Paid research opportunity for instructors of introductory biology courses

[Carolyn Graham]

Hello,

 

We are a group of biologists and biology education researchers conducting a collaborative research project to understand the impacts of unexpected results in research on biology undergraduates, with the end-goal of creating educational materials that build resilience to unexpected research outcomes in early-career researchers. Being able to navigate and overcome obstacles is a key skill for scientists and a major predictor of persistence in STEM fields. Although unexpected results are an inherent and frequent part of the scientific process, no investigations have explicitly focused on how students respond to this type of research outcome.

 

To achieve this goal, we have designed an experiment that manipulates Data Nuggets quantitative reasoning activities used by introductory biology instructors in their courses. There are three versions of each activity: one that features expected results, one with unexpected results, and one with unexpected results accompanied by an adaptive coping strategy narrative provided by a real researcher in the biological sciences. Within a class, we plan that each student will be randomly assigned to a single treatment.

 

If you are interested in participating in this study, we will compensate you with $300 to assign three Data Nuggets activities as outside-of-class work for your course and direct students to a survey that characterizes their experiences with and perceptions of research obstacles. We are specifically looking for instructors that are willing to offer extra credit for completion of the activities, and who can share their course rosters with us so that we can randomly assign their students to one of the three treatments.

 

For more information about this study, please read the attached information letter. If you are interested in participating as an instructor in this study, you can access a survey to describe your course here:

 

https://sunybuffalo.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6gHw0oU5yNVHrcq

 

We ask that you please forward this message to any instructors of introductory biology classes in your biology department.

 

Thank you for helping with our efforts to improve belonging and resilience in biological fields, and please reach out with any questions.

 

Cheers,

 

Robin Costello, Assistant Professor, University at Buffalo

Carolyn Graham, Postdoctoral Researcher, University at Buffalo

Melissa Kjelvik, Research Specialist, Michigan State University

Elizabeth Schultheis, Education & Outreach Coordinator, Kellogg Biological Station LTER, MSU