International invitation to facilitate workshop at the inaugural American Physiological Society's Institute on Teaching & Learning (Bar Harbour, Maine, USA; June 2014). Workshop was an interactive consultation with bioscience academics who wanted to implement or expand their programs for engaging undergraduate students in authentic research experiences. Abstract Undergraduate research experiences (UREs) during which students undertake a research project over an extended period of time under the direct supervision of a researcher, are associated with high levels of student engagement, academic success (Kuh 2008) and a wide range of student benefits (Hunter et al. 2006). In physiology education, practicals that incorporate physiological research can be used to promote active learning (Michael 2006), and teach students key skills in critical evaluation of complex data alongside important physiological concepts (Zimbardi et al. 2013, Luckie et al. 2012). Following an extensive investigation of diverse ways that research experiences are successfully embedded into undergraduate curricula (Zimbardi and Myatt 2012), we have developed a model for up-scaling UREs to cohorts of several hundred students. We are now leading a national project in Australia to support the uptake of these Authentic Large-Scale Undergraduate Research Experiences (ALUREs) and provide the benefits of research experiences to thousands of undergraduate students. During this workshop, examples of ALUREs from the biosciences will be used to highlight key considerations for ALURE design and implementation. Workshop participants will be engaged in developing their own ALURE using a detailed checklist derived from our extensive experience supporting faculty in developing, implementing and evaluating ALUREs.

1. APS ITL June 2014
Workshop: Best Practices for
Undergraduate Research
Experiences
Developing Authentic Large-Scale
Undergraduate Research
Experiences (ALUREs) in your
Physiology Course
Kirsten Zimbardi, Susan Rowland, Gwen Lawrie,
Jack Wang, Paula Myatt, Peter Worthy
The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

2. APS ITL June 2014
Physiology education
for the 21st century workplace
Students need to develop the ability to deal with
novel, complex, unstructured problems
The Boyer Commission (1998) Reinventing
undergraduate education: a blueprint for America’s
research universities.
National Research Council (2003) BIO2010: Transforming
undergraduate education for future research biologists
President’s Council of Advisors on Science and
Technology (2012) Engage to Excel: Producing one
million additional college gradates with degrees in STEM
Students need to actively engage in ‘thinking
like a scientist’

3. APS ITL June 2014
Vision and Change
a call to national service
“…the study of biology also provides students
an opportunity to develop an understanding of
the nature of science and the scientific process
so that when they confront issues that involve
science and technology, they can solve every-
day problems and use evidence and logic to
reach sound conclusions. For regardless of their
ultimate career paths, all students will need
these very basic skills to participate as citizens
and thrive in the modern world.”
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) www.visionandchange.org

4. APS ITL June 2014
Undergraduate research experiences
• In general science education
• Engage students
• Improve academic achievement
• Provide a large range of benefits
• In physiology education
• Active learning
• Hypothesis testing and scientific reasoning
• Critical evaluation of complex data
• Reinforce, extend key physiological concepts
• Authentic contextualisation of concepts and skills
• Communication in professional genres
Kuh (2008), Hunter et al (2006), Lopatto (2009), Luckie et al (2012), Zimbardi et al (2013)

5. APS ITL June 2014
Authentic Large-scale Undergraduate
Research Experiences (ALUREs)
Our Australian national leadership project aims to
support the development, implementation and
evaluation of ALUREs by:
• Documenting existing ALUREs and keys to
their success
• Identifying and supporting academic
champions in developing new ALUREs
• Producing a practical framework to guide new
ALURE adopters

6. APS ITL June 2014
ALURE examples in Australia
Existing: chemistry1,
biochemistry2,
microbiology3, molecular
biology4, physiology5
New adopters:
nanoscience, genetics,
microbiology, biomedical
science, chemistry,
invertebrate biology
=>
6
Australian
universi0es
developing
local
‘communi0es
of
prac0ce’
1Lawrie et al (2009), 2Rowland et al (2012), 3Wang et al (2012), 4Bugarcic et al (2012), 5Zimbardi et al (2013)

