Collaborative Research: Creating Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences in Gene Editing for All Students

Pikes Peak Community College, Colorado Springs CO

Investigators

Abstract

This project will serve the national interest by equipping biology faculty at two-year colleges with the training and resources needed to implement research experiences in their classrooms using current gene editing technology. The importance of research experiences in undergraduate education is demonstrated by the increased retention and improved future success of students who engage in research experiences during the first two years of undergraduate education. Access to research for students at universities is typically common; however, opportunities for research experiences by two-year college students is highly variable, depending on faculty teaching loads, faculty expertise, and institutional investment in research. This Engaged Student Learning, Level 3 project aims to implement and sustain research experiences in two-year colleges, and to improve basic knowledge of genetics and current gene editing technology by faculty and their students. Faculty at two-year colleges will be trained in a gene editing protocol, guided in curriculum development, provided with material resources, and connected with other faculty through academic networks. Assessment of the project should advance our understanding of the feasibility and sustainability of research experiences in two-year colleges. This project is expected to improve science education at two-year colleges and build a stronger STEM workforce. The goal of this five-year project is to bring a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE), to two-year colleges nationwide, using CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas gene-editing technology. Summer workshops during the funding period will initially provide hands-on training for faculty in the specific steps of a modular, CRISPR gene editing protocol in fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe). Workshop participants will be provided with the basic equipment needed to implement the protocol at their schools and will be guided to develop curriculum plans for their specific courses. The protocol allows for distinct modules to be integrated into existing course curricula and has been successfully piloted in various academic settings. Faculty participants will also be provided with ongoing knowledge support and training videos. In addition, participants will be connected to a national community through the CRISPR In the Classroom Network (CICN) for collaboration and refinement of the protocol. In years two through five, prior workshop participants will attend follow-up workshops, which will train faculty in more advanced uses of CRISPR and will foster collaborations between new and returning participants. Focus groups and assessment of the project during its duration will identify and address barriers to implementation and sustainability of the CURE. Validated surveys will be used to assess the knowledge gains and confidence of faculty participants and their students. All protocols and project materials will be freely available to academic institutions through programs such as CICN and InnovATEBIO. Results of the project will be disseminated through academic journals and presentations at conferences for STEM targeted education, such as the National Association of Biology Teachers, the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, and AAAS-ARISE. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.