Department of Biology Teaching and Learning, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2022 Feb 18;17(2):e0264188. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264188. eCollection 2022.
Course-based research experiences (CREs) are designed to engage students in authentic scientific experiences that are embedded into a standard curriculum. CREs provide valuable research experiences to large numbers of undergraduate biology students, however, CRE implementation can require many personnel. Because limited personnel may be a barrier to widespread CRE implementation, our goal was to discover which personnel students valued throughout a CRE and the ways they were valuable. We investigated students' perceptions of personnel resources throughout a semester-long CRE using two survey approaches. Using a text message survey administered multiple times per week, real-time data was collected about which personnel resource students perceived to be the most helpful. Using a web-based survey administered five times throughout the semester, retrospective data was collected about how often students used each personnel resource and how helpful students perceived each personnel resource to be. Graduate teaching assistants (TAs) were consistently selected as the most helpful personnel resource by the majority of respondents throughout the semester, with most respondents describing graduate TAs providing project-specific feedback. Although less frequently, undergraduate TAs were also consistently selected as the most helpful personnel resource. Respondents described undergraduate TAs providing project-specific feedback, general feedback, and project-specific resources. Data from the retrospective, web-based survey largely mirrored the real-time, text message survey data. Throughout the semester, most respondents reported using graduate TAs "Often" or "Always" and that graduate TAs were "Very" or "Extremely" helpful. Throughout most of the semester, most respondents also reported using undergraduate TAs "Often" or "Always" and that undergraduate TAs were "Very" or "Extremely" helpful. The results of this descriptive study underscore the importance of graduate and undergraduate TAs in the development and implementation of CREs, emphasizing the need for departments and course coordinators to be intentional in planning TA training that prepares TAs to fulfill their critical role in CRE implementation.
课程式研究经历（CRE）旨在使学生参与到嵌入标准课程中的真实科学体验中。CRE 为大量的大学生物学学生提供了有价值的研究经验，然而，CRE 的实施可能需要许多人员。由于有限的人员可能是广泛实施 CRE 的障碍，我们的目标是发现学生在整个 CRE 过程中重视哪些人员资源，以及他们的价值所在。我们使用两种调查方法来研究学生对整个 CRE 期间人员资源的看法。我们使用每周多次发送的短信调查，实时收集学生对哪些人员资源最有帮助的看法。使用五次在整个学期中进行的基于网络的调查，收集学生回顾性使用每个人员资源的频率以及学生对每个人员资源的帮助程度的反馈。在整个学期中，大多数受访者始终选择研究生助教（TA）作为最有帮助的人员资源，大多数受访者描述研究生 TA 提供了项目特定的反馈。尽管不太频繁，但本科 TA 也始终被选为最有帮助的人员资源。受访者描述本科 TA 提供了项目特定的反馈、一般反馈和项目特定的资源。回顾性的、基于网络的调查数据在很大程度上反映了实时短信调查数据。整个学期，大多数受访者报告说经常或总是使用研究生 TA，并且研究生 TA 非常或极其有帮助。在整个学期的大部分时间里，大多数受访者也报告说经常或总是使用本科 TA，并且本科 TA 非常或极其有帮助。这项描述性研究的结果强调了研究生和本科助教在 CRE 的开发和实施中的重要性，强调了部门和课程协调员需要有计划地进行助教培训，使助教能够在 CRE 实施中发挥其关键作用。
