16–20 Aug 2021
University of Glasgow (virtual)
Europe/London timezone

Contributed talk: Mini-projects: CURE-like lab projects to increase student learning

19 Aug 2021, 11:15
15m
University of Glasgow (virtual)

University of Glasgow (virtual)

Speaker

Philip Craven (University of Birmingham)

Description

Undergraduate research is one of the most powerful pedagogical tools to educate and inspire stu- dents, especially those from diverse backgrounds.[1] Course-based undergraduate research experi- ences (CUREs) are excellent examples of implementing research-type problems in undergraduate courses allowing students freedom to experiment and even fail while trying to answer interesting questions. CUREs normally include setting the research question in context, providing a true sense of discovery where neither students nor instructors know the outcome of experiments and foster- ing student ownership over the research experience.[2] They have been shown to be successful at increasing student learning in a range of courses.[2]

This talk will detail a CURE-like course implemented over the past two years at the University of Birmingham for third-year undergraduate students. The course utilises the research developed at the University to produce one-week and two-week long research mini-projects. These mini- projects are open-ended and allow the students to explore the research area for themselves under the guidance of world-leading experts in the area. Projects range from battery synthesis to drug discovery to plastic recycling. The talk will outline details of exemplar mini-projects and the new course will be evaluated through student feedback and student outcome analysis.

References

(1) Eagan, M. K.; Hurtado, S.; Chang, M. J.; Garcia, G. A.; Herrera, F. A.; Garibay, J. C. Am. Ed. Res. J. 2013, 50, 683−713.
(2) Williams, L. C.; Reddish, M. J. J. Chem. Educ. 2018, 95, 928−938.

Key words CURE, laboratories, mini-projects
Region UK/Ireland

Primary authors

Philip Craven (University of Birmingham) Robert Laverick (University of Birmingham)

Presentation materials