- Email: [email protected]
Engaging Undergraduates in Research: Designing and Developing a One-Semester, Course-Based Research Project
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS
Professional Practice
Engaging Undergraduates in Research: Designing and Developing a One-Semester, Course-Based Research Project Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series developed by the Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors (NDEP) group on emerging topics of interest in dietetics education.
H
OW DO YOU PREPARE STUdents in a world of changing information and professional practices? The scientific approach encompasses problem solving, critical thinking, and the ability to interpret and apply scholarly information. Conducting original research at the undergraduate level is a meaningful experience, because the overall process, developing questions and systematically finding the answers, presents a mechanism for students to develop and practice the necessary skills. The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) curriculum standards for didactic programs emphasize the importance of these skills, because students must understand research methods, interpret research findings, and translate external findings into evidencebased practice.1 The value of these skills is also documented across other related disciplines, including biology, psychology, and public health,2-4 and has been widely endorsed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities as a high-impact learning practice.5 Introducing original research activities early also prepares students for the expectations of leading research
This article was written by Michelle Battista Hesse, PhD, RD, assistant professor, Department of Health Professions, and Carolyn Schubert, MLIS, health sciences & nursing librarian and associate professor, Libraries & Educational Technologies, both at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2017.04.020 Available online 11 June 2017
ª 2018 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
at the Master’s level.6 However, faculty struggle to provide enough individual research opportunities because of increasing workloads. Broader, coursebased options are becoming a popular alternative to reach more students. Faculty offer course-based research activities equally across disciplines, ranging from social sciences (49%) to science, technology, engineering, and math (commonly referred to as “STEM” [36%]).7 The purpose of this article is to present a semester-long undergraduate research project in a junior-level Lifecycle Nutrition course as a model to highlight the learning opportunities gained by conducting original research at the undergraduate level. Additional evidence from the literature informs implementation considerations and recommendations.
THE VALUE OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Undergraduate education began shifting from a model of information consumption toward information creation after the Boyer Commission recommended reforms to better establish research opportunities.8 In response, several universities across the United States have added or expanded undergraduate research opportunities to elevate students’ educational experiences. Over the last few decades, higher education researchers have documented the high impact of undergraduate research in student learning.9 One benefit is greater understanding of academic major and advanced career development.7,10,11 Additional outcomes include improvements in domain knowledge, research skills, and higher educational satisfaction.7 Enhanced critical thinking skills and student engagement and retention through the application of undergraduate research also supports the novelty of undergraduate research.12-15 To balance the student benefits and the
limits on faculty time, course-based research is emerging as a more common option to engage students.16-18 Given the strong evidence supporting the many benefits of undergraduates conducting original research, the course instructor designed the Spring 2015 Lifecycle Nutrition course to allow junior-level dietetic students to conduct a research project on attitudes and perceptions of college-age students on breastfeeding. In this project, research was built into a multi-component course project in which students used the process of literature review, data collection, and data analysis to better understand the origin of evidencebased practice.
A MODEL OF COURSE-BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Project planning started in November 2014 for implementation in Spring Semester 2015. Students had previously obtained library research instruction in their freshman year and completed the Lifecycle Nutrition course before their senior seminar on research in their senior year. The instructor preselected the topic of breastfeeding, because the topic also coincided with course content taught in Lifecycle Nutrition. The instructor focused the research population to college-aged students to introduce students to perspectives outside of the stereotypical average age of new mothers; this shift in population helped reinforce the need for tailoring interventions to address patient values, preferences, and literacy levels. The larger region of the campus has also historically had a high teen pregnancy rate, making the information applicable to a real-world problem. The instructor also selected the methodological design, qualitative inquiry through focus groups. The course was not designed as a formal research methodology course, but rather as a course that examines the nutritional
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PRACTICE APPLICATIONS needs of individuals and populations across the life span. Study design and methodology was preselected to streamline the project. Students formed teams of approximately four students per team. Each team was responsible for completing literature reviews, identifying a line of inquiry, developing focus group questions around the topic of breastfeeding, completing ethics training, recruiting participants, conducting a focus group, analyzing data, and presenting results and findings to the class. Activities were scaffolded across the 16-week semester, and small assignments occurred at each of the major points in the research process. The Figure describes the educational modules and assignment schedule for the project. In addition, the instructor used regular course materials, such as Academy Position and Practice papers; learning modules, such as Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training;
and hands-on exercises to help students establish a foundation in research methods.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR DESIGNING A COURSE-BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT Course Design and Logistics Careful planning of course materials, assessments, and research logistics are essential when designing a coursebased research project. To start, the process of research and its many components does not have to be executed in its entirety and to the fullest degree for students to learn its value in their discipline. Selecting and scoping topics and research methods for the students also can be a strategy to balance the course content, research activity, and time.19 In this case, the instructor used research as a way to help students
understand how the process of research informs the development of evidence-based practice, connecting back to course objectives and accreditation standards. The tenents of the research process came to life through the following course objective: To apply knowledge about nutritional needs of various phases of the life cycle; specifically to incorporate nutrition education information by planning nutrition education to target a specific audience. The components of the research process can be infused also through different courses in the curriculum and can be built on as students progress. Instructors may choose to select certain aspects of the research process and to scaffold skill development. For instance, Florida Atlantic University identified three pedagogical stages for scaffolded undergraduate research skill development: research and inquiry exposure, research and inquiry skillbuilding, and intensive research and
Assignment
Education Module
Due Date
Research Process Quiz
Quiz determines overall comprehension of a three lecture series on the research process and research methodology, including the conduct of mock focus groups.
