A Modified CREATE Intervention Improves Student Cognitive and Affective Outcomes in an Upper-Division Genetics Course

Area of Science:

• Biology Education Research
• Genetics Education
• Active Learning Strategies

Background:

• National reports advocate for integrating research and analytical skills into undergraduate biology.
• CREATE (Consider, Read, Elucidate the hypotheses, Analyze and interpret the data, and Think of the next Experiment) is an active learning strategy using primary literature.
• Previous CREATE implementations show mixed results regarding effectiveness and fidelity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a modified CREATE instructional strategy in an upper-division genetics course.
• To assess the impact of the modified CREATE intervention on student affective and cognitive gains.
• To compare student self-prediction of learning and performance between the modified CREATE group and control groups.

Main Methods:

• Implemented a modified CREATE strategy in an upper-division genetics course.
• Utilized established concept inventories and validated survey instruments for assessment.
• Compared outcomes against three distinct control groups.

Main Results:

• The modified CREATE intervention led to significantly higher affective and cognitive gains in students.
• Students in the modified CREATE group tended to underpredict their learning and performance.
• Comparison groups showed varied trends in performance prediction, with some overpredicting.

Conclusions:

• Modified CREATE effectively enhances student learning and development in genetics.
• Implementation fidelity and context may influence the effectiveness of active learning strategies.
• Understanding student self-assessment is crucial for interpreting learning outcomes in educational interventions.