Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
North Bethesda, Maryland
July 21–24, 2016
LATE-BREAKING ABSTRACTS
The following abstracts were presented in a late-breaking poster session at the American Society for Microbiology’s Conference for Undergraduate Educators (ASMCUE) on Saturday, July 23, 2016.
The 2016 abstracts are organized by both content and pedagogy to help participants navigate more easily through the poster session. The content themes are based upon the ASM Recommended Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Microbiology Education found on www.asm.org. The pedagogy themes are organized into five categories: course design, hands-on projects, student learning, teaching approaches, and teaching tools.
24-B
A Classroom Research Module to Assess the Prevalence of Antibiotic-Resistant Microbes in the Environment
Carol Bascom-Slack, Tufts University, Medford, MA.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Hands-on projects
25-A
Investigation of Potential Correlation Between Mindset and Attitude Toward Active Learning, in an Internationalized Nonmajors Biology Class
Pratima C. Darr, Marty Thomas, and Wendy A. Dustman, Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, GA.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Student learning
26-B
Integration of Graphing Activities in Nonscience-Major Environmental Science and Nursing Microbiology Lab Courses
Brian Michael Forster, Catalina Arango Pinedo, Jonathan Fingerut, Caitlin Fritz, Joanna Huxster, and Christy Violin, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Student learning
27-A
CREATE-ing Scientific Narratives to Improve Critical Thinking and Communication Skills
Jordan Moberg Parker, Emma Goodwin, Casey Shapiro, Lucia Tabarez, Erin R. Sanders, and Marc Levis-Fitzgerald, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Teaching tools
28-B
Integrating Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells (sMFCs) in the Teaching of Microbial Ecology
John M. Pisciotta and Paige Minka, West Chester University, West Chester, PA.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Systems, Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Hands-on projects, Teaching tools
29-A
Do the Structure and Length of Scientific Writing Assignments Impact Student Learning in a Microbiology Laboratory Course?
Emily Nowicki, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Student learning
30-B
Students Gain Confidence in Experimental Design Skills and Exhibit Different Attitudes about Scientific Research after a Guided CURE in Immunology
Claire Trottier and Sylvie Fournier, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Pathways, Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Student learning
31-A
Embedding Research Ethics and Integrity into Undergraduate Practical Classes
Karena L. Waller, Daniel P. Barr, Paul M. Taylor, and Odilia L. Wijburg, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Student learning
32-B
Freshman Biology: Tracking Changes in Academic Motivation, Metacognition, and Grades
Naomi L.B. Wernick, Erika M. Nadile, and Courtney P. Bradley, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Student learning
24-B A Classroom Research Module to Assess the Prevalence of Antibiotic-Resistant Microbes in the Environment
Carol Bascom-Slack, Tufts University, Medford, MA.
Providing discovery-based research opportunities to students at an early stage and establishing partnerships between different institution types are recommended strategies for retaining students in the sciences. Implementing authentic research in the classroom, however, can be challenging. An instructor pre-survey indicated that the item of largest concern regarding implementation of this project was finding both personal and classroom time, confirming a need for low time-commitment research projects.
The PARE (Prevalence of Antibiotic-Resistance in the Environment) program aims to improve the quality of undergraduate education through “crowdsourcing,” in which individual students each contribute a single data point in a low-cost, short-duration course-based research module.
The hypotheses of this study were that participating students would 1) report gains in items related to the process of science, 2) increase in number each year, and 3) engage in partnerships with high school students.
Currently, there are no systematic surveillance methods for reporting levels of antibiotic-resistant microbes at environmental sites, yet environmental exposure to antibiotics is high in certain areas. In the PARE program, students use systematic methods to assess and report prevalence of tetracycline-resistant microbes in soil samples. The Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment (URSSA) survey was used to measure outcomes of the research experience. A majority of students reported gains related to the process of science, adding that the research experience prepared them for more advanced work. A full 80% of undergraduates indicated that the research confirmed interest in their field of study. The project was disseminated to 18 instructors in the first year and to over 50 instructors across the nation this year; the number of students participating doubled to 1,000. Eighty-seven percent of students indicated that they felt a part of a scientific community, indicating that partnerships were created. We conclude that this approach is an effective gateway into classroom-based research for instructors.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Hands-on projects
25-A Investigation of Potential Correlation Between Mindset and Attitude Toward Active Learning in an Internationalized Nonmajors Biology Class
Pratima C. Darr, Marty Thomas, and Wendy A. Dustman, Georgia Gwinnett College, Lawrenceville, GA.