Week 3
CITIa Research Ethics Training for IRBb
Training and certification for human subjects research presents the importance of ethics in research.
Week 3
Literature Review, Research Question Development, & IRB Methods Section
Review tutorial on literature reviews. Apply tutorial information to find, evaluate, and synthesize scholarly literature to guide their line of inquiry.
Week 6
One-on-One Instructor Meeting
Teams distill, analyze, and interpret data to develop emerging topics and themes. Students met with instructor 1 week after completing focus groups to debrief and discuss the direction of their analysis.
Weeks 6-9
Submission of Results Section
Teams submit their results section, including emerging topics and themes supported by the evidence of participant quotes.
Week 10
Submission of Discussion Section
Teams submit their discussion section, comparing existing literature with their findings and interpretation of findings into practice.
Week 12
Group Member Critique
Each team member individually critiqued their other team members and reporting their contribution to the project.
Week 15
Final Paper/Presentation
Teams presented their process, results, and conclusions to their other classmates.
Week 15 (paper) Week 16 (presentations)
a
CITI¼Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative.
b
IRB¼Institutional Review Board.
Figure. Scaffolded assignment schedule for course-based undergraduate research. 1174
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July 2018 Volume 118 Number 7
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS inquiry.20 In the Lifecycle Nutrition course, students previously received library research training in earlier dietetics courses, so the instructor could expect a certain level of familiarity with literature searching and an established point of referral for library services. Furthermore, this project continued to lay the foundation for future courses in the curriculum, where students are expected to complete an Evidence Analysis Library research project and a research presentation for a Metabolism course. After identifying the broad perspectives that connect research to the course objectives, planning additional details, such as possible grant funding and required Institutional Review Board (IRB) application, are key. Depending on the nature of the college or university, a variety of funding resources can be available for faculty and students, as a means to offset researchrelated costs. For example, universities may offer internal grants to support faculty research efforts. The Council on Undergraduate Research did an informal survey of institutions that offer funding opportunities; the results include a range of internal funding options, including student fellowships to cover direct student research costs at institutions around the United States.21 For the breastfeeding project, the instructor applied for internal grant funds from the institution’s College of Health and Behavioral Sciences. Funds were awarded and used to recruit and retain individuals for focus group sessions. If internal grants are not available, a number of external opportunities exist to fund research involving undergraduates, such as the American Chemical Society’s Undergraduate Research Grants and the National Science Foundation’s Research in Undergraduate Institutions. Working with an institution’s IRB can be a challenge in the limited timeline of the semester; working closely with those offices to determine campus policy, as well as timing student training completion, is critical. Some universities have blanket or umbrella IRB protocols; these are mechanisms that some campuses use to support semester-long human subjects research.22 Other institutions, such as Loyola University, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and University of Alabama-Birmingham, have special July 2018 Volume 118 Number 7
instructions for class projects to facilitate undergraduate research efforts.23-25 In this case, students were required to complete the CITI training because they interfaced with human subjects and complete the IRB application. Not only is CITI training necessary for IRB approval, but it also serves as a dual lesson in ethical responsibility. Ethical responsibility is one learning outcome expected to be taught under the ACEND accreditation standards and an essential principle to prepare students for careers in the health field. At the start of the spring semester, the instructor prepared the IRB application and shared this document with students via Canvas, an integrated learning system. Students did not work directly on the IRB application because of time constraints and submission deadlines enacted by the IRB; however, they were exposed to the protocol that defined the research method.
