Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: STEM Science and Mathematics Education
- Lane College
Co-Author(s): Diane Sklensky
Lane College is a historically black college committed to educating underserved, minority students. Our overall goal for this project is to improve student learning of foundational concepts and retention in Biology and Chemistry through student-centered activities within our first-year courses. A key activity to achieve this goal is the implementation of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in our General Biology Laboratory courses. A key element for the success of the program is our peer-mentors, who serve as supplemental instructors for our General Biology courses. These students receive training in both leadership, through a collaboration with the office of first year experience, as well as research techniques through mentored projects related to those that will be completed by students enrolled in the General Biology Laboratory courses. These projects include isolation and characterization of antibiotic resistant bacteria from the soil, gene annotations and comparative genomics in collaboration with the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP), or cloning and characterization of GAPC from Tennessee native plants. We are implementing these CURE projects within one of our laboratory sections for each General Biology course during the 2017/2018 academic year. In addition, we are assessing student learning outcomes related to understanding the scientific method using the Experimental Design Ability Test and the CURE learning survey developed by the GEP.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): National Science Foundation HRD#1623340
Faculty Advisor: None Listed,