7. APS ITL June 2014
ALUREs in physiology
Animal Experiment
Yr 2 Sem 1: Toad heart prac
Class 1: Skill building &
proposal development
Class 2: Analysis of pilot trial
data
Class 3: Conduct experiment
Options: drug treatment, hot/
cold, stretch,
acclimatisation
Measures: ECG, force of
contraction
Human Experiment
Yr 2 Sem 2: Effects of exercise
Classes 1-2: Skill building &
proposal development
Class 3: Presentation, choose
experiment
Classes 4-5: Conduct
experiment
Class 6: Data analysis
Options: type, duration, intensity
of exercise, co-treatment
Measures: heart rate, BP, temp,
EMG, respiratory function,
urine output

8. APS ITL June 2014
Large-scale UREs: up-scaling

9. APS ITL June 2014
ALUREs through evolution:
Authenticity & Student Ownership

10. APS ITL June 2014
ALURE Implementers’ Checklist

11. APS ITL June 2014
Online version of the
ALURE Implementer's Checklist
The following link has a list of questions that guide you through
brainstorming potential solutions to the issues you are likely
to need to tackle in developing a new ALURE:
http://laelaps.me/alure_ic/index.html
Once you register, you will be able to come back as many times
as you need to revise and add to your brainstorming.
This checklist is under development, we would appreciate being
able to use your responses to improve the checklist (so there
is a consent form at the beginning of the checklist to let us
know if using your responses for research is ok).
The following slides provide some suggestions for thinking about
the checklist items and potential avenues for finding solutions
that we have collected from experienced and new ALURE
implementers.
Or scan:

12. APS ITL June 2014
Motivations & Values
For me (implementers)
• a high-impact way to engage students in research and problem-
solving...
• a curriculum change that will require negotiation and discussion
with multiple parties…
For my colleagues
• an opportunity to showcase their research field to large student
cohorts…
For my students
• an opportunity to contribute to and communicate authentic
research as part of a real-world project…
For other stakeholders
• Employers
• Academic leaders (policy makers)
• Technical staff

13. APS ITL June 2014
Process and Logistics
Context
• Discipline, topic
• Course, unit or module
• Year level
Design
• Including authentic research
• Planning time
• Equipment and technical staff
• Ethical approval
• Sustainability

14. APS ITL June 2014
Context
• ALUREs may vary dramatically in their scope and
complexity when offered to first, second, or third year
students
• It is common to scaffold learning activities and
assessment tasks, and incorporate a skill-building
module early in the ALURE.
• ALUREs are often discipline-specific, so it is good to
consult previously
established ALUREs prior to implementation
• Sample ALUREs: CUREnet (http://www.curenet.franklin.uga.edu),
Chemistry: Weaver et al., 2008; Biochemistry: Rowland
et al., 2012; Microbiology: Hanauer et al., 2006, Wang
et al., 2012; Physiology: Zimbardi et al., 2013

15. APS ITL June 2014
Designing for authentic research
• Recruit a teaching staff member with a real-world research
project that is scalable for large student numbers or develop
a new project that has a real-world application.
• The project does not have to be complex, however it should be
of real interest to an audience – this audience may be a
single person (e.g., a research scientist, an individual
farmer), but it also may be a government body, a public
interest group, or the students themselves.
• These projects are often characterised by a need to collect a
large number of samples or replicates for statistical analyses
• The ALURE should include a communication output, where the
students communicate their results to the interested
audience.