Mentoring Students During the Course Mentorship of undergraduates during the research process has “the mentor [teach] through example and coaching, and students learn by doing,” which can depart from traditional facultye student roles in a course.26 By including original research in a course, the faculty transform the instructional experience into an active creation of knowledge for students. Therefore, the relationship and types of engagement also must change to meet these new expectations. Mentoring students at the different steps of the research process, especially the data analysis stage, is important to achieve the ultimate realization and translation of research into practice. Students audio-recorded focus group participants and also collected field notes during the session. Office hours become collaborative working sessions in which the faculty member worked with students to apply grounded theory to the analysis of their data. Broad themes were identified, and students selected specific quotations from participants that supported those themes. Students were mentored to distill the data, compare it with existing literature, and shape their findings into their interpretation of evidence-based practice. The process allowed students to move from broad-level processing to a
more critical way of analyzing the data. Student teams were limited to asking one primary question during the focus group session and were allowed to ask probing questions. This approach helped to limit the amount of anticipated data to collect and made the analysis more manageable in the 16-week timeframe.
LONG-TERM BENEFITS FOR FACULTY AND STUDENTS FROM COURSE-BASED RESEARCH Teaching and Learning As previously discussed, the value of undergraduate research is huge, because it impacts student engagement, disciplinary understanding, critical thinking skill development, and career advancement. Faculty also experience many benefits by learning from students as well. Students bring unique perspectives on a project and lack any inherited biases for approaching research, allowing faculty to learn and explore alongside their students.27 For the faculty member’s promotion and tenure evaluation in teaching, the wealth of studies regarding these benefits are instrumental in documenting evidencebased teaching strategies. Some schools, such as Purdue University, are also working to formally integrate undergraduate research as a promotion criterion.28 Other institutions do not always account for activities faculty complete outside of traditional teaching, scholarship, and service categories; by integrating research into the course, the student mentorship now takes on a new level of visibility in a faculty member’s tenure and promotion materials.29
Scholarship Publications and presentations are important when working with undergraduate researchers. Just as the mentorship experience transforms the facultyestudent relationship to more of a mentorementee relationship, professional publication and conference presentations change the engagement with communication skills, from just talking with their peers to talking with potential future employers. The National Conference of Undergraduate Research and undergraduate research journals offer a variety of mechanisms for
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PRACTICE APPLICATIONS students and faculty mentors to showcase scholarly products. The Council on Undergraduate Research includes an exhaustive list of journals focused on publishing undergraduate research (http://www.cur.org/resources/students /undergraduate_journals/). In many journals, faculty mentors are required to submit as co-author. Many universities also offer undergraduate research mentor awards to recognize the meaningful role faculty play in supporting student scholarship. After the Lifecycle Nutrition course ended, students remained engaged with their work. One team recently presented their findings at the Virginia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual meeting. Faculty benefit from the additional scholarship to include on their curricula vitae (CVs) and for promotion and tenure decisions.
Service Collaborating with community programs and organizations can be an effective way to meld course objectives with service activities. Service learning is another high-impact learning practice.5 Many educational institutions have service learning centers or specific programs to enhance opportunities for students to engage in course-based service. Research conducted through classroom objectives can be an extension of that model in which students and instructors partner with community organizations to collect data as a means to inform future actions.
