TY - JOUR
T1 - A novel undergraduate biomedical laboratory course concept in synergy with ongoing faculty research
AU - Schot, Willemijn D.
AU - Hegeman, Maria A.
AU - ten Broeke, Toine
AU - Valentijn, Floris A.
AU - Meijerman, Irma
AU - Prins, Frans J.
AU - Dictus, Wim J. A. G.
AU - Bovenschen, Niels
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Liesbeth van de Grint for helping with the focus groups. We thank all participating supervisors, faculty, and the students. This study was funded by Utrecht University.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
PY - 2021/9/1
Y1 - 2021/9/1
N2 - Optimal integration of education and ongoing faculty research in many undergraduate science programs is limited to the capstone project. Here, we aimed to develop a novel course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) in synergy with ongoing faculty research. This 10-week course called Biomedical Research Lab is embedded in the curriculum of the undergraduate program Biomedical Sciences and grounded in the theoretical framework of research-based learning. Four groups of four students work together in a dedicated laboratory on an actual ongoing research problem of faculty. All groups work on the same research problem, albeit from different (methodological) perspectives, thereby stimulating interdependence between all participants. Students propose new research, execute the experiments, and collectively report in a single research article. According to students, the course enhanced scientific, laboratory, and academic skills. Students appreciated ownership and responsibilities of the research, laboratory teachers as role models, and they were inspired and motivated by doing authentic actual research. The course resulted in a better understanding of what doing research entails. Faculty valued the didactical experience, research output and scouting opportunities. Since topics can change per course edition, we have showcased a widely applicable pedagogy creating synergy between ongoing research and undergraduate education.
AB - Optimal integration of education and ongoing faculty research in many undergraduate science programs is limited to the capstone project. Here, we aimed to develop a novel course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) in synergy with ongoing faculty research. This 10-week course called Biomedical Research Lab is embedded in the curriculum of the undergraduate program Biomedical Sciences and grounded in the theoretical framework of research-based learning. Four groups of four students work together in a dedicated laboratory on an actual ongoing research problem of faculty. All groups work on the same research problem, albeit from different (methodological) perspectives, thereby stimulating interdependence between all participants. Students propose new research, execute the experiments, and collectively report in a single research article. According to students, the course enhanced scientific, laboratory, and academic skills. Students appreciated ownership and responsibilities of the research, laboratory teachers as role models, and they were inspired and motivated by doing authentic actual research. The course resulted in a better understanding of what doing research entails. Faculty valued the didactical experience, research output and scouting opportunities. Since topics can change per course edition, we have showcased a widely applicable pedagogy creating synergy between ongoing research and undergraduate education.
KW - authentic research
KW - inquiry-based learning
KW - research-based learning
KW - students as partners
KW - undergraduate
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85110969009&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/bmb.21563
DO - 10.1002/bmb.21563
M3 - Article
C2 - 34292646
SN - 1470-8175
VL - 49
SP - 758
EP - 767
JO - BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EDUCATION
JF - BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EDUCATION
IS - 5
ER -