Continuous calls for reform in science education emphasize the need to provide authentic science experiences in lower-division courses to improve the retention of STEM majors and to develop science literacy and STEM skills for all Americans, which help individuals succeed in personal, professional, and civic life and are vital to the innovations and prosperity of the Nation. Undergraduate research experience has been well-documented as a high impact learning experience leading to multiple gains in student learning and development, and is especially beneficial to women and underrepresented minority (URM) students in their retention, persistence and performance. Although course-based undergraduate research experiences (CURE) has expanded the reach of the traditional apprentice approach, challenges remain for providing research experiences in large introductory courses. Web-based authentic scientific inquiry projects were implemented in a large-enrollment introductory ecology course for over a decade. Both direct and indirect assessments were used to assess learning gains through the authentic inquiry experiences for women, men, URM students, and non-URM students.
Results/Conclusions
Results showed significant learning gains for all students, regardless of gender or ethnicity. There were similar gains between women and men and greater gains of the URM than non-URM students in interest in ecology. While women had similar levels of gains as men in ability to formulate hypothesis and understanding of research process, they reported significantly greater gains than men in ability to evaluate a scientific report. URM students reported greater gains in ability to formulate hypothesis and understanding of research process than non-URM students. While URM students reported similar levels of gains as non-URM students in ability to evaluate a scientific report, the gain in their actual ability to evaluate a scientific report based on direct assessment was significantly greater that of non-URM students. Women and URM students’ sense of self-efficacy can impact performance and persistence, as well as their sense of belonging which is a predictor of student academic success in STEM. The findings in this study related to women and URM students make a strong case for providing authentic inquiry experiences in lower-division science courses, where attitudes about learning and ability in the sciences are shaped.