Career Connection The dietetics profession is grounded in evidence-based practice, whereby registered dietitian nutritionists use the best available research evidence to inform their decision making in the care of patients or clients. The ability to interpret research and translate those findings into practice is a learned skill. Domain 1 of the 2017 Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) curriculum standards for undergraduate didactics programs, internship, and coordinated programs emphasize competence in research methodology, interpretation of research literature, and the integration of those principles into evidence-based practice (ACEND, 2017). The example provided
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in this article of course-based undergraduate research experience is one example of an assignment that meets domain 1 curriculum standards. Furthermore, accredited programs are required to have an evaluation plan; such a project could provide evidence that goals and objectives of the program are being met. In hindsight, conducting additional formative assessments on the impact of the project on student learning outcomes, besides those collected from the standard teaching evaluation, would have been beneficial. However, the impact of learning may not be fully understood until students bring their learned skills from the classroom into their practice. Reflective feedback was provided from some of the students involved in this course and project who have now graduated and are currently in dietetic internship programs. Although research was a primary content focus, student expression about building professional practice skills, such as leadership abilities, oral and written communication skills, and teamwork, also indicate that students found the assignment to support their development of domain 2, Professional Practice Expectations. One of the benefits of framing such a project around research is that the process never changes, but the questions and approaches always do. Endless possibilities exist for students to answer questions and engage in higher-level thinking when the research process is applied. In the normal Lifecycle Nutrition course, students are exposed to scholarly research through their readings, discussions, and assignments. This project was intended to strengthen their ability to discuss and interpret research by doing research. These skills have been recognized by ACEND as important when establishing an evidence base to aid in decision making in their future practice. Integrating the research process into their learning could potentially help students understand how dietetic practice is formed while strengthening critical thinking skills to better prepare them for their future careers. Both faculty and students can benefit from enhancing teaching, learning, and scholarship through course-based undergraduate research experiences.
July 2018 Volume 118 Number 7
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS References 1.
Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics. 2012 Standards for Didactic Programs in Nutrition & Dietetics. Adopted February 24, 2012. Updated March 31, 2015. http://www. eatrightacend.org/WorkArea/linkit.aspx? LinkIdentifier¼id&ItemID¼6442485378 &libID¼6442485356. Accessed September 13, 2015.
2.
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Curriculum. https:// www.asbmb.org/accreditation/curriculum/. Accessed August 25, 2015.
3.
American Psychological Association. APA principles for quality undergraduate education in psychology. 2011. http://www. apa.org/education/undergrad/principlesundergrad.pdf. Accessed August 25, 2015.
4.
Council on Education for Public Health. Accreditation criteria for standalone baccalaureate programs. 2014. http:// ceph.org/assets/SBP-Criteria.pdf. Accessed August 25, 2015.
5.
Association of American Colleges and Universities. High-impact educational practices. https://www.aacu.org/leap/ hips. Accessed June 28, 2016.
6.
AbuSabha R. Developing research knowledge and competence in Master’s students: individualizing group research projects. J Acad Nutr Diet. 116(3):389-391.
7.
Douglass JA, Zhao C. Undergraduate research engagement at major US research universities. Center for Studies in Higher Education. 2013. http://www.cshe. berkeley.edu/publications/undergraduateresearch-engagement-major-us-researchuniversities. Accessed August 25, 2015.
8.
9.
Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University. Reinventing undergraduate education: A blueprint for America’s research universities. 1998. http://files.eric.ed.gov/ fulltext/ED424840.pdf. Accessed June 28, 2016. Malachowski M, Osborn JM, Karukstis KK, Ambos EL. Realizing student, faculty, and institutional outcomes at scale: Institutionalizing undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity within
Int J Teaching Learning Higher Educ. 2015;27(3):434-442.
systems and consortia. New Direct Higher Educ. 2015;2015(169):3-13. 20.
Chamley-Wiik D, Dunn K, HeydetKirsch P, Holman M, Meeroof D, Peluso J. Scaffolding the development of students’ research skills for capstone experiences: A multi-disciplinary approach. CUR Quarterly. 2014;34(4):18-25.
21.
Council on Undergraduate Research. Funding for Student Research Survey. 2011. http://www.cur.org/resources/ funding_opportunities. Accessed June 28, 2016. Carline JD, O’Sullivan PS, Gruppen LD, Richardson-Nassif K. Crafting successful relationships with the IRB. Acad Med. 2007;82(10 suppl):S57-S60.
10.
Adedokun OA, Zhang D, Parker LC, Bessenbacher A, Childress A, Burgess WD. Understanding how undergraduate research experiences influence student aspirations for research careers and graduate education. J Coll Sci Teach. 2012;42(1):82-90.
11.
Yaffe K, Bender C, Sechrest L. (2014). How does undergraduate research experience impact career trajectories and level of career satisfaction: A comparative survey. J Coll Sci Teach. 2014;44(1):25-33.
22.
12.
