Quantitative digital course-based undergraduate research experience in plant biology.
Murren CJ, Jensen-Ryan D, Bisner A, Chang CC, Callahan HS
Plant Education
It expands access to real scientific research training for students who can't be in a lab — meaning the next generation of plant scientists and agronomists gets better prepared regardless of where or how they study.
Normally, students learning plant biology get to handle real plants and run experiments in person. When the pandemic made that impossible, scientists redesigned the course to work online — and it still gave students a genuine taste of real research. This kind of digital course can now reach more students than ever, including those studying remotely or at schools without well-equipped labs.
Key Findings
A digital course-based research experience (DCURE) was successfully developed and implemented as an adaptation of an original live-plant hands-on experiment
The DCURE was designed to promote student engagement, persistence in STEM fields, and practical research skill development without requiring physical lab access
The digital format offers improved scalability and flexibility compared to traditional in-person plant biology research courses, addressing growing demand for accessible biology education
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers created a digital version of a hands-on plant biology research course so students could still do real science during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital course maintained the core benefits of authentic research experiences for undergraduates studying biology.
Abstract Preview
Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide authentic research while promoting student engagement, persistence in STEM, and skill development. In response to the COVID-19 pandem...
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