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Simulating a Graduate Student Experience in an Undergraduate Course
Author(s) -
Bednarski April Elaine
Publication year - 2017
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.31.1_supplement.lb249
Subject(s) - session (web analytics) , graduate students , medical education , undergraduate research , mathematics education , course (navigation) , rank (graph theory) , psychology , computer science , medicine , engineering , world wide web , mathematics , combinatorics , aerospace engineering
In designing this new research‐based laboratory course for undergraduates, an important goal was to include as many elements of a beginning graduate student experience as possible. The research topic for this course is enzyme analysis. Students begin with structural data for an enzyme then propose a single amino acid mutation. As the semester unfolds, students design, synthesize, and analyze the mutant enzyme. During this time, students participate in group meetings, journal clubs, journal‐based lab reports, and a final poster session. Steps to create an interactive learning environment and facilitate bonds between students were taken to mimic the graduate student experience as well as foster collaboration between the students. Student survey data from three years has been compiled and analyzed. In addition, the course was assessed using the CURE survey and compared with SURE survey results. Initial results show students rank the experience similar to a traditional summer undergraduate research experience.