Expanding your research team: learning gains when a laboratory partners with a classroom (original) (raw)

Classroom research experiences can provide outstanding learning opportunities for undergraduate students while also benefiting faculty research programs. However, these courses often require more work than traditional lecture-based courses, potentially discouraging faculty from taking on the challenge. Here, we propose one solution. We describe a research-based course designed and implemented by multiple members of a research team. The students in this course measured insects for an evolutionary genetics experiment while participating in classroom-based discussions, readings, and presentations focused on the nature of science. The benefits of the course were three-fold. First, students reported strong positive gains in understanding the nature of science and their attitudes towards science. Second, this course produced publishable data, benefiting faculty research. Third, members of the research team received valuable training in teaching, teamwork, and data management. If incorpora...