Lopatto D. Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning. CBE Life Sci Educ. 2009;6(4):297-306.
23.
13.
Hu S, Scheuch K, Schwartz R, Gayles JG, Li S, ed. Reinventing undergraduate education: engaging college students in research and creative activities. ASHE Higher Education Report. 2008;33(4): 1-103.
14.
Kardash CAM. Evaluation of undergraduate research experience: Perceptions of undergraduate interns and their faculty mentors. J Educ Psychol. 2000;92(1):191-201.
15.
Kuh GD, Kinzie J, Schuh JH, et al. Student Success in College: Creating Conditions That Matter. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; 2010.
16.
Auchincloss LC, Laursen S, Branchaw JL, et al. Assessment of course-based undergraduate research experiences: A meeting report. Cell Biol Educ. 2014;13(1):29-40.
17.
24.
Loyola University. IRB and oral history at Loyola. http://chn.loyno.edu/history/irband-oral-history-loyola. Accessed June 28, 2016. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. IRB guidance for student research and class projects. 2012. https://college.unc.edu/ files/2013/09/IRB_Guidance_for_Student_ Research_Projects.pdf. Accessed June 28, 2016.
25.
University of Alabama, Birmingham. IRB guidance for student research and class projects. 2011. http://www.uab. edu/research/administration/offices/IRB/ Documents/IRB%20Guidance%20for%20 Student%20Research%20and%20Class%20 Projects.pdf. Accessed June 28, 2016.
26.
Temple L, Sibley TQ, Orr AJ. How to Mentor Undergraduate Researchers. Washington, DC: Council on Undergraduate Research; 2010.
Zimbardi K, Myatt P. Embedding undergraduate research experiences within the curriculum: A cross-disciplinary study of the key characteristics guiding implementation. Studies in Higher Education. 2014;39(2):250.
27.
Davis SN, Jacobsen SK. Curricular integration as innovation: Faculty insights on barriers to institutionalizing change. Innov High Educ. 2014;39:17-31.
28.
18.
Corwin LA, Graham MJ, Dolan EL. (2015). Modeling course-based undergraduate research experiences: An agenda for future research and evaluation. Cell Biol Educ. 2015;14(1):es1.
Jaschik S. Mentoring as tenure criterion. Inside higher ed. 2015. https://www. insidehighered.com/news/2015/07/20/purduemoves-make-mentoring-undergraduatescriterion-tenure. Accessed June 28, 2016.
29.
19.
Peachey AA, Baller SL. Ideas and approaches for teaching undergraduate research methods in the Health Sciences.
Schultheis AS, Farrell TM, Paul EL. Promoting undergraduate research through revising tenure and promotion policy. CUR Quarterly. 2011;31(4):25-31.
DISCLOSURES STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT This project was supported by a Faculty Research and Teaching Grant from the College of Health and Behavioral Studies, James Madison University, in the total amount of $400.00.
July 2018 Volume 118 Number 7
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Professional Practice
Engaging Undergraduates in Research: Designing and Developing a One-Semester, Course-Based Research Project Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series developed by the Nutrition and Dietetic Educators and Preceptors (NDEP) group on emerging topics of interest in dietetics education.
H
OW DO YOU PREPARE STUdents in a world of changing information and professional practices? The scientific approach encompasses problem solving, critical thinking, and the ability to interpret and apply scholarly information. Conducting original research at the undergraduate level is a meaningful experience, because the overall process, developing questions and systematically finding the answers, presents a mechanism for students to develop and practice the necessary skills. The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) curriculum standards for didactic programs emphasize the importance of these skills, because students must understand research methods, interpret research findings, and translate external findings into evidencebased practice.1 The value of these skills is also documented across other related disciplines, including biology, psychology, and public health,2-4 and has been widely endorsed by the Association of American Colleges and Universities as a high-impact learning practice.5 Introducing original research activities early also prepares students for the expectations of leading research
This article was written by Michelle Battista Hesse, PhD, RD, assistant professor, Department of Health Professions, and Carolyn Schubert, MLIS, health sciences & nursing librarian and associate professor, Libraries & Educational Technologies, both at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2017.04.020 Available online 11 June 2017
ª 2018 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
at the Master’s level.6 However, faculty struggle to provide enough individual research opportunities because of increasing workloads. Broader, coursebased options are becoming a popular alternative to reach more students. Faculty offer course-based research activities equally across disciplines, ranging from social sciences (49%) to science, technology, engineering, and math (commonly referred to as “STEM” [36%]).7 The purpose of this article is to present a semester-long undergraduate research project in a junior-level Lifecycle Nutrition course as a model to highlight the learning opportunities gained by conducting original research at the undergraduate level. Additional evidence from the literature informs implementation considerations and recommendations.
