A JOINT 2YC-4YC CURE TO IMPROVE STUDENT RETENTION AND SUCCESS (Invited Presentation)

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are an effective way to engage introductory-level students in research. Faculty at the Community College of Rhode Island and the University of Rhode Island developed a geoscience research course targeted at students who completed one introductory geology course. This course is open to both 2YC and 4YC students and is co-taught by faculty at each institution. In the first half of the semester, group research projects are used as a key teaching tool to guide students through different steps of scientific research, such as determining a hypothesis, collecting data, analyzing data, and communicating science. In the second half of the course, students work in pairs and apply what they learned about the research process to ask and answer their own scientific question using data they collect, culminating in a presentation at the end of the semester. The unique combination of 2YC and 4YC schools provided opportunities and challenges in designing the CURE. We evaluated how the research experience affected students’ attitudes towards being a geoscience major, their understanding of the nature of science, and the skills they developed. We found that most students entered the CURE with a medium to high interest, confidence, and desire to major in the geosciences, and this continued or increased slightly throughout the course. Student scores remained high on a pre- to post- nature of science survey, while qualitative analysis of students’ reflections indicate an increased understanding in the nature of science as a result of the CURE. Students reported a large increase in skills used during the scientific process (e.g. methods of data collection, use of graphs, communication) as well as an increase in “soft” skills (e.g. group work, flexibility, attention to detail, Excel). Overall, the CURE was a positive experience for the introductory-level students at both the 2YC and 4YC. The development of this course is part of a larger suite of activities designed to improve transfer and increase the number of geoscience majors through a NSF-GEOPATHS grant.