Using the ACE-Bio Competencies Resource as a Course Planning Tool to Guide Students in Independent Research

Abstract

AbstractUndergraduate students often only participate in parts of the scientific process in their different classes. In senior year research projects, however, for the first-time students may be required to navigate all of the steps involved. Pedagogical resources for this undertaking are of particular value. The focus of this chapter is on the use of The Basic Competencies of Biological Experimentation: Concept-Skill Statements, which cover the entire research process. This resource from the ACE-Bio Network was the main course planning tool for the research portion of a one-semester senior seminar course where students did an independent research project. The Basic Competencies of Biological Experimentation were indeed a useful pedagogical tool for this undertaking because they are field inclusive, exhaustive yet succinct and sequentially organized while acknowledging the non-linear nature of science. The use of this resource to set the research process topics and order and to design assignments is described. It is hoped that this case report will be helpful for instructors and research mentors who in a similar manner may want to give students both structure and the freedom to conduct a science research project proficiently.