With burgeoning efforts to flip and partially flip classes, a decided trend of resistance toward active learning has been documented. This resistance may be compounded in classes that involve nonmajors as there is an added level of resistance to classes perceived as “not applying to individual career and life choices.” This is indeed what I noticed when I flipped the classroom for a nonmajors biology class focusing on biodiversity and sustainability and taught within the parameters of established objectives of internationalization, at Georgia Gwinnett College, in fall 2014. I have since taught this class in a similar manner but have been able to communicate more effectively to my students the multidimensional objectives of this specific class and the necessity of active learning in achieving higher-order and more lasting learning outcomes. Nevertheless, I have developed a pronounced interest in investigating where the resistance to active learning stems from and whether interventions can be used to channel this so as to foster metacognition. To this end, I have used my participation in the 2015 Biology Scholars Research Residency to frame my initial research question. It seeks to probe a connection between mindset, as described by acclaimed cognitive psychologist Carol Dweck, and a student’s attitude toward active learning. My approach involves use of a mindset quiz developed by K–12 learning specialists to assess individual mindset and then seeing whether that correlates with their attitude toward active learning, based on a validated survey and feedback obtained from the use of Keep, Quit, Start cards, as described by Seidel and Tanner (2013). There are four mindset categories which are correlated with four rankings of attitude toward active leaning. ANOVA analysis of data from the last two semesters indicates that individual mindset and confidence in active learning practices do correlate. Based on this finding, interventions to reinforce adoption of increasingly growth-centered mindsets will be developed so all students, including those in STEM majors, may become more involved citizens of an increasingly uncertain world
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Student learning
26-B Integration of Graphing Activities in Nonscience-Major Environmental Science and Nursing Microbiology Lab Courses
Brian Michael Forster, Catalina Arango Pinedo, Jonathan Fingerut, Caitlin Fritz, Joanna Huxster, and Christy Violin, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA.
Graphing facilitates analysis and communication of scientific data, and therefore is an exceptionally important learning objective in science curricula. Unfortunately, many students, particularly nonscience majors, do not have the necessary skills to prepare and interpret graphs. In order to ameliorate this problem, we have increased the focus on graphing activities in our classes using microorganisms as the subjects.
To introduce the basics of graphing, we have developed three graphing activities involving microorganisms in both environmental science and microbiology classes. In both courses, students identify bacteria isolated from Winogradsky Columns via absorbance spectra. In the environmental course, students also prepare mortality curves to determine the LC50 of Daphnia in ammonium nitrate, while microbiology students determine the rate of Tetrahymena phagocytosis with varying concentrations of India ink.
We assessed the results of these graphing activities in two ways. In 2013–2014, we used a rubric to evaluate student performance in drawing and interpreting a graph, with 62% of students showing improvement between the beginning and end of the semester. In 2014–2015, the assessment focused only on interpretation. In fall 2014, the number of students scoring 75% or greater increased from 61.1% to 81.5% over the semester. The need for repetition of this skill in class was emphasized in spring 2015, when graphing activities were not given regularly, and the percentage of students scoring >75% decreased from 72.5% to 60% between the beginning and end of the semester. While most students were able to interpolate data and observe general trends, they demonstrated only a cursory ability to contextualize their results. We now require students to identify both the observed trend and the underlying mechanism.
By employing these activities, we have begun to address the need to improve the quantitative skills of nonscience majors and microbiology students. Specific direction on communicating appropriate conclusions from graphs needs to be emphasized, and such activities must be given on a regular basis.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Student learning
27-A CREATE-ing Scientific Narratives to Improve Critical Thinking and Communication Skills
Jordan Moberg Parker, Emma Goodwin, Casey Shapiro, Lucia Tabarez, Erin R. Sanders, and Marc Levis-Fitzgerald, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.
Clear scientific communication relies not only on critical analysis of data, but also on developing a narrative to lead the audience through the scientific rationale of the research. Students often struggle to make logical connections and transitions in both their oral and written scientific communications, regardless of whether they are presenting their own research or presenting others’ work in literature review papers or journal club presentations.
We hypothesized that a modified implementation of the CREATE process for analyzing primary literature, including the creation of a holistic overall concept map of the entire paper, would improve students’ critical thinking and scientific communication skills. To test this, we used a “Bloomed” rubric to assess journal club presentation slides randomly selected from cohorts of students that were either trained in the CREATE process (n=23), or from control cohorts that did not receive the specific CREATE intervention (n=25). The rubric items were grouped both by learning outcome and by Lower-Order (LOCS) or Higher-Order Cognitive Skills (HOCS). We found that the intervention group scored significantly higher (p<0.05; 2-tailed t-test) not only on HOCS rubric items, but also on learning outcomes associated with elucidating hypotheses, describing methodologies, and developing narrative flow. Qualitative assessment of reflection questions from the intervention group (n=74) indicated that the learning outcome gains were associated with the steps of the CREATE process that students reported to be the most helpful (Elucidate Hypotheses and the Final Map; 71% and 69% of the responses, respectively).
