RCN-UBE Incubator: Consortium for the Integration of Ethical Research Practices into Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences in the Biological Sciences

University Of Texas At El Paso, El Paso TX

Investigators

Abstract

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have emerged as a viable mechanism to increase student access to authentic scientific opportunities. Current evidence in the bioeducation literature indicates that student engagement in CUREs results in significant gains in their development of scientific reasoning skills, attitudes, and persistence in the domain. Authentic research experiences have likewise been shown to positively influence students' interest in scientific inquiry and their ability to "think like a scientist." While the above corpus of research has focused extensively on student outcomes within CUREs, more recent efforts have articulated the need to examine the extent to which contextual features and affordances within such learning environments mediate students' academic and professional development. Among these factors, the ability to conduct research in an ethical and responsible manner is argued to be of critical value, as it is one of the hallmarks of rigorous scientific investigation. Although the need to engender ethical and responsible research practices in students is therefore apparent, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the integration of ethics/RCR education within CURE contexts, despite its broader importance to professionalism within the scientific community. Furthermore, it is unclear to what extent existent ethics/RCR frameworks are amenable to CURE instruction. The proposed initiative seeks to address these concerns through the formation of a consortium and structured activities that will foster sustainable relationships between individuals from diverse organizations, including minority-serving institutions, two-year colleges, research universities, and professional societies, who will be tasked with the exploration of ethics and responsible conduct of research within CUREs in the biological sciences. Specifically, network activities and products will: a) define and describe the current state of ethics/RCR education within bioscience CUREs; b) detail the perceptions of postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and administrators responsible for teaching and scholarship in the areas of CURE implementation and bioethics in regard to the long-term role of ethics/RCR in research-driven courses; and c) enhance both participants' and the publics' knowledge of ethics education in the context of authentic, research-based coursework through the dissemination of a public consortium website, presentations, and publications. This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), Division of Biological Infrastructure, and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action (http://visionandchange.org/finalreport/).