Although many benefits of authentic undergraduate research done by individuals have been described in the STEM literature, few efforts have extended undergraduate research in classes throughout the curriculum (from introductory to capstone classes) by using undergraduate research groups. This study is using hydrogeomorphic field areas on and near the PIs' campus as a backdrop to implement experience-appropriate, authentic research throughout the geology curriculum and is measuring the impacts of these research experiences on student learning. The fundamental question that the study is testing through quantitative and qualitative methods is whether learning gains associated with these group research experiences are similar to the research gains of individual undergraduate research projects that are widely reported in the literature. The PIs are also examining the experiential learning of student research fellows that serve as apprentices and help run the research station.
Students enrolled in introductory classes through a capstone senior research seminar are addressing experience-appropriate, authentic, science problems that build on the research strength of faculty. These classes are fully integrating the PIs research and teaching functions. Hydrogeomorphic research topics are regionally and scientifically relevant problems related to water quality, landslides, groundwater and surface-water interaction, erosion due to land development and landscape evolution. Students in classes are addressing these issues in both natural and developed settings through experiments, monitoring, mapping and measurements.
The intellectual merit of the project is to understand and evaluate geology student learning gains as a function of group research based learning throughout the geology curriculum, and the results are helping the STEM community to better understand how learning gains vary at different geology class levels. The broader impact of this study is determining whether group research and individual research have similar learning gains. Insights gained from the current study of how to implement undergraduate group research is facilitating its extension to a larger population of students.
