2.5: Overcoming the challenges of CUREs
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G) Overcoming the challenges of CUREs
Jonathan J.-M. Calède
Possible solutions to some of the challenges posed by the development and implementation of CUREs
Category | Possible solution | Reference |
Financial obstacles | Professional societies (and your institution) may offer funding for research and travel to conferences by undergraduate students | Matyas et al., 2017 |
Established databases provide sources of data that can be used in CUREs | Table 13 | |
Use collaborations to reduce costs, promote publishability of findings, and distribute costs and rewards of research | Govindan et al., 2020 | |
Technical obstacles | Use a central course to support undergraduate research efforts across several laboratories | Dillon, 2020 |
Freeware programs can be used by students to engage in data analysis | Table 14 | |
Some field work can be undertaken through asynchronous self-led field trips. | Washko, 2021 | |
Support teaching assistants to help them overcome the obstacles of implementing the CURE | Heim & Holt, 2019 | |
Involve students in the logistics of implementing the CURE and teach them the full scope of research project management | Govindan et al., 2020 | |
Work with collaborators, mentored research students, graduate students, and postdocs to distribute the emotional labor and time commitment | — | |
Research obstacles | Publish the CURE itself in education literature, even if research findings themselves cannot be published | — |
National programs provide research questions and contexts that are relevant to the community and adapted to the classroom setting of the CURE | Lopatto et al., 2014 | |
Use collaborations to reduce costs, promote publishability of findings, and distribute costs and rewards of research | Govindan et al., 2020 | |
Professional societies offer peer-reviewed curricula and pedagogical resources | Matyas et al., 2017 | |
Use CUREs to explore new areas of research and risky research projects to limit pressure for success | — | |
Pedagogical obstacles | Align core concepts and competencies of the CURE and the class ELOs | Petersen et al., 2020 |
Teach students how to learn in your disciplines by making learning how to learn part of your curriculum | Petersen et al., 2020 | |
Have students focus on the problem-solving process, rather than just the correct answer | Petersen et al., 2020 | |
Professional societies provide online learning and networking communities for both instructor and students | Matyas et al., 2017 | |
Adjust the content to free the time necessary to enable students’ mastery of technical skills | Wolkow et al., 2014 | |
Professional societies offer peer-reviewed curriculum and pedagogical resources | Matyas et al., 2017 | |
Involve students in the planning and development of the project through the writing of proposals | Govindan et al., 2020 | |
Involve students in the logistics of implementing the CURE and teach them the full scope of research project management | Govindan et al., 2020 | |
Student obstacles | Increased student ownership and involvement in experimental design helps mitigate frustrations | Govindan et al., 2020 |
Use affirming language to frame discussions and activities | Govindan et al., 2020 | |
Transparent expectations and grades disjunct from experimental success or publishability of findings can help overcome student fears of unknown | — | |
Emphasize to students the significance of the research to the broader community of scholars | Cooper et al., 2019; Hanauer et al., 2012 | |
Involve students in the logistics of implementing the CURE | Govindan et al., 2020 | |
Involve students in the planning and development of the project through the writing of proposals | Govindan et al., 2020 | |
Use group contracts and best practices to design successful group experiences | — | |
Instructor obstacles | Invite faculty members and institutional stakeholders to students’ CURE colloquium | Govindan et al., 2020 |
Promote the success and outcomes of the CURE to the university community | — | |
Select professional societies and published examples of cures can provide guidance for the development of CUREs | Govindan et al., 2020 | |
National programs provide workshops and curricular materials | Lopatto et al., 2014 | |
National programs may have staff to help troubleshoot | Lopatto et al., 2014 | |
Help preparation of instructors and support staff with training videos, more thorough instructor lab manuals, reference sheets, and training workshops | Wolkow et al., 2014 | |
Work with collaborators, mentored research students, graduate students, and postdocs to distribute the emotional labor and time commitment | — |