More and more faculty are choosing to teach course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), like Squirrel-Net, but there is still very little known about how to help instructors teach CUREs effectively. The purpose of this NSF-funded study is to investigate challenges CURE instructors face and how they navigate these challenges instructionally. This knowledge will be impactful for improving how instructors learn to teach CUREs, especially in the development of professional development programs.
How can the Squirrel-Net community help?
We are inviting experienced CURE instructors (faculty and graduate students) to complete this short survey. Completing the survey should take no longer than 15 minutes. Participants will have the opportunity to express interest in continuing in the study beyond the survey. Future opportunities would include participating in a 30-minute follow-up interview. Participants will be compensated $30 if they complete an interview.
Participation in this study is completely voluntary and responses are anonymous. Participation in this study has both personal and societal benefits. First, the study prompts instructors to reflect on their teaching, which is beneficial to refining one’s practice. Second, participation in this study provides the opportunity to contribute to research aimed at improving CURE instruction.
Please take a few minutes right now to share your CURE teaching challenge and how you navigated it by clicking on this link:
If you would like to participate in this research, please complete the survey by Sunday, December 15th (by the end of the day). If you have questions or concerns about this research, please feel free to contact Lexie Cooper at alexandra.cooper@uga.edu.
Author Bio:
Dr. Alexandra Cooper is a postdoctoral associate at the University of Georgia. Her research centers on understanding instructor reasoning in classroom contexts and is funded through the National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (Award 2327187).