Meeting Abstract

P3.117  Tuesday, Jan. 6  What works best? Classroom undergraduate research experiences with different levels of inquiry NADELSON, LS; WALTERS, LJ; WATERMAN, JM; SACKS, P*; Boise State University; University of Central Florida; University of Central Florida; University of Central Florida ljwalter@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu

Financial constraints and increasing numbers of undergraduates interested in research impact opportunities for one-on-one work with faculty mentors. To increase access to undergraduate research (UR) opportunities, three traditional lecture courses were selected for integration of different approaches to UR: 1) ClassGuided Research Experience in which students are required to develop testable hypotheses and carry-out research on any topic that fits within the scope of the course; 2) Faculty-Guided Research Experience in which faculty embeds students into their on-going research; and 3) Mixed Faculty/Class Research Experience in which students select from a list of testable hypotheses compiled by faculty who also provides the basics, but not the details, for experimental design. Funded by the UCF CASTL Program, we assessed student perceptions of their class UR experiences. While comparison of our three classes was complicated by course objectives, sample size, and location (one was study-abroad), overall the data showed all students involved in classroom UR felt it was a good way to learn science and positively impacted their interest in science. Student responses to the three approaches however differed significantly, with the perceived greatest gains in learning detected in those involved in a class-guided research experience (ANOVA: p < 0.01).