A key benefit of this modified CREATE process is that students must make explicit diagrammatical linkages connecting the scientific question, rationale, hypotheses, methodologies, and results. The addition of concept mapping the entire paper allows students to visualize the flow of these ideas, which can then be translated into logical transitions in their oral and written scientific communication, and ultimately lead to a meaningful understanding of the scientific process.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Teaching tools
28-B Integrating Sediment Microbial Fuel Cells (sMFCs) in the Teaching of Microbial Ecology
John M. Pisciotta and Paige Minka, West Chester University, West Chester, PA.
Microbial bioelectrochemistry has emerged as an active area of research. Training in this area is poorly addressed in conventional microbiology courses. The goal of this project was to provide hands-on teaching of bioelectrochemistry using sediment microbial fuel cells (sMFCs) and assess the effect on student interest and learning. We hypothesized that using sMFCs as educational tools would generate stronger student interest in microbial ecology as revealed through analysis of end-of-term evaluations.
Fall 2015 laboratory activities for Microbial Ecology (BIO 474) were revised around a set of sMFC-based experiments. Students built sMFCs, researched microbial electricity generation, and investigated electrode communities. Upon course completion, student satisfaction levels were evaluated using surveys. A standardized 18-point Likert-type scale course assessment survey was administered and statistically analyzed by the WCU Office of Institutional Research. A qualitative open-ended survey was concurrently administered. The effect of using sMFCs on student interest toward microbial ecology was analyzed by comparing 2015 survey results with historical course evaluation results.
Likert-type scale survey responses from the 2015 students who used the sMFCs (n=10) indicated concepts were explained well using real world examples (5.8 out of 6 maximum). Importantly, scores were greater than one standard deviation above the historical course average only after integration of sMFCs. When the same instructor taught BIO 474 prior to use of sMFCs, survey scores were within one standard deviation of the historical mean (n=8, 2013). Likerttype scores further suggested course objectives were more successfully met when sMFCs were used (6 of 6, up from 5.5). Qualitative analysis of open-ended student responses revealed enjoyment working on “interesting topics not seen in other courses and the real world example.” Collectively, these results suggest integration of sMFCs as teaching tools in a laboratory-based microbiology course may increase learning outcomes by enhancing student interest.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Systems, Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Hands-on projects, Teaching tools
29-A Do the Structure and Length of Scientific Writing Assignments Impact Student Learning in a Microbiology Laboratory Course?
Emily Nowicki, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX.
One of the biggest challenges faced by professors at large universities is to provide meaningful learning activities that develop higher-order cognitive skills while maintaining a reasonable workload for instructors in terms of assessment. At the University of Texas at Austin, 250 to 300 students enroll in Microbiology Laboratory (BIO 226L) each semester. Prior to the 2015–2016 academic year, students were asked to write long-format laboratory reports. These reports required students to write a coherent scientific narrative addressing the experiments performed, the results obtained, and interpretation of the results, connecting ideas throughout. While these reports were challenging for students to write and time consuming for instructors to grade, the focus on science writing was seen as a strong benefit to students since writing has been shown to enhance learning of scientific concepts (Keys, 1999; Worth, Winokur and Crissman, 2009). In fall 2015, however, the number of instructors was decreased from seven to two. Concerns of time constraints for grading prompted a change in the format of the laboratory reports to short-response “datasets.”
In order to evaluate whether the new report format had a positive, negative, or neutral impact on student learning, I analyzed the effect of length and format of scientific writing assignments on final exam scores. The datasets still provide opportunity for scientific writing where students state, discuss, and logically interpret their results but in a more succinct way. I therefore hypothesized that the short-format datasets would not have a negative impact on student performance, as measured by scores on a cumulative final exam. Using a t-test assuming non-equal variance, I found no significant difference for final exam scores between students completing the long-format laboratory reports in spring 2015 and those completing the short-format datasets in fall 2015 (p=0.52). These results suggest that format and length of writing assignments do not significantly contribute to student performance and that short-format laboratory reports can facilitate assessment without compromising student learning.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Student learning
30-B Students Gain Confidence in Experimental Design Skills and Exhibit Different Attitudes about Scientific Research after a Guided CURE in Immunology
Claire Trottier and Sylvie Fournier, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
The American Society for Microbiology recommends changes to undergraduate biology education to integrate more authentic research experiences. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) meet this need. The impact of different types of CUREs and their ability to nurture experimental design skills is not well understood. The setting for our research study is a required laboratory course for third year students in Microbiology and Immunology. This course was redesigned to include a “guided” CURE section following a more traditional “cookbook” section. Our research question was: do the activities in our guided CURE lead to changes in student attitudes about scientific research and experimental design?
