Workforce Readiness: Creating Connections between Authentic Research, Service-Learning, and the ‘Real World’ in Undergraduate Science Classes
Presentation Type
Poster Session
Location
Burnett Honors College
Start Date
10-10-2014 5:15 PM
End Date
10-10-2014 7:00 PM
Description/Abstract
A primary goal of this upper-division, elective Marine Biology course was to increase the number of students prepared for today’s workforce. To do so, all students collaborated on authentic research projects, presented scientific results at a university-wide undergraduate research showcase, and practiced communicating their research to a non-scientific audience (K-12 classroom). Pre/ post-surveys supported significant increases in scaled measurements of workforce readiness: content understanding, transferable skills, and confidence. All students defined themselves as communicators of science due to the class. Student narratives upheld class impact derived from real world/hands-on experiences, learning practical skills, and motivation from service-learning based community connections.
Workforce Readiness: Creating Connections between Authentic Research, Service-Learning, and the ‘Real World’ in Undergraduate Science Classes
Burnett Honors College
A primary goal of this upper-division, elective Marine Biology course was to increase the number of students prepared for today’s workforce. To do so, all students collaborated on authentic research projects, presented scientific results at a university-wide undergraduate research showcase, and practiced communicating their research to a non-scientific audience (K-12 classroom). Pre/ post-surveys supported significant increases in scaled measurements of workforce readiness: content understanding, transferable skills, and confidence. All students defined themselves as communicators of science due to the class. Student narratives upheld class impact derived from real world/hands-on experiences, learning practical skills, and motivation from service-learning based community connections.