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Converting an Undergraduate Research Program into an Undergraduate Cardiovascular Physiology Class
Author(s) -
Gatson Sarah N.,
Quick Christopher
Publication year - 2013
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.27.1_supplement.739.12
Subject(s) - panacea (medicine) , novelty , cornerstone , undergraduate research , multidisciplinary approach , class (philosophy) , psychology , critical thinking , mathematics education , medical education , computer science , knowledge management , medicine , alternative medicine , sociology , artificial intelligence , social psychology , art , social science , pathology , visual arts
Using higher‐order thinking skills (HOTS) in lower‐division classes is hampered by the belief that it is necessary to build upon foundational knowledge. The panacea of implementing high‐impact educational practices (HIEPs) is hampered by the belief that they require extensive resources. The DeBakey Undergraduate Research Program evolving at TAMU since 2003 may offer a novel solution. Complementary cardiovascular research projects are assigned to teams consisting of three multidisciplinary, multilevel undergraduates lead by a graduate student interested in learning to mentor and manage projects. Neophytes learn from more experienced teammates, and teams produce video lectures about their project to enhance inter‐team collaboration. Synergy amongst the HIEPs (learning communities, collaborative projects, research) made it possible to implement them without additional resources. Using mathematical models, students create hypotheses, evaluate results to determine validity, and analyze literature for novelty of predictions. The resulting discovery of knowledge is new either to the scientific community (research) or the student (education). In fact, our research program introduces HOTS (create, evaluate, analyze) by inadvertently flipping Bloom's revised taxonomy of educational outcomes. We thus converted it into a stacked, “flipped”, cornerstone cardiovascular physiology course in 2013.