TABLE 1.
The mCURE framework.
| Week | Topic | Quiz | Quiz Topic | In-Class (Group) Activity | Assignments & Reminders | Instructor Prep Notes | Supporting Documents | Other Supporting Documentsa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meet & greet; basic intro to research question | Familiarize students with BSL2 safety guidelines | Research paper (#1) reading assigned | Collect seawater & measure conc.; prep media and aliquot into 96-well plate | Course outline flowchart (Fig. 1) | |||
| 2 | Expt. design; pipetting & sterile technique; scientific record-keeping | Research paper (#1) introduced; dilute seawater & inoculate 96-well platesb | Incubate cultures under optimum conditions for 2–3 weeks. | Inoculation protocol; reading guide | ||||
| 3 | How to read scientific literature | 1 | Dilutions, pipetting, & sterile technique | Decode & understand main points in a scientific paper; other research papers introduced as part of in-class activity | HW based on research paper (#1) assignedc | How to Read a Scientific Paper | ||
| 4 | Experimental design | 2 | Decoding scientific literature | Interactive discussion re: experimental design (compare & contrast methodology with paper #1) | HW based on research paper (#1) due; student groups choose one from a pool of papers for the “lightning talks”d | Perform flow-cytometry to determine positive culturese; prep media in flasks; prep cryostocks | ||
| 5 | Transfer & back-up; discuss importance of back-ups; “Lightning talks”c | 3 | Expt. design | Transfer isolates to larger volume; prepare cryostocksb | Formal Writing #1 assigned; informal writing #1 assigned | Incubate flasks under optimum conditions for ~2 weeks | Formal writing #1 guide & rubric; informal writing #1 guide & rubric | Writing Rubric |
| 6 | Scientific Writing | 4 | Expt. design (cont’d) – focus on transfers & back-ups | Order the sections of a scientific paper; evaluate excerpts of scientific papers based on guide & rubric | Informal writing #1 due | Perform flow-cytometry to determine positive culturese; Prep aliquots of DNA extraction reagents | Order a scientific paper | Scientific Writing |
| 7 | DNA extraction | Perform DNA extraction of isolatesb | Feedback on informal writing #1 returned | Design & purchase 16S rRNA gene primers; aliquot PCR reagents | ||||
| 8 | PCR; Primer choice & design | 5 | DNA extraction | Perform PCR of isolates | Formal writing #1 due | Prep agarose gels | ||
| 9 | Gel electrophoresis & Sanger sequencing | 6 | PCR & primer design | Perform gel electrophoresis to confirm PCR products | Formal writing #2f assigned; informal writing #2 assigned; feedback on formal writing #1 returned | Perform Sanger sequencing on positive samples | Formal writing #2 guide & rubric; informal writing #2 guide & rubric | |
| 10 | BLAST sequences & identify microbes | 7 | Electrophoresis & sequencing | Manually compare a set of sequences to identify the most closely related organisms; identify the cultured microbes | Informal writing #2 due; HW on poster critique assignedg | BLAST: How-to guide; BLAST behind the scenes | Poster Critique | |
| 11 | Elements of poster design; poster development & critique | 8 | BLAST | Design rough drafts of posters; peer poster critique session | HW on poster critique due; feedback on informal writing #2 returned | Designing Scientific Posters | ||
| 12 | Final exam | Formal writing #2 due | ||||||
| 13 | Poster presentations; peer evaluation & reflections | Poster Rubric; Peer Evaluation | ||||||
Activities, associated assessments, faculty instructions, and the relevant supporting documents are detailed week-by-week. The various segments of the course are color coded (grey, orange, green, blue, and yellow), consistently with the flowchart in Figure 1.
Available as Supplemental Materials from Bakshi A, Patrick LE, Wischusen EW. 2016. A framework for implementing course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in freshman biology labs Am Biol Teach 78(6):448–456.
BSL2 laboratory protocols required.
Basic questions to engage students in background information and the major take-home points from the research article.
Students give 5-minute presentations on a relevant research article of their choice from a pool of papers made available by the instructor (these papers are then to be used later as references in Formal Writings).
Students are encouraged to make an appointment with the instructor to observe how the flow cytometer works.
Students are required to find primary literature to include with this assignment.
Evaluate publicly displayed posters within the department for clarity and style; designed to familiarize students with various poster designs.
HW = Homework; Expt. = Experimental; Prep. = Prepare (for student use); Conc. = concentration.