THE VALUE OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Undergraduate education began shifting from a model of information consumption toward information creation after the Boyer Commission recommended reforms to better establish research opportunities.8 In response, several universities across the United States have added or expanded undergraduate research opportunities to elevate students’ educational experiences. Over the last few decades, higher education researchers have documented the high impact of undergraduate research in student learning.9 One benefit is greater understanding of academic major and advanced career development.7,10,11 Additional outcomes include improvements in domain knowledge, research skills, and higher educational satisfaction.7 Enhanced critical thinking skills and student engagement and retention through the application of undergraduate research also supports the novelty of undergraduate research.12-15 To balance the student benefits and the
limits on faculty time, course-based research is emerging as a more common option to engage students.16-18 Given the strong evidence supporting the many benefits of undergraduates conducting original research, the course instructor designed the Spring 2015 Lifecycle Nutrition course to allow junior-level dietetic students to conduct a research project on attitudes and perceptions of college-age students on breastfeeding. In this project, research was built into a multi-component course project in which students used the process of literature review, data collection, and data analysis to better understand the origin of evidencebased practice.
A MODEL OF COURSE-BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Project planning started in November 2014 for implementation in Spring Semester 2015. Students had previously obtained library research instruction in their freshman year and completed the Lifecycle Nutrition course before their senior seminar on research in their senior year. The instructor preselected the topic of breastfeeding, because the topic also coincided with course content taught in Lifecycle Nutrition. The instructor focused the research population to college-aged students to introduce students to perspectives outside of the stereotypical average age of new mothers; this shift in population helped reinforce the need for tailoring interventions to address patient values, preferences, and literacy levels. The larger region of the campus has also historically had a high teen pregnancy rate, making the information applicable to a real-world problem. The instructor also selected the methodological design, qualitative inquiry through focus groups. The course was not designed as a formal research methodology course, but rather as a course that examines the nutritional
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS
1173
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS needs of individuals and populations across the life span. Study design and methodology was preselected to streamline the project. Students formed teams of approximately four students per team. Each team was responsible for completing literature reviews, identifying a line of inquiry, developing focus group questions around the topic of breastfeeding, completing ethics training, recruiting participants, conducting a focus group, analyzing data, and presenting results and findings to the class. Activities were scaffolded across the 16-week semester, and small assignments occurred at each of the major points in the research process. The Figure describes the educational modules and assignment schedule for the project. In addition, the instructor used regular course materials, such as Academy Position and Practice papers; learning modules, such as Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training;
and hands-on exercises to help students establish a foundation in research methods.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR DESIGNING A COURSE-BASED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECT Course Design and Logistics Careful planning of course materials, assessments, and research logistics are essential when designing a coursebased research project. To start, the process of research and its many components does not have to be executed in its entirety and to the fullest degree for students to learn its value in their discipline. Selecting and scoping topics and research methods for the students also can be a strategy to balance the course content, research activity, and time.19 In this case, the instructor used research as a way to help students
understand how the process of research informs the development of evidence-based practice, connecting back to course objectives and accreditation standards. The tenents of the research process came to life through the following course objective: To apply knowledge about nutritional needs of various phases of the life cycle; specifically to incorporate nutrition education information by planning nutrition education to target a specific audience. The components of the research process can be infused also through different courses in the curriculum and can be built on as students progress. Instructors may choose to select certain aspects of the research process and to scaffold skill development. For instance, Florida Atlantic University identified three pedagogical stages for scaffolded undergraduate research skill development: research and inquiry exposure, research and inquiry skillbuilding, and intensive research and
Assignment
Education Module
Due Date
Research Process Quiz
Quiz determines overall comprehension of a three lecture series on the research process and research methodology, including the conduct of mock focus groups.
Week 3
CITIa Research Ethics Training for IRBb
Training and certification for human subjects research presents the importance of ethics in research.
