Analysis of Perceived Student Learning Gains in a Biochemistry Lab Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience

Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) provide the opportunity for students to engage in research projects and develop research skills while in a classroom or lab setting. This educational approach has been implemented and studied in many STEM disciplines but more work on assessment of student work is needed. In this study students' perceptions of their learning were compared at the beginning and again at the conclusion of a biochemistry laboratory course. Analysis of responses derived from over 300 students across five semesters was employed. Our data show improvements in skills that instructors anticipate students will develop. Over 90% of students reported increased knowledge, experience, and confidence in the Anticipated Learning Outcomes (ALOs). We also show 96% of students reported an increase in bioinformatic techniques and 85% of students report an increase for questions about wet-lab experiments presented during the course. We did not observe a statistically significant difference in Knowledge, Experience, and Confidence (KEC) between hybrid and in-person course modalities. Overall, these data provide insight into the benefits and limitations of CUREs for students. Building on studies with limited sample size¹, this study uses quantitative analysis on perceived student learning in research-based STEM courses. We anticipate that better understanding of learning in CUREs will lead to wider adoption of this type of learning style thereby expanding research opportunities for undergraduate students, especially those traditionally underrepresented in STEM. Further studies of learning facilitated by CUREs are necessary to inspire endorsement by faculty over the commonly seen cookbook-style experiment.