16. APS ITL June 2014
Design – lead-time
• ALURE design and planning should
take place at least 6 months prior to
its intended semester of delivery
• More lead-time may be needed if
University policies require additional
approval prior to changing course
content

17. APS ITL June 2014
Equipment & Technical Staff
• Liaise with the teaching laboratory staff and facility
managers as soon as possible to find out what is
available for your ALURE
• Seek funding opportunities (both internal and external to
the University) for Teaching and Learning projects
• Additional time and resources will be required of the
teaching and laboratory staff in the first iteration of the
ALURE
• This can be offset by lowering the number of variables in
the ALURE; this is most commonly done by controlling
the level of student autonomy in experimental design

18. APS ITL June 2014
Ethical approval
• Ethics approval may be required for running an
ALURE if it involves animal handling, field-
work, or the use of clinical samples. Running
the ALURE past a University Ethics officer is
a quick way to check this.
• Ethics clearance is required for all SoTL
studies involving student participants. The
ALURE project team can provide template
ethics applications that are consistent with
NHMRC guidelines.

19. APS ITL June 2014
Sustainability
• Running an ALURE in one semester within a calendar
year is a common approach, which allows enough time
for design and planning.
• To ensure that the ALURE will not “collapse” during the
course of the semester the course coordinator should
have the knowledge and experience to troubleshoot
the experiments (even if another researcher is
collaborating on the design and implementation).
• Sustainability of the ALURE is contingent on cost, prep-
staff workload, academic workload, and student
learning outcomes – it will take a few iterations for the
right balance between these to be achieved.

20. APS ITL June 2014
Support for students
Recruiting interested students
Learning objectives
Degree of student ownership
Scaffolding academic demands
Mentoring – researchers & TAs
Assessment

21. APS ITL June 2014
Recruiting students
• ALUREs can be mandatory or opt-in,
depending on the diversity and pedagogical
needs of the students served
• ALUREs that address real-world problems are
more likely to engage students in authentic
research
• Designing other learning activities (e.g.,
lectures, tutorials) around the ALURE will also
improve the alignment of the learning
experience

22. APS ITL June 2014
Learning objectives
• Competence in laboratory, analytical,
and communication skills are
common learning objectives for
ALUREs
• ALUREs also facilitate the
development of self-organization,
experimental design, and inquiry-
driven planning.

23. APS ITL June 2014
Student ownership & autonomy
• ALUREs can vary from guided-inquiry (students can
choose from a limited set of experimental parameters)
to open inquiry (students can choose research
question and methodology)
• The level of control afforded to students within the
ALURE depends on the cohort size, resources, and the
year-level of the unit or course
• Often in the first iteration of an ALURE, some form of
guided-inquiry is recommended to restrict the scope
and resource implications

24. APS ITL June 2014
Preparing students for academic
demands of research
• Authentic research is difficult; the data
obtained is often unpredictable and difficult to
interpret without competence in quantitative
skills and reading scientific literature
• Explicit skill-building modules offered both
during class-time (e.g., lectorials) and as
online resources are needed for extra support
• Organised interactions with academic mentors
and laboratory TAs are also very helpful for
students.

25. APS ITL June 2014
Academic mentoring from
research staff
• The ALURE can be designed around
the active research project of an
academic staff member
• The academic involved can then
become a mentor for the students,
training tutors and laboratory
demonstrates before practical
classes

26. APS ITL June 2014
Teaching assistants as mentors
• Laboratory teaching assistants will need
additional training, especially if they have not
led inquiry-based classes before
• The academic mentors should be on hand for
this training to explain the experimental
parameters students are expected to modify
• Tutor to student ratios can be as high as 1:20
(ratios of 1:12 or 1:15 are more managable).
The viability of high-ratio classes depends on
the skill levels of the students, teaching-
assistant experience, and the layout of the
teaching laboratory.

27. APS ITL June 2014
Assessment
• Students should be required to present, analyse and
critique the validity of their own experimental data
• Authentic assessment items usually involve student
communication of the project findings to the interested
audience (e.g., a laboratory report written in a
professional journal format; an oral presentation of
their project findings to the academic mentor; a blog; a
report to a community interest group; a database entry;
a social networking site with results for the students
who will take up the project next year). If at all possible,
this communication output should really be passed on
to the audience, not just used for assessment.