Week 3
Literature Review, Research Question Development, & IRB Methods Section
Review tutorial on literature reviews. Apply tutorial information to find, evaluate, and synthesize scholarly literature to guide their line of inquiry.
Week 6
One-on-One Instructor Meeting
Teams distill, analyze, and interpret data to develop emerging topics and themes. Students met with instructor 1 week after completing focus groups to debrief and discuss the direction of their analysis.
Weeks 6-9
Submission of Results Section
Teams submit their results section, including emerging topics and themes supported by the evidence of participant quotes.
Week 10
Submission of Discussion Section
Teams submit their discussion section, comparing existing literature with their findings and interpretation of findings into practice.
Week 12
Group Member Critique
Each team member individually critiqued their other team members and reporting their contribution to the project.
Week 15
Final Paper/Presentation
Teams presented their process, results, and conclusions to their other classmates.
Week 15 (paper) Week 16 (presentations)
a
CITI¼Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative.
b
IRB¼Institutional Review Board.
Figure. Scaffolded assignment schedule for course-based undergraduate research. 1174
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July 2018 Volume 118 Number 7
PRACTICE APPLICATIONS inquiry.20 In the Lifecycle Nutrition course, students previously received library research training in earlier dietetics courses, so the instructor could expect a certain level of familiarity with literature searching and an established point of referral for library services. Furthermore, this project continued to lay the foundation for future courses in the curriculum, where students are expected to complete an Evidence Analysis Library research project and a research presentation for a Metabolism course. After identifying the broad perspectives that connect research to the course objectives, planning additional details, such as possible grant funding and required Institutional Review Board (IRB) application, are key. Depending on the nature of the college or university, a variety of funding resources can be available for faculty and students, as a means to offset researchrelated costs. For example, universities may offer internal grants to support faculty research efforts. The Council on Undergraduate Research did an informal survey of institutions that offer funding opportunities; the results include a range of internal funding options, including student fellowships to cover direct student research costs at institutions around the United States.21 For the breastfeeding project, the instructor applied for internal grant funds from the institution’s College of Health and Behavioral Sciences. Funds were awarded and used to recruit and retain individuals for focus group sessions. If internal grants are not available, a number of external opportunities exist to fund research involving undergraduates, such as the American Chemical Society’s Undergraduate Research Grants and the National Science Foundation’s Research in Undergraduate Institutions. Working with an institution’s IRB can be a challenge in the limited timeline of the semester; working closely with those offices to determine campus policy, as well as timing student training completion, is critical. Some universities have blanket or umbrella IRB protocols; these are mechanisms that some campuses use to support semester-long human subjects research.22 Other institutions, such as Loyola University, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and University of Alabama-Birmingham, have special July 2018 Volume 118 Number 7
instructions for class projects to facilitate undergraduate research efforts.23-25 In this case, students were required to complete the CITI training because they interfaced with human subjects and complete the IRB application. Not only is CITI training necessary for IRB approval, but it also serves as a dual lesson in ethical responsibility. Ethical responsibility is one learning outcome expected to be taught under the ACEND accreditation standards and an essential principle to prepare students for careers in the health field. At the start of the spring semester, the instructor prepared the IRB application and shared this document with students via Canvas, an integrated learning system. Students did not work directly on the IRB application because of time constraints and submission deadlines enacted by the IRB; however, they were exposed to the protocol that defined the research method.
Mentoring Students During the Course Mentorship of undergraduates during the research process has “the mentor [teach] through example and coaching, and students learn by doing,” which can depart from traditional facultye student roles in a course.26 By including original research in a course, the faculty transform the instructional experience into an active creation of knowledge for students. Therefore, the relationship and types of engagement also must change to meet these new expectations. Mentoring students at the different steps of the research process, especially the data analysis stage, is important to achieve the ultimate realization and translation of research into practice. Students audio-recorded focus group participants and also collected field notes during the session. Office hours become collaborative working sessions in which the faculty member worked with students to apply grounded theory to the analysis of their data. Broad themes were identified, and students selected specific quotations from participants that supported those themes. Students were mentored to distill the data, compare it with existing literature, and shape their findings into their interpretation of evidence-based practice. The process allowed students to move from broad-level processing to a
more critical way of analyzing the data. Student teams were limited to asking one primary question during the focus group session and were allowed to ask probing questions. This approach helped to limit the amount of anticipated data to collect and made the analysis more manageable in the 16-week timeframe.
