Education Column

Solmaz Irani
Department of Biological Sciences
Thompson Rivers University

A Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) is a type of class project where students gain hands-on experience with real research as part of their course. A format of CURE that has been adapted to labs is called LURE (Lab-Based Undergraduate Research Experience). The shift toward LUREs in STEM came from concerns that traditional “cookbook” labs were too limiting and did not fully engage students in the process of discovery. The goal was simply to turn labs into a space for discovery-driven research and skill-building for undergraduate students (Chandrasekaran, 2021).

Unlike traditional labs, LUREs are designed around exploring questions with unknown outcomes. Before starting, students usually complete pre-LURE activities in the lab that help them build the skills they need for more independent research. Research shows that these experiences not only improve students’ confidence and scientific skills but also support inclusivity and encourage persistence in science majors, especially among underrepresented groups (Denton & Kulesza, 2024). However, when planning a LURE, instructors need to think about practical factors such as space, costs, available resources, time, and the students’ level. A LURE can be designed as a short module or expanded into a full-term-long project, depending on the goals and resources (Govindan et al., 2020).

Several methods are suggested for integrating LUREs in labs; however, I will only discuss two main models here. The first is a pre-existing model, where the instructor adopts a LURE frame that has been developed previously. The second way is an independent-instructor-designed model, where the instructor designs a LURE based on their own research.

The pre-existing model is valuable if your research topic does not fit the subject of the course or labs, or is too complex for the students’ level. It is also useful if you do not have the resources or equipment to adapt your own research into an undergraduate teaching lab. In this case, you can use LURE manuals that are already designed, so you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Examples of successful pre-existing plant biology LUREs are Beckmann et al. (2015), Copenhaver-Parry (2020), and Hsu et al. (2024). A few resources for this model are included at the end.

In the independent-instructor-designed model, the instructor should consider the relevance of the research to the course topic and lab work, and provide early support to ensure the project is manageable for students. Instructors can engage students by showing the relevance of the research and outlining current knowledge.

I believe the instructor-designed model is achievable for many plant biologists, given the field's diversity. Whether an instructor’s research is in pathology, genomics, plant–microbe interactions, cell biology, biochemistry, metabolism, or molecular biology, some aspects of their work may be readily adapted to LUREs, providing students with authentic exposure to current questions in the field and a stronger connection between teaching and research.

I have used the independent-instructor-designed model in my third-year plant physiology course. As a plant biologist with a background in plant stress physiology from my PhD and postdoctoral research, I found it more feasible to design and teach a LURE based on my own expertise. The LURE I developed is a relatively short module that takes place during the last few weeks of the term. By that point, students have covered key plant physiology concepts in lectures and gained experience with lab procedures and plant care. Their final lab topic focuses on plant responses to abiotic stress. Students are first introduced to the topic and the experiment's requirements, and then given time to review the literature and select the type of stress they wish to study (e.g., drought, salinity, or nutrient deficiency or toxicity). At this stage, I inform them about the limitations of our labs. For example, due to the limited number of growth cabinets, they cannot apply heat or cold stresses, as these treatments require a separate cabinet from the control. Students then design their experiment by deciding how much stress to apply, when to apply it, and for how long, as well as identifying which physiological parameters are most relevant to measure (see Figure 1). Depending on the experiment and stress conditions, there are many possible physiological responses to measure, such as tissue fresh and dry weight, shoot-to-root ratio, chlorophyll content, photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), anthocyanin levels, ROS accumulation, and others. However, first we confirm that the necessary equipment and materials are available in the lab; if not, students learn to adapt their projects accordingly.

The first two weeks of this topic usually run alongside another lab. During those sessions, students spend half of the three-hour period researching, drafting questions, and planning their projects. To make the projects feasible within the timeline, students receive four-week-old Arabidopsis plants as their research material in week 3. I selected Arabidopsis because I have used it in my research, and it is easier to grow and handle, given the conditions of the growth cabinets for my course. However, this research can be easily adapted to other plant species and to different developmental stages. When students begin their independent projects, I provide guidance as they measure physiological responses to stress and support them with data analysis and interpretation.

Overall, LUREs are not just different labs; they provide a flexible way to bring genuine research experiences into our plant courses, which is essential for encouraging undergraduate students to pursue plant biology research in the future. Plant biology offers particularly rich opportunities, from easy-to-grow model species to crop plants, visible phenotypes, adaptable, less complex bioassays and protocols, and mutant availability, all of which make it especially well-suited to this approach.

If it seems too much work at the start, consider that LUREs can be implemented on a small scale (for one or two weeks) with modest resources and can expand gradually in future semesters. And don’t forget that the most important step is really to start using LUREs. There is always room to improve, and you can revise the process, experiments, and protocols in future terms as you gain experience and learn from assessments and students' feedback.

Resources:

CUREnet is a network dedicated to CURE practice: https://curenet.cns.utexas.edu/

The Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE- https://www.ableweb.org) and its journal “Advances in Biology Laboratory Education” provide valuable examples of LUREs. Their annual conference also features hands-on, three-hour sessions where instructors share and demonstrate their LUREs in the labs with the attendees.

