Table 1.

Overview of C.R.E.A.T.E. steps and associated activities, many of which are carried out by students in preparation for class^a

C.R.E.A.T.E. step	Student activities
Consider	Concept map paper introduction, note topics for review, define new issue(s) to be addressed, begin defining relevant variables and determining their relationships.
Read	Define unfamiliar words, annotate figures, create visual depictions (sketch “cartoons”) of the individual substudies that underlie each figure or table. Transform data presented in tables into a different format (graph or chart).
Elucidate hypotheses	For each figure, define the hypothesis being tested or question being addressed by the work that generated the data illustrated. Rewrite the title of each figure in your own words.
Analyze and interpret the data	Using the hypotheses, questions, cartoons, diagrams, and charts and/or graphs, determine what the data mean. Fill in a data analysis template for each figure to track the logic of each experiment and prepare for class discussion. After all figures and tables have been analyzed, create a concept map for the paper, using each illustration as a map node to reveal the logic of the study design.
Think of the next Experiment	Consider: “If I had carried out the studies described in this paper, how would I follow up?” Design two distinct studies, and cartoon one on a transparency for in-class discussion (see Student grant panels, below).
Additional C.R.E.A.T.E. classroom activities
Student grant panels	Students work in small groups first to define criteria panels “should” use in allocating funding. After these are discussed by the whole class, students view all of the student-designed experiments, then return to small groups to evaluate the proposed studies, with the goal of reaching consensus on the one that most merits funding.
Email surveys of authors of papers	Throughout the semester, students are encouraged to jot down questions that arise regarding “the research life” or the researchers themselves. Late in the semester, 10–12 of the questions are compiled into a single survey and emailed to each paper author. Responses from authors (60–75% response rate) reveal novel behind-the-scenes insights.

^aModified from Hoskins (2010, Table 1); see Hoskins et al. (2007) for additional details on each step and the overall process.