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Research Problem . UF sciences faculty complain that students lack adequate computer, math/statistics, and writing skills Biology faculty have embraced undergraduate research in the curriculum
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Research Problem • UF sciences faculty complain that students lack adequate computer, math/statistics, and writing skills • Biology faculty have embraced undergraduate research in the curriculum • Collaborative projects allow students to learn from one another in ways that model what they may face in future careers • Arranging collaborative projects between classes in different disciplines can be logistically challenging • Are biology students engaged in research projects better served by working in interdisciplinary teams with computer students or learning the computer skills themselves?
Research Question • Research Question: • Do the data representation skills of biology students engaged in research projects improve with targeted consultation from computer science faculty? • Research Context: • Institution: Master’s L, private not for profit, 3700-student university • BIOL413/L Microbiology II class • Elective course; Primarily serves Biology, Pre-Vet, Pharmacy, Med Tech, and Forensics Majors • Typical students are of senior standing • Offered Fall and Spring - 25 students per semester • My question is interesting because: • Interdisciplinary teams are currently of interest in multiple disciplines (nationwide) • UF initiatives seeking STEM grants, considering use of resources to accomplish interdisciplinary courses (local)
Research Methodology • Microbiology students in small groups will design and carry out studies, culminating in poster presentations • Pretest of conceptual knowledge, with prior experience questions • Computer science faculty will provide targeted instruction and consultation at strategic points of use • Post-test with isomorphic conceptual questions • Rubric for evaluating poster presentations • Comparison to posters from previous semesters where the interdisciplinary team approach and the unstructured support approach were used
Alignment of Research Question and Methodology Pretest • Establish baseline with questions on conceptual knowledge of data representation using assigned data sets • Capture prior knowledge effect Post test • Isomorphic questions to measure individual knowledge gain as applied to assigned data sets • Compare to posters for application of concepts to familiar data set Poster Evaluation • Design or adapt a rubric to assess data presentation concepts • Evaluate past posters with rubric and compare • lack of pretest and prior knowledge information from past poster groups