Vignette A – Summer Research Experience for
Undergraduate Students (Fig. 2A)
The field site and course: The Thomas More University
(TMU) Biology Field Station was founded in 1967 and offers research,
courses, and field experience programs for undergraduate students and
outreach programs for K-12 students and the general public. The TMU
Biology Field Station is located 20 miles from the main campus in a more
remote/unpopulated setting, along the banks of the Ohio River. Each
summer, undergraduate students from around the country are selected to
participate in a 10-week summer research internship where they are
assigned to one of three long-standing research projects and develop an
independent-study side project on which to develop and work throughout
the ten weeks.
Development of student outcomes: During the preceding
academic year, TMU Biology Field Station staff, including the field
station director, discussed outcomes that they wanted to achieve with
these internships. These outcomes were informed by discussions with the
faculty from the Department of Biological Sciences at TMU and with
collaborating researchers at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Office of Research and Development and the US Fish and Wildlife Services
(USFW). The primary, intended student outcomes included (1) Increased
understanding of and proficiency with research practices and processes;
(2) Increased understanding of discipline-specific concepts and content;
and (3) Stronger skills in discipline-specific methods and procedures.
Secondary student outcomes included (1) Expanded professional networks;
(2) Greater sense of belonging in the scientific community; (3) More
refined career goals; and (4) Stronger professional skills.
Course and station context: To qualify, students must have
completed one year of general biology and/or one year of general
chemistry while maintaining a 3.0 minimum GPA. The qualifications to
apply are kept at a minimum, by design, to ensure that first-year
students are eligible to apply. No prior research experience was
required. The application process was open in December; applications
were due in early February; and selections were made in early March for
the subsequent summer. Phone or face-to-face interviews were conducted
with each finalist as part of the application process. All interns were
required to live on site. A stipend and free housing were provided.
During the internship, students were assigned to one of three long-term
projects at the TMU Biology Field Station and conducted this research as
part of a small group of students and one faculty mentor. In addition,
students were required to conduct a small-scale independent-study
project of their own choosing, in collaboration with a faculty mentor.
For the independent-study project, students were required to conduct a
literature search, write a proposal and carry out the project within the
course of their summer internship. At the conclusion of the summer,
students made on oral presentation on their group work and a poster
presentation on their independent project.
In addition, student interns were required to attend a summer seminar
series during which professionals presented their research and spent a
day observing the students in action. Lastly, students participated in
field trips and tours to labs at the EPA, USFW, and local governmental
agencies and served as mentors for a weeklong STEM camp for high school
students.
The TMU Biology Field Station is a residential field station, where
students live together in houses. In addition to the residential
structures, there are three labs, four classrooms and a STEM Outreach
Center. Students, staff and faculty eat meals together and socialize
together in both formal and informal activities throughout the summer.
Data collection: In order to assess change (increases in
perceived ability or value), the field station director used a pre/post
survey to identify student perceptions before they began the internship
and after they ended the internship. The survey included measures about
research practices and processes, discipline-specific concepts and
content, and discipline-specific methods and procedures. The survey also
included measures about career goals and professional skills. The field
station director also conducted mid-summer and exit interviews with each
student intern to explore perceptions about their knowledge and skills
gained through the program. While this assessment was created for an
institutional annual report, the Director also used these data for
support of additional external funding in grant applications and also
compared the findings to previous years’ surveys.
Next steps : Findings from the survey responses and
interviews indicated that students in the internship program gained
knowledge and skills in research practices and in discipline-specific
content, methods and procedures. Further, students indicated more
refined career goals and professional skills, namely oral and written
skills. Students in the internship perceived increased confidence in
their ability to communicate about science and an increased scientific
network.
Future assessment work will consist of additional surveys and interviews
with students a year later to explore how the internship experience
impacted their academic work in the subsequent school year and career
development. Lastly, attempts are being made to contact student interns
from previous years to determine their specific career path and status.