Customizable Biospheres: A Course Based Undergraduate Research Experience
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Participation in undergraduate research experiences has been shown to increase graduation rates and reduce equity gaps in STEM fields. At a time when undergraduate research opportunities are increasingly competitive, providing such opportunities within our courses can help all students be better prepared for their academic and scientific futures. A course based undergraduate research experience (CURE) is a teaching model wherein students participate in creative and original scientific inquiry within the structure of a class. This shift from traditional classroom roles empowers students as they are the scientists, and the instructor serves as a mentor rather than the expert. I have created a highly customizable framework using biospheres where students generate hypotheses, design an experiment to test those hypotheses, gather and analyze data, and formally communicate their scientific findings. Although I developed these CURE materials for my Environmental Science students this approach could easily be adapted to most undergraduate science courses covering ecological concepts. Watch this video for an explanation of how I use biospheres to engage my Environmental Science students in authentic course based research experiences and how you can adapt this for your own course.
Source: QUBES
DOI: 10.25334/abdy-s483
Author: Pressler, Kelsey
Institution: Delta College
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6944804381
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