SCIENTIFIC MINI-CHATS: CONNECTING STUDENTS TO SCIENTISTS IN THE CLASSROOM

The scientific mini-chat lesson we describe here is designed for undergraduate students to interpret primary literature, understand the scientific process, identify pathways to becoming a scientist, and reflect on the perception of scientists. The lesson elements include (1) instructor selection of an article and a guest scientist for the mini-chats, (2) students reading the scientific article and performing background research on the expert, (3) student write-up of personal reflections and questions for the expert, and (4) a video conference with the guest scientist. We provide a detailed description of each element, evaluation of the lesson's effectiveness regarding our learning objectives, and best practices for successful implementation. The lesson was designed for use in upper-division biology courses. Here, we focus on how the scientific mini-chats were applied in 1 focal upper-division parasitology course, with supplemental data from 2 other upper-division biology courses. We used pre- and post-course student surveys to assess the impact of the scientific mini-chats. Survey responses indicated that the mini-chats increased student confidence in the ability to read primary literature, understand the scientific process, and identify pathways to being a professional scientist. In addition, the mini-chats allowed students to connect with scientists from a diversity of backgrounds and career paths. As such, the mini-chats are tools that can enrich the learning experience in undergraduate biology courses by encouraging students to independently explore scientific information and become more confident self-learners.