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Incorporating an Interactive Statistics Workshop into an Introductory Biology Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Enhances Students’ Statistical Reasoning and Quantitative Literacy Skills

    Authors: Jeffrey T. Olimpo1,*, Ryan S. Pevey2, Thomas M. McCabe2
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    Affiliations: 1: Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968; 2: School of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639
    AUTHOR AND ARTICLE INFORMATION AUTHOR AND ARTICLE INFORMATION
    • Received 13 August 2017 Accepted 15 January 2018 Published 27 April 2018
    • ©2018 Author(s). Published by the American Society for Microbiology.

    • [open-access] This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ and https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode), which grants the public the nonexclusive right to copy, distribute, or display the published work.
    • †Supplemental materials available at http://asmscience.org/jmbe
    • *Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, TX 79968. Phone: 915-747-6923. Fax: 915-747-5808. E-mail: [email protected].
    Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. April 2018 vol. 19 no. 1 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v19i1.1450
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    Abstract:

    Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide an avenue for student participation in authentic scientific opportunities. Within the context of such coursework, students are often expected to collect, analyze, and evaluate data obtained from their own investigations. Yet, limited research has been conducted that examines mechanisms for supporting students in these endeavors. In this article, we discuss the development and evaluation of an interactive statistics workshop that was expressly designed to provide students with an open platform for graduate teaching assistant (GTA)-mentored data processing, statistical testing, and synthesis of their research findings. Mixed methods analyses of pre/post-intervention survey data indicated a statistically significant increase in students’ reasoning and quantitative literacy abilities in the domain, as well as enhancement of student self-reported confidence in and knowledge of the application of various statistical metrics to real-world contexts. Collectively, these data reify an important role for scaffolded instruction in statistics in preparing emergent scientists to be data-savvy researchers in a globally expansive STEM workforce.

References & Citations

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2. Spell RM, Guinan JA, Miller KR, Beck CW 2014 Redefining authentic research experiences in introductory biology laboratories and barriers to their implementation CBE Life Sci Educ 13 102 110 10.1187/cbe.13-08-0169 24591509 3940451 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.13-08-0169
3. Corwin LA, Graham MJ, Dolan EL 2015 Modeling course-based undergraduate research experiences: an agenda for future research and evaluation CBE Life Sci Educ 14 es1 10.1187/cbe.14-10-0167 25687826 4353087 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.14-10-0167
4. Brownell SE, Kloser MJ, Fukami T, Shavelson R 2012 Undergraduate biology lab courses: comparing the impact of traditionally based “cookbook” and authentic research-based courses on student lab experiences J Coll Sci Teach 41 36 45
5. Brownell SE, Hekmat-Scafe DS, Singla V, Seawell PC, Imam JFC, Eddy SL, Stearns T, Cyert M 2015 A high-enrollment course-based undergraduate research experience improves student conceptions of scientific thinking and ability to interpret data CBE Life Sci Educ 14 ar21 10.1187/cbe.14-05-0092 26033869 4477737 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.14-05-0092
6. Feser J, Vasaly H, Herrera J 2013 On the edge of mathematics and biology integration: improving quantitative skills in undergraduate biology education CBE Life Sci Educ 12 124 128 10.1187/cbe.13-03-0057 23737616 3671635 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.13-03-0057
7. Hester S, Buxner S, Elfring L, Nagy L 2014 Integrating quantitative thinking into an introductory biology course improves students’ mathematical reasoning in biological contexts CBE Life Sci Educ 13 54 64 10.1187/cbe.13-07-0129 24591504 3940463 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.13-07-0129
8. Olimpo J, Fisher G, DeChenne-Peters SE 2016 Development and evaluation of the Tigriopus course-based undergraduate research experience: impacts on students’ content knowledge, attitudes, and motivation in a majors introductory biology course CBE Life Sci Educ 15 ar72 10.1187/cbe.15-11-0228 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.15-11-0228
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12. Marsan L, D’Arcy C, Olimpo J 2016 The impact of an interactive statistics module on novices’ development of scientific process skills and attitudes in a first-semester research foundations course J Microbiol Biol Educ 17 436 443 10.1128/jmbe.v17i3.1137 http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.v17i3.1137
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19. Makarevitch I, Frechette C, Wiatros N 2015 Authentic research experience and “big data” analysis in the classroom: maize response to abiotic stress CBE Life Sci Educ 14 ar27 10.1187/cbe.15-04-0081 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.15-04-0081
20. Thompson KV, Nelson KC, Marbach-Ad G, Keller M, Fagan WF 2010 Online interactive teaching modules enhance quantitative proficiency of introductory biology students CBE Life Sci Educ 9 277 283 10.1187/cbe.10-03-0028 20810959 2931674 http://dx.doi.org/10.1187/cbe.10-03-0028
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Abstract:

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide an avenue for student participation in authentic scientific opportunities. Within the context of such coursework, students are often expected to collect, analyze, and evaluate data obtained from their own investigations. Yet, limited research has been conducted that examines mechanisms for supporting students in these endeavors. In this article, we discuss the development and evaluation of an interactive statistics workshop that was expressly designed to provide students with an open platform for graduate teaching assistant (GTA)-mentored data processing, statistical testing, and synthesis of their research findings. Mixed methods analyses of pre/post-intervention survey data indicated a statistically significant increase in students’ reasoning and quantitative literacy abilities in the domain, as well as enhancement of student self-reported confidence in and knowledge of the application of various statistical metrics to real-world contexts. Collectively, these data reify an important role for scaffolded instruction in statistics in preparing emergent scientists to be data-savvy researchers in a globally expansive STEM workforce.

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Author and Article Information

  • Received 13 August 2017 Accepted 15 January 2018 Published 27 April 2018
  • ©2018 Author(s). Published by the American Society for Microbiology.

  • [open-access] This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ and https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode), which grants the public the nonexclusive right to copy, distribute, or display the published work.
  • †Supplemental materials available at http://asmscience.org/jmbe
  • *Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, TX 79968. Phone: 915-747-6923. Fax: 915-747-5808. E-mail: [email protected].

Figures

Incorporating an Interactive Statistics Workshop into an Introductory Biology Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Enhances Students’ Statistical Reasoning and Quantitative Literacy Skills
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Citation: Olimpo J, Pevey R, McCabe T. 2018. Incorporating an interactive statistics workshop into an introductory biology course-based undergraduate research experience (cure) enhances students’ statistical reasoning and quantitative literacy skills . J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. 19(1): doi:10.1128/jmbe.v19i1.1450
/content/jmbe/10.1128/jmbe.v19i1.1450.f1-jmbe-19-49
FIGURE 1
Measurement of various dimensions of students’ quantitative literacy, as evidenced on final written laboratory reports. Data indicate a statistically significant difference in performance between those concepts discussed in the workshop and those that were not. * = 0.009.
jmbe/19/1/jmbe-19-49f1_thmb.gif
jmbe/19/1/jmbe-19-49f1.gif
Image of FIGURE 1

Click to view

FIGURE 1

Measurement of various dimensions of students’ quantitative literacy, as evidenced on final written laboratory reports. Data indicate a statistically significant difference in performance between those concepts discussed in the workshop and those that were not. * = 0.009.

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. April 2018 vol. 19 no. 1 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v19i1.1450
Download as Powerpoint
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FIGURE 2
Student perceptions of learning gains (SPLG) associated with participation in the interactive statistics workshop. < 0.001.
jmbe/19/1/jmbe-19-49f2_thmb.gif
jmbe/19/1/jmbe-19-49f2.gif
Image of FIGURE 2

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FIGURE 2

Student perceptions of learning gains (SPLG) associated with participation in the interactive statistics workshop. < 0.001.

Source: J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. April 2018 vol. 19 no. 1 doi:10.1128/jmbe.v19i1.1450
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