We gathered data through an online survey that measured perceived confidence in experimental design and a previously validated attitudinal survey (CASPiE). This survey was administered at three time points: at the start of the semester, after the cookbook section, and at the end of the semester (N=78). Data were analyzed by MANOVA using SPSS. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with three students: once after the cookbook section and once at the end of the semester. A thematic analysis of the transcripts was performed.
We found that students had an increased level of confidence in their experimental design skills after the cookbook section only (p=0.017), as well as at the end of the entire course, when compared with the pre survey (p<0.01). Notably, students’ level of confidence was higher after the entire course than after the cookbook section only (p<0.01). Similar results were obtained for the questions measuring attitudes about scientific research. Student interviews revealed that students gained a more complex view of experimental design after the CURE section.
These findings demonstrate that guided CUREs can lead to gains in confidence in experimental design and scientific research, and that these gains are greater than those achieved via a cookbook-based approach. This research contributes to a body of knowledge on the impact of different kinds of CUREs on specific skillsets.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Pathways, Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Student learning
31-A Embedding Research Ethics and Integrity into Undergraduate Practical Classes
Karena L. Waller, Daniel P. Barr, Paul M. Taylor, and Odilia L. Wijburg, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
The principles of research ethics and integrity (RE&I) that underpin responsible conduct of research (RCR) are critical to the performance of high-quality research that can be confidently trusted. Although many senior researchers have an in-depth understanding of the importance of RE&I in RCR, many undergraduate students in science and technology disciplines do not gain a basic knowledge of relevant principles as part of their degrees. To directly redress this issue for undergraduates in Microbiology and Immunology majors at The University of Melbourne, we introduced a RE&I curriculum component into our third year practical subjects comprised of a one-hour introduction focusing on the principles connected to microbiological and immunological research and a one-hour interactive workshop for students to apply their newly acquired RCR knowledge. At the completion of these subjects we administered a questionnaire to assess the students’ thoughts on the utility of the component in relation to their understanding of RCR. Quantitative graphical analysis of Likert-item responses collected over two years demonstrated students agreed the component was useful (in 2015, 52.8% students agreed compared with 8.8% who disagreed). These data also indicated the component provided students a better understanding of the importance of RE&I in RCR (58.4% agreed), what constitutes responsible research (59.1% agreed), and knowledge of who they could speak to if they had concerns about RCR (59.7% agreed). Qualitative review of the open-ended responses collected over two years revealed many positive (and few negative) comments from students regarding the utility of the component and its impact on their understanding. Collectively, these data demonstrate the beneficial impact of incorporating a RE&I into undergraduate curricula on student understanding of RCR, before many students go on to seek employment or research opportunities in science and technology disciplines.
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Student learning
32-B Freshman Biology: Tracking Changes in Academic Motivation, Metacognition, and Grades
Naomi L.B. Wernick, Erika M. Nadile, and Courtney P. Bradley, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
This study examines academic motivation and metacognition of first year college students in relation to grades received in an introductory biology course. Previous studies suggest that students interested in their learning are intrinsically motivated and more likely to utilize metacognitive strategies (Pintrich and De Groot, 1990). We hypothesized that students who receive an A or a B as their final course grade would initially demonstrate relatively high extrinsic motivation, while C/D/F students would initially have relatively high intrinsic motivation. However, we hypothesized that A/B students would gradually become relatively more intrinsically motivated as they employ metacognitive strategies throughout the course in order to succeed; in contrast, C/D/F students may not be aware of their own metacognitive abilities and instead rely on external sources of reward to complete the course, resulting in relatively high extrinsic motivation. To assess student motivation and metacognition, the Learning Self-Regulation Questionnaire (LSRQ) (Black and Deci, 2000) and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) (Pintrich, 1991) were used in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Student final grades, as indicators of academic success, were obtained and correlated with survey responses. Results indicate that A/B students exhibit higher metacognitive awareness (n=16; p<0.05), and specifically higher self-regulation at the end of course (n=10; p<0.05). These students also demonstrated improvement in metacognitive awareness over the course of the semester (n=16; p<0.05). Combined results from the LSRQ and MSLQ illustrated A/B students increased in intrinsic motivation (n=63; p0<.05), whereas C/D/F students increased in extrinsic motivation (n=63; p=non-significant).
ASM Curriculum Guideline Concept(s): Advancing STEM education and research
Pedagogical Category(ies): Student learning