Integration of Research into Learning and Behavior: An example of curriculum renewal Susan J. Larson, Department of Psychology, Director of Undergraduate Research Concordia College, Moorhead MN CURRENT COURSE STRUCTURE THE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT GOALS ASSESSMENT PLAN CHALLENGES AND REWARDS Learning courses have a long history of including an animal laboratory component. When I first began teaching, I adopted a lab experience similar to what had already been in place at Concordia. This included animal training exercises that allowed students to apply principles of learning and behavior, which the students enjoyed a great deal. It did not include an opportunity for students to investigate a current phenomena of interest to psychologists, to do a thorough literature review, or to write a major empirical paper. Over the years, because of my commitment to undergraduate research and because of noted value of integrating undergraduate research into the curriculum 1, I have developed a more extensive research-based lab experience. PSYC 318: Learning and Behavior fulfills the Behavior & Cognition component of Psychology major requirements and is taken by approximately 50% or our majors. Maximum course enrollment: 30; typical enrollment The course includes a rat lab experience worth ~ 35% of student’s final grade. Course content covers a basic Learning textbook and the remainder of the grade comes from exams and participation. Students assist with the design of the research project, collect data and write an empirical research paper using a draft-revision cycle. How much did you GAIN in the following as result of your class-based research experience? Mean  S. D. Scientific Thinking (in general) 3.74 .85 Formulating research questions 3.60 .95 Understanding scientific literature 3.71 .86 Ability to understand and explain research designs and methodology 3.8 .83 Proficiency in the use of the tools and instruments in this area of study 3.77 .97 Analyzing data and interpreting results 3.25  1.03 Scientific writing 3.94 .99 Understanding research ethics 3.91  1.02 Critical thinking 3.74 .95 Problem solving 3.51  1.01 Applying knowledge 3.69 .96 Independence 3.40  1.12 Tolerance for obstacles 3.37 .97 Please rate your CONFIDENCE on doing these tasks as a result of your class-based research experience. Mean  S. D. Formulating research questions 3.54 .98 Understanding scientific literature 3.91 .74 Ability to understand and explain research designs and methodology 3.91 .85 The use of the tools and instruments in this area of study 3.68 .80 Analyzing data and interpreting results 3.37  1.11 Communicating (writing, presenting) within your area of study 4.00 .84 This class is one of the most invigorating and exciting I teach and I highly recommend the integration of authentic research experiences into similar lab courses. My enthusiasm for integrating undergraduate research into the course is not dampened by the challenges. The research experience is only one component of the class making it difficult balancing time committed to the lab versus other course material. All students do one project and spend a lot of time writing about it when many are not personally invested in the project; this may impact the self-reported development of interest in science (see CURE survey results). No designated lab section makes oversight of data collection difficult. Differences in level of preparation of the students, which most impacts the writing component. Students will Read, summarize and synthesize research articles. Formulate research questions, develop hypotheses, and choose methodology to test hypotheses. Work with non ‐ human animals and increase their awareness of ethical considerations in psychology research. Collect and interpret data. Practice written communication skills by writing an APA ‐ style research paper. Apply the principles of conditioning and behavioral analysis. The class works as a group to design an experiment that must be a novel extension of previous work; however, it often also replicates well-known findings. Students work in pairs to collect data; each pair gets one rat to work with and care for. Data collection happens outside of class time and the course has no designated lab time. Students collect data for three to five weeks. Professor synthesizes data and discusses analysis with class. Students write an empirical report of findings using progressive draft-revision cycle. Three versions turned in for professor feedback and graded; one is peer reviewed. Open-ended questions: Students were asked to comment in general on their experiences with the lab and to articulate what worked well and what changes they might recommend. Self-reported responses to a series of statements (modified URSSA survey questions 2 ) answering: How much did you gain as a result of this research experience? How confident are you as a result of this research experience? Completed CURE: Lopatto’s Classroom Based Undergraduate Research Experience survey. 3 Response rate on this survey was lower than for in-class administered measures and outcomes differed based on semester. STUDENT FEEDBACK AND ASSESSMENT Many positive comments about the lab experience. Students say it was fun, enjoyable, and a good experience. Positives noted also include: Valuable hands on experience Opportunity to apply knowledge Experience with writing Challenges noted include: Scheduling (using of equipment, finding time outside of class to collect data) Some students wished for more/clearer instructions Time commitment, since there was no designated lab time. Sophomores: n=8 Juniors: n=15 Seniors: n=11 Had taken Psych Methods: n=13 Enrolled in Psych Methods: n=5 Had not taken/not enrolled in Methods: n=17 1: No gain 5: Great gain CURE SURVEY OUTCOMES These four questions serve as an overall assessment of the course. Note that the scale is 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The questions are on the post-course survey only. Means are used to represent the data. Mean  S. D. Fall 2011: n=7 Spring 2012: n=9 This course was a good way of learning about the subject (sample average: 3.97) Overall: 4.12 Fall 2011: 3.86 Spring 2012: 4.43 This course was a good way of learning about the process of scientific research (sample average: 4.1) Overall: 3.97 Fall 2011: 4.29 Spring 2012: 4.67 This course had a positive effect on my interest in science (sample average: 3.72) Overall: 3.31 Fall 2011: 2.86 Spring 2012: 3.67 I was able to ask questions in this class and get helpful responses (sample average: 4.23) Overall: 4.62 Fall 2011: 4.71 Spring 2012: : Not at all confident 5: Very confident References: 1.Karukstis, KK. & Elgren, T. eds. (2007) Developing and Sustaining a Research-Supportive Curriculum: A Compendium of Successful Practices. Washington, DC: Council on Undergraduate Research. 2.Laursen, S., Hunter, A-B., Seymour, E., Thiry, H., & Melton, G. (2010). Undergraduate Research in the Sciences: Engaging students in real science. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass 3.Lopatto, D. (2009) Science in Solution: the Impact of Undergraduate Research on Student Learning. Tucson, AZ: Research Corporation for Science Advancement. Some of this information was previously presented at the CUR Biennial Meeting (June 2012) in a session titled: Course-embedded undergraduate research in psychology. COURSE HISTORY