28. APS ITL June 2014
Evaluation
Knowing if the ALURE was successful
• Indicators of success
• Diverse stakeholder perspectives
Using a variety data collection
methods
Established survey instruments

29. APS ITL June 2014
Evaluation methodologies
• Pre and post survey testing of student
learning gains and perceptions
• Student performance in course
assessment tasks
• Student and instructor reflections
throughout the semester
• Focus-group interviews of students
before and after the ALURE

30. APS ITL June 2014
Evaluation tools
• The ALURE project team has adapted a
number of survey instruments for use in
evaluating ALUREs; this can be provided to
ALURE implementers for their own contexts.
• URSSA
• CURE
• Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (concept inventory)
• CUREnet (http://www.curenet.franklin.uga.edu)
is in the process of establishing and validating
further evaluation instruments for
undergraduate research experiences.
• Project Ownership Survey

31. APS ITL June 2014
Acknowledgements
& contact details
Collaborators
Susan Rowland, Gwen Lawrie, Jack
Wang, Paula Myatt, Peter Worthy
Funding
Australian Office for Learning & Teaching
Contact
Kirsten Zimbardi (k.zimbardi@uq.edu.au)
http://alure-project.net

32. APS ITL June 2014
References:
Abstract reading list
Kuh, G. 2008. High impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they
matter. New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
http://www.neasc.org/downloads/aacu_high_impact_2008_final.pdf. The 10 most influential education
practices that improve student academic performance and persistence
Hunter, A.-B., Laursen, S.L. and Seymour, E. (2006) Becoming a scientist: The role of undergraduate research
in students’ cognitive, personal, and professional development. Science Education 91: 36–74. Extensive
interviews of students and researchers revealed a framework for student benefits of UREs and led to the
development of a quantitative instrument for student learning gains (URSSA)
Michael J. (2006) Where’s the evidence that active learning works? Advances in Physiology Education 30:
159–167. Review of active learning approaches used in physiology education to improve student
outcomes
Zimbardi, K., Bugarcic, A., Colthorpe, K., Good, J.P. and Lluka, L.J., (2013) A set of vertically integrated
inquiry-based practical curricula that develop scientific thinking skills for large cohorts of undergraduate
students. Advances in Physiology Education 37: 305-315. A novel series of physiology practicals across
three semesters which scaffold students in developing content knowledge and learning to think like
scientists.
Luckie, D.B, Aubry, J.R., Marengo, B.J., Rivkin, A.M., Foos, L.A. and Maleszewski JJ. (2012) Less teaching,
more learning: 10-yr study supports increasing student learning through less coverage and more inquiry.
Advances in Physiology Education 36: 325–335. Standardised tests (Medical College Admissions Test)
show inquiry laboratory classes improve knowledge compared with recipe-based practicals.
Zimbardi, K., and Myatt, P (2012). Embedding undergraduate research experiences within the curriculum: a
cross-disciplinary study of the key characteristics guiding implementation. Studies in Higher Education,
doi:10.1080/03075079.2011.651448. Characterisation of UREs embedded in the curricula across all
disciplines at a research-intensive university with implications to guide URE design.

33. APS ITL June 2014
References:
ALURE examples
Chemistry: Lawrie et al. (2009) Uniserve Proceedings
173-179. Weaver et al. (2008) Nature Chemical
Biology 4: 577-80.
Biochemistry: Rowland et al. (2012) Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology Education 40 (1): 46-62.
Microbiology: Wang et al. (2012) Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology Education 40 (1): 37-45. Hanauer et
al. (2006) Science 314: 1880-1881.
Molecular biology: Bugarcic A., et al. (2012) Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology Education 40 (3): 174-180.
Physiology: Zimbardi K., et al. (2013) Advances in
Physiology Education 37 (4): 303-315.