CIRTL supports development of new evidence-based teaching practices: https://www.cirtl.net/

References:

Beckmann EA et al. (2015) The plant detectives: Innovative undergraduate teaching to inspire the next generation of plant biologists. Front Plant Sci, 6, 729. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00729

Chandrasekaran AR (2021) Undergraduate students in research: Accommodating undergraduates in the lab is a mutually beneficial relationship. EMBO Reports, 22(6), e53024. https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.202153024

Copenhaver-Parry PE (2020) Taking temperature with leaves: A semester-long structured-inquiry research investigation for undergraduate plant biology. Am Bio Teach, 82(4) 247–255. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2020.82.4.247

Denton NL, Kulesza AE (2024) Inquiry-team-based lab course design enhances underrepresented undergraduate predictors of persistence in the sciences. Med Sci Ed, 34(3), 571–580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-024-02014-y

Govindan B, et al. (2020) Fear of the CURE: A beginner's guide to overcoming barriers in creating a course-based undergraduate research experience. J Microbiol & Biol Ed, 21(2) 21.2.48. https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.v21i2.2109

Hsu JL, et al. (2024). Promoting student interest in plant biology through an inquiry-based module exploring plant circadian rhythm, gene expression, and defense against insects. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 25(1), e0016623. https://doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.00166-23

CSPB-SCBV acknowledges the Indigenous peoples of Canada who lived here before us, live here now, and on whose traditional and ancestral lands we continue to live. As the author of this column, I live and work on the traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.

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Miranda Meents
Biological Sciences Department, Simon Fraser University
Education Director, CSPB-SCBV

My teaching has been changed irrevocably. Back in 2020, when I started my position as teaching faculty at Simon Fraser University, I started reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a botanist and a Citizen of the Potawatomi Nation. I was captivated by the stories she shares, with each chapter weaving together Western and Indigenous knowledge of plants. Her work painted a compelling picture of how I might foster a deeper appreciation and respect for plants in my teaching. This was a pivotal moment, launching my ongoing journey of learning from Indigenous peoples about their knowledge and experiences, and how Canada’s colonial history continues to shape our society.

Along the way, I have been inspired to make meaningful changes in my teaching, integrating Indigenous knowledge into my courses in ways that have positively impacted both my students and myself. However, taking these first steps was daunting, and I often struggled with how to approach this work in a respectful and authentic way. Today, I want to share a few small steps that worked for me, in the hope that they might help you on your own journey. I’ve also included some of the resources I find most helpful in the ‘Indigenous Knowledge and Ethnobotany’ section of the new Education Resources Forum on the CSPB-SCBV website.

Common Names

I began capitalizing the common names of organisms, treating them as proper nouns. I also share Robin Wall Kimmerer’s short Note on the Treatment of Plant Names with my students, explaining the importance of extending the same respect to the organisms around us as we do to humans.

Indigenous Names

I discuss with my students how common plant names typically reflect those assigned by the dominant culture, often contributing to the erasure of names used by minority or marginalized communities. In Canada, Indigenous plant names—used for millennia—are rarely recognized outside their communities. To support language revitalization, I now include plant names in local Indigenous languages alongside their Latin and English common names. It took time for me to find good resources that had been shared publicly by members of theses communities, but when I did, I made sure to share these with my colleagues and students.

Local Examples

A key tenet of Indigenous pedagogy is grounding teaching and learning in the land where we are. Initially, I found this challenging because many of the model species foundational to Western plant science are not local to the place where I teach. To counterbalance this, I have gradually incorporated examples of native plants into my courses. While this requires some additional research, it has enriched my teaching, and my students engage more deeply when learning about plants they encounter in their surroundings.

Indigenous Knowledge

When discussing local plants, I strive to incorporate Indigenous knowledge in a respectful way. I believe this is best done when students learn directly from Indigenous voices through readings, videos, or other resources. I prioritize materials from Indigenous people in my region but also include knowledge from more distant Indigenous communities when local resources are unavailable.

Land Acknowledgements

At the beginning of courses, meetings, or events, I acknowledge the Indigenous peoples on whose land we live. I explain to my students why land acknowledgements matter, particularly in courses focused on local biology. When sharing my own photos of plants, I include a land acknowledgment for the location where the photo was taken. When I talk about these local places, I have also started using their names in Indigenous languages. To normalize this practice, I also encourage students to incorporate land acknowledgements in their assignments, providing resources such as native-land.ca to help them craft their statements.

Through this process, I have learned that decolonizing and Indigenizing teaching does not require an immediate, all-encompassing transformation. Taking small, intentional steps helped me move in the right direction and provided a foundation to build upon. As educators, we have a responsibility to do better for our students and to contribute to redressing the harm done to Indigenous peoples in the name of an ‘education’ at residential schools. The lessons shared in Braiding Sweetgrass make it clear that a braiding of Western and Indigenous knowledge will help us build a better future for everyone – and I think this is a good place to start.

