An introduction to networked CUREs using Squirrel-Net as a case study

Background/Question/Methods

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) are an inclusive way to engage undergraduates in authentic research, as all students in the course participate in the process of scientific discovery. CUREs have been shown to promote students’ development of science identity, persistence in STEM fields, and collaborative behaviors. When networked across institutions, CUREs can further promote collaboration by connecting people on broad spatial scales. Few CURES are currently networked, however, and to our knowledge, none of the existing networked CUREs are field-based. To address this gap, we created Squirrel-Net, an NSF-funded network supporting four field-based CUREs investigating the behavioral ecology of squirrels. Squirrels are easily observed and abundant across a range of habitat, and thus are an ideal system for student research at institutions across the nation. In each Squirrel-Net CURE, students use field methods to collect data and contribute to nationally aggregated datasets. Because the Squirrel-Net CUREs span a range of inquiry levels and complexity, they can be scaffolded into multiple courses within an institution’s curriculum, promoting connections between concepts and courses. Finally, after analyzing the shared data, students from different institutions can connect through presentations and discussions of their experiences and results.

Results/Conclusions

To date, 127 instructors from diverse institutions have requested access to Squirrel-Net materials. Instructor institutions include R1 universities, regional universities, small religious and/or liberal arts institutions, community colleges, and even high schools. Instructor implementation of Squirrel-Net CUREs has varied from single-class activities to course-long research projects. Modules have been used across institutional curricula, from non-science major courses, to introductory science classes (e.g., Ecology, Animal behavior), to upper-level electives in ecology and environmental sciences (e.g., Mammalogy, Wildlife Biology and Conservation, Urban Ecology). Students from 48 institutions have contributed to and used the nationally aggregated datasets. The number of people participating in Squirrel-Net, as well as the size of the national datasets, continues to grow as Squirrel-Net expands its recruitment and outreach efforts. With NSF funding, Squirrel-Net recently hired undergraduate interns to jumpstart its social media communication and is now creating an equipment loan program to facilitate implementation of advanced modules for instructors limited by funding. Rapid growth of this network indicates a need/desire for field-based CUREs, and we look forward to the research that will be possible in both science education and behavioral ecology because of the networking of these CUREs.