Evaluating Data on the Impact of Social Justice Discussions in STEM Classrooms
Develop skills in data analysis and explore science in a social context! Assist in coding and evaluating student responses to a survey that explores the impact of social justice discussions in science classrooms!
Project description
This research aims to identify systemic barriers to student success in undergraduate biology courses and to evaluate teaching strategies aimed at reducing these barriers. This project employs an experimental and quantitative approach to answer research questions centered around the social aspects of learning to ultimately support student persistence in STEM.
Project outcome
Students will learn how to conduct thematic analyses of qualitative data (i.e., how to make sense of student responses to open-ended survey prompts). At the end of the project, students will lead a lab meeting to share the results of their thematic analyses. After completing the project, students will have the opportunity to lead their own research projects in the Costello biology education research lab.
Project details
| Length of commitment | About 3-5 months |
| Start time | Ideally a November start time, but students may also start over winter break or at the beginning of the spring term. |
| In-person, remote, or hybrid? | In-Person Project |
| Level of collaboration | Small group project (2-3 students) |
| Benefits | Research experience Potential academic credit |
| Who is eligible | All undergraduate students |
Project mentor
Robin Costello
Assistant Professor
Biological Sciences
Phone: (716) 645-8534
Email: robincos@buffalo.edu
Start the project
- Email the project mentor using the contact information above to express your interest and get approval to work on the project. (Here are helpful tips on how to contact a project mentor.)
- After you receive approval from the mentor to start this project, click the button to start the digital badge. (Learn more about ELN's digital badge options.)
Preparation activities
Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase.
To participate in this research project, you need to complete three different CITI training programs. UB’s Internal Review Board (IRB) requires three different online training courses offered through the CITI program. You can access the CITI training program here: https://about.citiprogram.org/
Required Courses:
Conflict of Interest
Human Research - Social & Behavioral Research Investigators
Responsible Conduct of Research - Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research
In addition to completing the CITI training courses, please also create a UB CLICK account. CLICK is the portal through which we will submit our IRB application. https://www.buffalo.edu/research/research-services/compliance/irb/click-irb.html
Keywords
biology, education, STEM, genetics, social justice