editorial satellite offices which are all at academic institutions. Each submission is refereed by two undergraduates, one graduate student, and one faculty member in a way that allows undergraduate referees to learn from the input of the graduate and faculty referees. The training and assessment platform for editors and referees was developed in a way that any academic institution can include its students. To do so, a faculty advisor is recruited to oversee the process at each participating institution. JUR Press provides a step-by-step procedure that guides each new faculty advisor in the on-boarding, recruitment, training, and assessment processes. This I-Corps L team will use the support and mentoring of the I-Corps L program to determine if the JUR model can be scaled to facilitate the widespread adoption, adaptation, and utilization of these materials to support the improvement of scientific literacy and STEM student engagement at academic institutions across the country. Further, they will use I-Corps L as a platform for reaching out to a broad audience of STEM faculty and students through personal interviews, conferences, and webinars. This project includes innovation in STEM education to achieve higher STEM student engagement, scientific literacy, and critical assessment skills. These innovations also provide opportunities for STEM students to execute real-world applications of the scientific method and research ethics. Finally, ongoing research associated with this innovation provides evidence that this platform serves to increase STEM persistence and rates of retention among participating students. This project is built upon prior research related to the improvement of STEM teaching methods to better engage STEM students, to accommodate a broader range of learning styles, and to improve scientific literacy among undergraduates. Products include online courses, teaching guides, supplemental teaching materials, and how-to seminars. Based on pre-/post-assessment of student referee reports, undergraduate referees consistently rank higher in critical review assessments after they have had the benefit of comparing their reviews to those of faculty referees. Almost 200 undergraduates have participated as editors for JUR Press. Based on pre-/post-assessments, editors consistently rank higher in both scientific literacy and critical review assessments after participating in the online editor training courses. These outcomes continue to improve each year that a participant serves as an editor.