I teach several geology courses. In each course, my students are given research topics at the start of the term and instructions on how to conduct research. Throughout the term we talk about their progress. I provide guidance and support to ensure feasibility and relevance of the research. I use Course based undergraduate research to engage students in geologic research within the context of each course work. This pedagogical method provides my students with hands-on research experiences and helps develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.
Topic Selection:
Students are given a list of research topics related to the course content or could propose their own ideas. Topics are sufficiently challenging to encourage exploration but manageable within the course timeframe. In each class, students design and plan experiments to address the research questions or hypotheses related to their chosen topics. Students carry out the planned experiments, collect data, and document their procedures. Students learn and apply data analysis techniques appropriate to their research questions. Statistical analysis is introduced, depending on the complexity of the research. Students interpret their findings in the context of existing literature and theoretical frameworks. Students discuss the implications of their results, potential sources of error, and avenues for future research.
Students write a formal research paper following the structure of scientific papers (introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion). Writing skills and proper citation practices are emphasized. During the writing processes, papers are peer reviewed and edited to ensure clarity, grammar, and citations styles.
Students also create a visual representation of their research through a poster. Doug Foxgrover from ITS, gives a lecture on how to prepare posters. This format requires them to distill complex information into a clear and concise visual display.
Students present their research findings to their peers, invited guests and possibly to a broader audience. This involves a 15-minute talk summarizing key points and answering questions. Implementing such a course requires careful planning, clear communication, and ongoing support for students.
Challenges:
There are some challenges when conducting Course-based undergraduate research experiences. To mention some of these challenges, not all students are interested in doing research. The enthusiasm ranges from extremely enthusiastic to a low one. But, peer pressure plays well for those who are less enthusiastic. Another challenge is not having enough time to edit the writing towards the end of the term. Another challenge is for those projects that require instrumentation, not having the instrument needed, the technical expertise needed are always challenges. I have great Teaching Assistants, but they are also busy with their course work and create some challenges for everyone involved.
Instruction given to the students at the start of the term:
Class Projects: For several years my students have been doing group projects. Learning and working in groups involves shared and/or learned values, resources and ways of doing research. Students from many of my classes have done great group projects and you can see them in the website or in prints. In the past, these projects included local geology, water chemistry and mapping. I will give you a variety of possible topics that you can choose by the end of the first week. At the end of the term, you will write a report, make a poster and present your findings using PowerPoint. The following is a format for your paper. There are several papers about past projects on my website and in my office. Please look at the early to see the format and the work done.
Final paper and poster format: Think of the report as a scientific paper. It should have a title and sections containing: 1. Introduction 2. Background 3. Methods 4. Results 5. Discussion 6. Conclusion 7. Reference
Introduction: Your introductory paragraphs must include:
- Purpose: A single, concise statement of the major objective of the lab, i.e. what are the questions you are trying to answer.
- Background: A brief summary of the topic being investigated, including any information which may be necessary in order to understand your
- Stated purpose of the lab.
- State the major results/findings of the lab exercise
Methods: Include the information necessary to allow someone to repeat what you did.
- What data did you use?
- Include geographic locations, definitions of key terms, and anything else necessary in order to understand exactly what you did.
Observations and Results.
- What did you observe in each part? Include all observations made at the suggestion of the lab exercises. Always include the units of physical quantities and label axes of plots.
- Describe any relationships that you observed between variables.
- Where appropriate include figures, graphs and calculations.
Discussion: This is the most important part of the lab, as it is where you interpret your observations and results.
- Give explanations for and implications of any relationships observed. Were the relationships as you expected from underlying physical principles?
- What are the main sources of uncertainty in interpreting your observations?
- Address any interesting questions you may have had as you were working through the lab exercises, as well any general questions included in the lab exercises.
- Can you make any generalizations? Why or why not?
Conclusion. Summarize your results, the main points of your discussion, and how they relate to your stated purpose of the lab. It is a good idea to include how the main points of your discussion are connected, in order to demonstrate the overall significance of your findings and the concepts you learned.
Reference: Follow GSA style of listing all resources used in the lab report.
A few of the projects were presented at Geological Society of America meetings. View the student projects.
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