LONG-TERM BENEFITS FOR FACULTY AND STUDENTS FROM COURSE-BASED RESEARCH Teaching and Learning As previously discussed, the value of undergraduate research is huge, because it impacts student engagement, disciplinary understanding, critical thinking skill development, and career advancement. Faculty also experience many benefits by learning from students as well. Students bring unique perspectives on a project and lack any inherited biases for approaching research, allowing faculty to learn and explore alongside their students.27 For the faculty member’s promotion and tenure evaluation in teaching, the wealth of studies regarding these benefits are instrumental in documenting evidencebased teaching strategies. Some schools, such as Purdue University, are also working to formally integrate undergraduate research as a promotion criterion.28 Other institutions do not always account for activities faculty complete outside of traditional teaching, scholarship, and service categories; by integrating research into the course, the student mentorship now takes on a new level of visibility in a faculty member’s tenure and promotion materials.29
Scholarship Publications and presentations are important when working with undergraduate researchers. Just as the mentorship experience transforms the facultyestudent relationship to more of a mentorementee relationship, professional publication and conference presentations change the engagement with communication skills, from just talking with their peers to talking with potential future employers. The National Conference of Undergraduate Research and undergraduate research journals offer a variety of mechanisms for
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PRACTICE APPLICATIONS students and faculty mentors to showcase scholarly products. The Council on Undergraduate Research includes an exhaustive list of journals focused on publishing undergraduate research (http://www.cur.org/resources/students /undergraduate_journals/). In many journals, faculty mentors are required to submit as co-author. Many universities also offer undergraduate research mentor awards to recognize the meaningful role faculty play in supporting student scholarship. After the Lifecycle Nutrition course ended, students remained engaged with their work. One team recently presented their findings at the Virginia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics annual meeting. Faculty benefit from the additional scholarship to include on their curricula vitae (CVs) and for promotion and tenure decisions.
Service Collaborating with community programs and organizations can be an effective way to meld course objectives with service activities. Service learning is another high-impact learning practice.5 Many educational institutions have service learning centers or specific programs to enhance opportunities for students to engage in course-based service. Research conducted through classroom objectives can be an extension of that model in which students and instructors partner with community organizations to collect data as a means to inform future actions.
Career Connection The dietetics profession is grounded in evidence-based practice, whereby registered dietitian nutritionists use the best available research evidence to inform their decision making in the care of patients or clients. The ability to interpret research and translate those findings into practice is a learned skill. Domain 1 of the 2017 Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) curriculum standards for undergraduate didactics programs, internship, and coordinated programs emphasize competence in research methodology, interpretation of research literature, and the integration of those principles into evidence-based practice (ACEND, 2017). The example provided
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in this article of course-based undergraduate research experience is one example of an assignment that meets domain 1 curriculum standards. Furthermore, accredited programs are required to have an evaluation plan; such a project could provide evidence that goals and objectives of the program are being met. In hindsight, conducting additional formative assessments on the impact of the project on student learning outcomes, besides those collected from the standard teaching evaluation, would have been beneficial. However, the impact of learning may not be fully understood until students bring their learned skills from the classroom into their practice. Reflective feedback was provided from some of the students involved in this course and project who have now graduated and are currently in dietetic internship programs. Although research was a primary content focus, student expression about building professional practice skills, such as leadership abilities, oral and written communication skills, and teamwork, also indicate that students found the assignment to support their development of domain 2, Professional Practice Expectations. One of the benefits of framing such a project around research is that the process never changes, but the questions and approaches always do. Endless possibilities exist for students to answer questions and engage in higher-level thinking when the research process is applied. In the normal Lifecycle Nutrition course, students are exposed to scholarly research through their readings, discussions, and assignments. This project was intended to strengthen their ability to discuss and interpret research by doing research. These skills have been recognized by ACEND as important when establishing an evidence base to aid in decision making in their future practice. Integrating the research process into their learning could potentially help students understand how dietetic practice is formed while strengthening critical thinking skills to better prepare them for their future careers. Both faculty and students can benefit from enhancing teaching, learning, and scholarship through course-based undergraduate research experiences.
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DISCLOSURES STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
FUNDING/SUPPORT This project was supported by a Faculty Research and Teaching Grant from the College of Health and Behavioral Studies, James Madison University, in the total amount of $400.00.
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