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Focused analysis of current research projects provides an effective platform for teaching early-stage undergraduates the logic of scientific inquiry.
There is growing interest among scientists and science educators to include active learning approaches that allow students to appreciate how primary evidence is used to construct scientific knowledge
To address these issues, we have designed a strategy we call “research deconstruction” that trains first- and second-year undergraduates to analyze real data from current, cutting-edge research, presented to them in the form of a high-level research seminar. We teach the deconstruction course in two five-week modules, each module beginning with an hour-long, full-scale research seminar by an invited faculty speaker. At this point, the students have at best a rather superficial comprehension of the seminar, as we encourage the speaker to deliver his or her standard research presentation, replete with experimental data normally presented to a more sophisticated audience. A separate course instructor then distils the content of the seminar over 10 contact hours of classroom instruction. As the research seminar is videotaped and archived, students can refer back to it regularly. Each classroom lecture typically focuses on approximately 5–10 minutes of the seminar, allowing the instructor to approach each fragment independently from many different angles and explore the fundamental concepts underlying the creation of the data. (For examples of seminar excerpts and their deconstruction, see
During the deconstruction phase, the students identify hypotheses from the seminar, explore the experimental approaches used, and actively analyze the data—a collective exercise that deconstructs a complex research seminar into manageable portions. As concepts and techniques are introduced to them, stripped of jargon, the students begin to see the logic of the research. In the process, they follow the story of the seminar and experience discovery moments as the implications of each experiment become clear.
Consistent with the four above-mentioned objectives for science education
Remarkably, by the end of the five-week period, students are able to discuss the experiments intelligently and critically, and can apply the techniques they learned to hypothetical scenarios involving scientific research within as well as outside the field of the seminar presentation. This is further evidenced at an hour-long question and answer session hosted by the seminar speaker at the end of the module. While students are generally reluctant to ask questions when they first hear the seminar, by the end of the deconstruction they have the confidence to engage the speaker and ask thoughtful and often challenging questions. Speakers have commented favorably on the level of discussion in the Q&A sessions and the improvement they perceive in student comprehension over the five weeks since they presented their research. (See excerpts of faculty testimonials in
These comments should be viewed only as testimonials and not as data. For more complete impressions, see
No laboratory infrastructure is necessary for this methodology, and the seminar deconstruction format is readily adapted to a variety of subjects and scientific disciplines. To date, 24 different faculty members have participated in the courses, presenting research on a wide range of topics including stem cell biology, epigenetics, neurobiology, and microbiology (
We have previously described our Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)–funded hands-on research program, the Undergraduate Research Consortium in Functional Genomics (URCFG), which over the past six academic years has trained nearly 500 students in scientific discovery through direct participation in original research
CURE survey data from Spring 2007–Spring 2009 are compared to the means from all students participating in the CURE survey during Spring 2009, as well as to students engaged in a summer research experience in 2008, as measured by the comparable SURE II (Summer Undergraduate Research Experience) survey. The CURE and SURE surveys include identical items that permit comparisons. The CURE reference cohort derived from introductory to advanced biology courses that contained some research-related component. The typical student in the SURE cohort was a third- or fourth-year student. Scale: 1 = little to no gain; 2 = small gain; 3 = moderate gain; 4 = large gain; 5 = very large gain. Average N values: UCLA research deconstruction – 157; UCLA enhanced research deconstruction – 24; URCFG – 147; all students CURE – 598; all students summer research – 1,489. Error bars represent one standard error.
Assessment data from the Classroom Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) survey (
To further improve upon the learning gains from research deconstruction, we have created an “enhanced” version of the course, taught to a smaller group of students from the larger research deconstruction course or from URCFG. Students are accepted into the enhanced course based on their interest in research and performance in the previous course. The enhanced research deconstruction course includes assignments of primary literature, student presentations of research papers, written reports on the research seminars, and a strong emphasis on experimental design and proper use of controls (for an example of the enhanced research deconstruction delivered to students who have previously taken the basic course, see
The deconstruction format has been valuable in identifying students with promise for productive independent research. Like URCFG, it serves as a screening course to recruit students for the newly created UCLA Minor in Biomedical Research (
Previous studies have shown that analysis of primary research literature is a highly effective way to train students in understanding how knowledge is created and evidence evaluated
Research deconstruction provides an effective pedagogical tool to offer evidence-based science instruction to a large number of early-stage students. Demanding very few material resources, it is a strategy that can be adopted by a broad spectrum of academic institutions. For the future, research seminars available from Internet resources, such as the American Society for Cell Biology's iBioSeminars (
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UB is an HHMI Professor, and we thank the HHMI Professors program for supporting this educational endeavor. We thank the many UCLA faculty who have participated in the course as invited speakers, the Bruincast team at the UCLA Office of Instructional Development for recording and webcasting classes, and the UCLA Life Sciences Instructional Computing service for assistance with course websites.