(English) (Francais)

Lacey Samuels
Department of Botany
UBC Vancouver

Photosynthesis is a key concept in plant biology, required for understanding food webs, plant growth and physiology, and carbon capture in climate change. Teaching photosynthesis is challenging, as students must integrate complex topics on multiple scales. At the molecular scale, students must grasp oxidation/reduction, light capture, proton gradients, ATP synthesis, and carbon fixation; at the organismal scale, it is key to link net photosynthesis to plant growth and biomass accumulation, plant nutrition and respiration; at the ecosystem level, photosynthesis must be related to global carbon capture and primary productivity. A literature review that analyzed 80 studies of education research in teaching, from elementary to post-secondary settings, reported that “All research dealing with understanding of photosynthesis points to a large amount of poor understandings or misunderstandings in the target populations, ranging from the youngest pupils to adults (university students and teachers)” (Jancarikova and Jancarik, 2022).

The most prevalent misconceptions about photosynthesis are that plants get food through their roots, or that photosynthesis replaces respiration in plants (Hazel and Prosser, 1994; Parker et al., 2017). Students demonstrate uncertainty about how oxygen is generated, confusion about how photosynthesis and respiration co-exist in plants, and are unable to link carbon fixation with the bigger picture of plant growth and biomass.

Studies have pointed out the importance of grounding photosynthesis lessons in a framework of principled reasoning. Parker et al. (2017) map students’ challenges to three guiding practices that must underlie their reasoning: practice of tracing matter (inputs and outputs); practice of tracing energy (identifying transformation of sunlight into chemical potential energy, NADPH and ATP), and the practice of organizing systems into the appropriate scales (from chloroplast to cell to tree). They used different assessment formats, such as multiple-choice with one correct answer, multiple answer (choose all that apply), essays, and interviews to see how effectively they reveal students’ misconceptions. Comparing these assessments reveal that students can choose correct answers in single answer multiple choice tests while retaining many misconceptions that only come to light in multiple-answer questions or essays/interviews. Students use a combination of formal reasoning based on principles and informal reasoning based on real world experience. These authors point out that to instructors, conservation of matter and energy are principles that are assumed to be relevant and simple ‘rules’ that are followed automatically, but this s not the case for undergraduates. Diving directly into the CSPB / SCBV Bulletin | Issue / Numero 36 | Fall 2024 chloroplast’s molecular mechanisms without activating students’ prior knowledge or connecting their learning about photosynthesis to the macroscopic world appears doomed to fail.

What instructional strategies can help overcome students’ challenges with learning about photosynthesis? Active learning strategies including polling questions or drawing activities that challenge common misconceptions can be a start (Smith et al., 2018). Parker et al. (2017) suggest starting photosynthesis instruction at the scale of plant growth and energy use, and only once the big picture inputs-outputs are mastered, should the class progress to detailed molecular mechanisms. This practically means that introductory courses can benefit from less focus on having students memorize details of light and dark reactions, if these details are disconnected from underlying principles and the importance of photosynthesis at higher scales. Providing students with a firm foundation of the role of photosynthesis and emphasizing how the principles of conservation of matter and energy apply may be more productive for all students, both those who do not continue in biology and majors who can learn detailed mechanisms in upper level courses. Connecting lessons to “place-based economically relevant organisms” is another powerful way to help students relate their photosynthesis learning to their world. An elegant example lesson plan for teaching photosynthesis using timber, potatoes, and sugar kelp examples in Maine is published (Smith et al., 2018), and was shown to improve student performance. Having students make concept maps of photosynthesis in a study of first-year students was a useful diagnostic tool for teachers and students, but pre- and post-course concept maps showed little improvement (Hazel and Prosser, 1994).

The take-away from the literature is that photosynthesis teaching as currently practiced leads to students who can learn details but not make connections or see the bigger context. Our challenge as educators is to remember that students are not automatically applying principles of conservation of energy and matter as we are, so we must be explicit in weaving reminders of basic principles into lessons. Giving students opportunities to practice organizing concepts and structures into larger biological scales before moving to practicing tracing matter and energy at the molecular scales may provide a firmer foundation on which to ground photosynthesis learning.

References

Hazel, E. and Prosser, M. (1994) First-Year University Students' Understanding of Photosynthesis, Their Study Strategies & Learning Context. The American Biology Teacher. 56: 274- 279.

Jancarikova, K. and Jancarik, A. (2022) How to Teach Photosynthesis? A Review of Academic Research. Sustainability 14: 13529.

Parker, J.M., Anderson, C.W., Heidemann,M, Merrill, J., Merritt, B., Richmond,G. and Urban-Lurain, M. (2012) Exploring Undergraduates’ Understanding of Photosynthesis Using Diagnostic Question Clusters. CBE-Life Sciences Education 11:47-57. DOI: 10.1187/cbe.11-07-0054

Smith, M.K., Toth, E.S., Borges, K., Dastoor, F., Johnston, J., Jones, E.H., Nelson, P.R., Page, J., Pelletreau, K., Prentiss, N., Roe, J.L., Staples, J., Summers, M., Trenckmann, E., and Vinson, E. 2018. Using Place-Based Economically Relevant Organisms to Improve Student Understanding of the Roles of Carbon Dioxide, Sunlight, and Nutrients in Photosynthetic Organisms. CourseSource