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Transcript of Engaging Students in Authentic Research in the Classroom May 2, 2013 Center for Teaching Excellence...
Engaging Students in Authentic
Research in the Classroom
May 2, 2013Center for Teaching Excellence
Emily GrossnickleSarah Balcom
Dylan Selterman
What is Research?
Compare to what Davis & Shade (2000) refer to as Apprentice Work:
“Process of creating new knowledge
--Maryland Center for Undergraduate Research
“Not making knowledge as much as reporting the known”
What is Research?
Searching for
information in libraries
and archives
Creating models
Conducting
fieldwork
Surveying and
interviewing subjects
Performing computatio
ns
Communicating results
Theory testing
Composing creative
works
Ways in which students can engage with research
1. Research-led: Learn about current research
2. Research-tutored: Engage in discussions about research
3. Research-oriented: Develop skills and techniques
4. Research-based: Undertake research
--Jenkins and Healy (2000)
Why engage your students in research and what might be stopping you?
Goals for your students
Potential Barriers
Other
Motivational goals
Critical thinking goals
Knowledge goals
Other
Pragmatic
Student/Learning
Instructor/Instructional
Maryland Center for Undergraduate Research
www.ugresearch.umd.edu2100D McKeldin Library
Undergraduate research dayDatabase of projectsResources for faculty and students
RESEARCH IN THE CLASSROOM:EXAMPLES FROM MY ANSC COURSESSarah Balcom, DVM, MS
Animal and Avian Sciences
2 May 2013
WHY I TEACH RESEARCH IN THE CLASSROOM
Students don’t understand how to do it
Students don’t evaluate existing research well
It engages students
It develops skills for life-long learners
THE RESEARCH PROCESS
Generate specific
questions
Discover what is already known
Evaluate prior research
Formulate a new area of inquiry/hypothesis
Conduct an experiment
Consider design and execution
Evaluate results
Share the results-Papers-Posters
-Oral presentations
Encounter a phenomenon that
cannot yet be explained
1. LEARNING TO SEARCH THE MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE
Asking the right questions
Generating good search terms
Using academic search engines
Sorting results
1. LEARNING TO SEARCH THE MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE
Ex. ANSC 275- Introduction to Veterinary Medical Science and Practice
Case discussion: Heartworm disease in dogs
Concept: Is it a good idea to keep dogs on year round heartworm preventative? Pros: Compliance, control of GI parasites, income for vet Cons: Cost to owner, possibility of the worms evolving
resistance to the dewormer
Research question: Is resistance to dewormers a problem with canine heartworm disease?
2. FIELD METHODS IN CLASS
Skills learned Data collection appropriate to the discipline
Not everything goes as planned
Revising and refining until you know how you need to make your observations, collect your data, run your experiment, etc.
The study design process
2. FIELD METHODS IN CLASS
Ex. “Epidemiology in action” class for ANSC 340- Health Management of Animal populations
Flipped class: Pre-work about monitoring animal health, making observations, basic epidemiology
Students designed means of measuring respiratory disease among UMD students in Feb.
45 minutes (90 min course) to make observations Groups of 5-6 students 6 different locations on campus
30 minutes to discuss what worked what didn’t work results
2. FIELD METHODS IN CLASS
2. FIELD METHODS IN CLASS
Discussion of data and its collection, what to do with results
Refine ideas on data collection incorporated into animal disease surveillance
plan (final project component)
another level on which to judge epidemiology studies
3. ARTICLE CRITIQUES
Skills learned Evaluation of authorship, content, format and
style, applicability of articles
Critical thinking
Writing
3. ARTICLE CRITIQUES
Ex. ANSC 250- Companion Animal Care and Management Groups evaluate a scientific or medical article
using a set of guided questions Discussion of some of the major points that came
out in the critiques Study design Funding sources Assumptions, biases, and other pitfalls Usefulness of different types of resources for different
groups of people involved with comp aml care
3. ARTICLE CRITIQUES
Basis for selecting references for take-home final exam scenarios
Same process used to evaluate our guest speakers as well
4. CONDUCTING A MINI-RESEARCH PROJECT
Ex. ANSC 225- Love me, Hate me, Use me, Save me: Our conflicting views of animals. Some students interested in conducting a short
study Ethnographic interviews and participant
observations Coding for themes uncovered in the interviews Guidance from me in design, execution, and
analysis of the research
4. CONDUCTING A MINI-RESEARCH PROJECT
Example: Why does hitting an animal on the side of the road bother some people and not bother others? Study sample Question guide Analysis
CONCLUSIONS
It’s a lot of fun.
It certainly beats lecturing!
It takes planning.
Many students enjoy it.
Research in Undergraduate Education
Dylan Selterman, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
Courses & Format/Goals
PSYC 221 – Social Psychology (S in P) Large; blended; content + scholarly activities
PSYC 334 – Interpersonal Relationships Large; upper-level; content
PSYC 420 – Social Psych Research Lab Small; upper-level; student-led research
Psychology lab (420)
Semester-long project 2-hr lab sections run by TAs (2 hr lecture) Emphasis on replication
Eases burden on students & teachers Plus extension (new variable)
Content (broad) VS. Application (specific) Focus on 1-2 key concepts to apply 1-3 sub-disciplines (faculty expertise) Unlike graduate methods/stats courses
Issues & Concerns
Time Resources (Qualtrics; Facebook) Class size Student ideas can be poor Most research fails Repeating content from previous courses Students struggle to communicate ideas
Strategies in other courses
Scientific creativity & innovation Focus on pieces of the research process
Literature review; summary of findings Scale creation (measures, items) Discuss/debate, communicate findings Propose new theories (MFT) & hypotheses Propose new methods/studies Peer review Scientific writing (APA style)
Popular media writing Science of Relationships; In-Mind Magazine
Issues & Concerns
Little previous education in the field Emphasis on the basics
Pushback from students Difficulty & motivation
Need strong TA support (GTA & UTA) Devote class time and extended office hours
for Q&A