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Managing course embedded research projects of any size using the Open Science Framework
Author(s) -
Berndsen Christopher
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2019.33.1_supplement.617.3
Subject(s) - computer science , work (physics) , graduate students , knowledge management , data science , world wide web , engineering management , medical education , engineering , medicine , mechanical engineering
The large biochemistry lecture section is not an environment where course‐embedded research projects are found. However, large lecture sections offer the opportunity to expose a large number of students with diverse backgrounds to an open, collaborative research experience. CUREs, while relatively common in biochemistry and molecular biology laboratory settings, are seen infrequently in lecture settings because of constraints on instructor time, access to projects, and having resources to manage a large research project. I will describe the implementation of a lecture‐based research activity that has been used in Biochemistry sections of over 100 students and was managed within the Open Science Framework (OSF). The research project reinforces concepts of biomolecule structure and mechanism through analyzing and modeling understudied areas of the biochemical literature. While performing this project over the course of the semester, students learn to search through scientific databases, analyze biomolecule structure, effectively convey scientific information in visual/text formats, and perform modeling to predict and explore the biomolecule structure‐function connection. OSF facilitates project management by serving as a central repository for the storage of data and hosts resources for analyzing results, collaboration between participants, describing conclusions, and dissemination of final project. This latter feature helps students develop public portfolios of their work for gaining employment or admission to graduate/professional school. Thus using the Open Science Framework to manage a course‐based research project aids students in learning the entire research cycle and developing professional materials to benefit their careers. In eight semesters of executing this project in my classroom, the activity has involved nearly 500 students and the data generated have been included in three peer‐reviewed publications. All software and guides are free to use and are available through the internet, thereby reducing the cost burden and opening access to classrooms of all levels and resources. Instructor produced materials for this project including guides for using software/servers and OSF are available for use or adaptation through the Open Science Framework and the presenter's website. Moreover, new contributions and collaborations are welcome. Support or Funding Information The Thomas F. and Kate Miller Jeffress Memorial Trust, Bank of America, Trustee This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .