Developing Prerequisite Skills in a CURE through Competency-Based Assignments

Abstract

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are increasingly popular, but less often implemented in core laboratory courses due to the strict learning objectives necessary for follow-on courses. A curricular core intermediate- level experimental biosciences laboratory course was implemented, which paired competency-based assignments with client-serving research projects to develop the prerequisite skills for upper-level courses in the context of authentic research. This CURE led to more favorable student outcomes and more positive perceptions than the previous course design. This approach was piloted at a private, research-intensive university in fall 2015 and scaled to full implementation the following year. Several considerations and the necessary resources for such a scaling are discussed.