Essay
Version 1
Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
CUREs During and Beyond COVID-19
Version 1
: Received: 23 September 2020 / Approved: 24 September 2020 / Online: 24 September 2020 (18:14:34 CEST)
How to cite: Burmeister, A.R.; Dickinson, K.; Graham, M.J. CUREs During and Beyond COVID-19. Preprints 2020, 2020090587. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202009.0587.v1 Burmeister, A.R.; Dickinson, K.; Graham, M.J. CUREs During and Beyond COVID-19. Preprints 2020, 2020090587. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202009.0587.v1
Abstract
Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) provide active and authentic scientific involvement to tens of thousands of students each year. Through this process, CUREs offer the benefits of increased learning outcomes, improved equity, and increased retention in STEM. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, research and teaching labs have limited capacity. Some universities are closed for in-person learning altogether, and others are likely to face emergency shut-downs throughout the year. In this setting, the inability to conduct experiments limits a core aspect of CUREs. Without experimentation as a basis for student engagement, interest, and broader relevance, true course-based research this year becomes a major challenge. We suggest that this limitation provides a moment to enhance CUREs with research-enriching learning activities that are obtainable while away from the bench. In this essay we outline a variety of these student-centered activities and review their benefits in terms of student interest, learning, and equity. While useful during emergency teaching transitions during COVID-19, we make the case that these new evidence-based practices for CUREs will also be helpful for the enrichment of research-based learning beyond the current crisis.
Keywords
undergraduate, research, COVID-19, CUREs, interest, communication, identity
Subject
Social Sciences, Education
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Comments (0)
We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.
Leave a public commentSend a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment