Biological Sciences (61) CREATE Cornerstone is a freshman-level adaptation of the novel C.R.E.A.T.E. method (Consider, Read, Elucidate hypotheses, Analyze data, and Think of the next Experiment; Hoskins et al, 2007). The CREATE Cornerstone course is teaching freshmen the universal language of data analysis through tools that build a foundation for persistence and success in science majors by promoting development of transferable learning gains, while at the same time changing misconceptions about who does science and why. In alignment with recommendations of science reform documents, e.g. Bio 2010, CREATE Cornerstone (a) models the intellectual activities of working scientists, (b) guides students in learning how to learn biological information and (c) helps students discover that science is a creative field open to people like themselves.
Intellectual merit: CREATE Cornerstone is an adaptation of CREATE a multiply-assessed pedagogical method demonstrated to bring about significant increases in both understanding of, and interest in, biological research, among junior/senior minority undergraduates. Previous work on CREATE has expanded the knowledge base of undergraduate STEM educational practice by producing new knowledge about minority student learning and by improving the practice of undergraduate science teaching. Development of CREATE Cornerstone for freshman students is leading to similar solutions with broad applicability for introductory level undergraduate education. Results will be broadly disseminated through the CREATE Cornerstone Teacher's Handbook being written during the grant period. The handbook is designed to provide class activities grounded in educational research, to allow best practices to be applied by teachers at multiple levels (graduate, college, 9-12) in diverse institutions to a diverse set of students.
Broader impacts: CREATE Cornerstone modules are designed to: foster development of transferable learning skills applicable to courses requiring critical analysis or interpretive ability; highlight the contributions of a diverse set of scientists, both male and female and from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities; and provide all participants, whether or not they choose research careers, with a deeper understanding of the scientific process and of how science research efforts progress.
