Discovery-Based Learning

Description

So much of the important aspects of STEM fields is centered around asking questions and exploration. Discovery-Based Learning is an approach that allows students to be in control of their learning through hands-on exploration and inquiry without an emphasis on memorizing and repeating concepts, but to learn through unique experiences.

Faculty Publications

Early Undergraduate Research in an International Setting: A Pilot Study (Article)

Author(s): Wang, Haizhi; Smith, Kevin P. W.; Rocheleau, Suzanne E.; Mohan, Jaya; Dandekar, Kapil R.; Fontecchio, Adam K.; Stanford, Jennifer S.

Drexel University piloted the Students Tackling Advanced Research Internationally (iSTAR) Scholars Program, which provides undergraduates with an opportunity to engage in an international experience at a collaborating institution during the summer between their first and second years.

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STAR Scholars and Virtual Cultural Heritage (Article) accessed via

Author(s): Suzanne Rocheleau, Glen Muschio, James Malazita, Mark Petrovich, Jaya Mohan

The article discusses the Students Tackling Advanced Research (STAR) Scholars Program at Drexel University in Pennsylvania. It provides an overview of the structure, learning outcomes, and goals of the program which provides college freshmen digital media knowledge and skills to support their interdisciplinary research collaborations.

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Early Undergraduate Research Experiences Lead to Similar Learning Gains for STEM and Non-STEM Undergraduates (Article)

Author(s): Jennifer S. Stanford, Suzanne E. Rocheleau, Kevin P.W. Smith & Jaya Mohan

Undergraduate research is touted as a high-impact educational practice yielding important benefits such as increased retention and notable learning gains. Large-scale studies describing benefits of mentored research programs have focused primarily on outcomes for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) undergraduates.

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Additional Resources

Effects of Discovery, Iteration, and Collaboration in Laboratory Courses on Undergraduates’ Research Career Intentions Fully Mediated by Student Ownership

Author(s): Corwin, L.A; Runyon, C.R; Ghanem, E; Sandy, M; Clark, G; Palmer, G.C; Reichler, S; Rodenbusch, S.E; Dolan, S.E

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide a promising avenue to attract a larger and more diverse group of students into research careers. CUREs are thought to be distinctive in offering students opportunities to make discoveries, collaborate, engage in iterative work, and develop a sense of ownership of their lab course work.

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Framing the Undergraduate Research Experience: Discovery Involvement in Retailing Undergraduate Education

Author(s): Sternquist, B., Huddleston, P., & Fairhurst, A.

We provide an overview of ways to involve undergraduate business and retailing students in faculty research projects and discuss advantages of these student–faculty collaborations. We use Kolb’s experiential learning cycle to provide a framework for creating an effective and engaging undergraduate research experience and use it to classify types of projects in which our undergraduate students have participated.

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An inclusive Research Education Community (iREC): Impact of the SEA-PHAGES Program on Research Outcomes and Student Learning (Article)

Author(s): Hanauer DI, Graham MJ

Engaging undergraduate students in scientific research promises substantial benefits, but it is not accessible to all students and is rarely implemented early in college education, when it will have the greatest impact. An inclusive Research Education Community (iREC) provides a centralized scientific and administrative infrastructure enabling engagement of large numbers of students at different types of institutions.

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Insights from a Convocation: Integrating Discovery-Based Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum (Article)

Author(s): Sarah C R Elgin, Gita Bangera, Sean M Decatur, Erin L Dolan, Laura Guertin, Wendy C Newstetter, Elvyra F San Juan, Mary A Smith, Gabriela C Weaver, Susan R Wessler, Kerry A Brenner, Jay B Labov

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine organized a convocation in 2015 to explore and elucidate opportunities, barriers, and realities of course-based undergraduate research experiences, known as CUREs, as a potentially integral component of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. This paper summarizes the convocation and resulting report.

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Associated Faculty & Staff

Kapil Dandekar

Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Graduate Education | Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Research Interests Include: Advanced Manufacturing, Cyber and Physical Infrastructure, Health and Medicine, Computation, Engineering Education, and Systems Engineering

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Adam Fontecchio, PhD

Professor, Director of Center for the Advancement of STEM Teaching and Learning Excellence (CASTLE) | Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Research Interests Include: Advanced Manufacturing, and Engineering Education

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Kevin Smith, PhD

Assistant Teaching Professor | Department of Biology

Research Interests Include: Chemoecology

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Jennifer Stanford, PhD

Associate Professor | Department of Biology

Research Interests Include: Evaluating and improving approaches to teach STEM students, engagement in STEM courses, student retention, and retention within the STEM pipeline

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Missing Something?

Have an suggestion for an evidence-based pedagogy that we haven’t covered yet? Do you know of a faculty or staff member we should feature? Have you published on evidence-based teaching? Please share your ideas with us at castle@drexel.edu