Education Commons^™

Digital Commons @ Colby: Best Practices For Undergraduate Research, Susan W. Cole, Martin F. Kelly Iii

Susan Westerberg Cole

Colby College's contribution to the bepress sponsored webinar. From bepress' description:

Undergraduate research initiatives are cropping up at institutions across the country, highlighting the need for undergraduate publication venues. Colleges and universities are finding that publishing undergraduate work not only completes the research cycle for emerging scholars; it also showcases the quality of an institution’s student work to prospective students and their parents, as well as to prospective faculty members.

At Colby College, Suzi Cole, Scholarly Resources & Services, Sciences Librarian, and Martin Kelly, Assistant Director for Digital Collections, collaborate with the Environmental Studies program to publish the Colby Environmental …

The Virtual Research Lab: Research Outcomes Expectations, Lee Stadtlander, Martha Giles, Amy Sickel

Lee Stadtlander

This paper examines the complexities of working with student researchers in a virtual lab setting, logistics, and methods to resolve issues. To demonstrate the feasibility of a virtual lab, a mixed method study consisting of quantitative surveys and qualitative data, examined changes in doctoral students’ confidence as measured by research outcome expectations and changes in a self-assessment of research knowledge and skills test in a three quarter virtual psychology research lab. In the lab, 10 doctoral students conducted a faculty-designed project, analyzed data, and co-wrote a literature review. Findings indicate lab students’ research knowledge and research outcome expectations improved significantly …

Preparing Students For Careers That Do Not Yet Exist, Glenn W. "Max" Mcgee

Glenn W. "Max" McGee

The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA), as a self-described "teaching and learning laboratory for imagination and inquiry," has a history of pursuing innovations closely aligned with the vision and framework of the National Science Education Standards. Innovations include both methods and materials for inquiry-based student instruction as well as for delivering professional development for pre-service and practicing teachers. Instructional innovations described include yearlong student inquiry and research projects (SIR), self-paced physics instruction, student-driven energy and engineering projects, instruction in innovation and entrepreneurialism, and a host of student-led outreach activities to "ignite and nurture creative, ethical, scientific minds of students …

Journey To The End Of The Earth: Analyzing The Outcomes Of A Field-Based Research Program In Antarctica, William H. Robertson, Claudia V. Garcia

William H. Robertson

With the need to increase minority representation in science, specifically in polar science research, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) developed an innovative field research experience entitled the International Polar Year- Research and Educational Opportunities in Antarctica for Minorities (IPY-ROAM). Supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, twenty-eight participants including undergraduate students, graduate students, teachers and university faculty completed a semester long online course and performed field research in Antarctica within the areas of aquatic ecology, terrestrial biology, physical science, ecotourism and education. The purpose of this article is to determine possible outcomes that individuals experienced through …

Your Irb: Educating Students, Monitoring Student Research, And Safeguarding Students As Research Subjects, Christopher G. Kolar, Judith A. Scheppler

Christopher G. Kolar

The purposes of this article are to inform youabout the formation of your school’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), to present examples ofresearch that IRBs often encounter, to elevateawareness of human subjects research concernsfor faculty and staff, and to discuss how emergingrequirements for science competitions may affectschools, staff and students.

Coherence, Contradiction And The Development Of School Science Identities, Stacy Olitsky, Linda Loman, Jessica Gardner, Markita Billups

Stacy Olitsky

This ethnographic study took place in a diverse eighth grade science classroom in an urban magnet school where students demonstrate significant variation in classroom achievement and participation. In this paper, we use an activity-theoretical framework to examine classroom events in order to identify and work toward reducing contradictions that can interfere with students developing positive school science identities. We discuss several contradictions for students in this classroom, including the conflicts between social and academic goals and the inconsistencies between science and math classes. We found that in situations where students could build and use social capital through learning science, they …

Undergraduate Research Communities: A Powerful Approach To Research Training, Scott Kight

Scott Kight