As a community college instructor, I do not have an active "research lab" in the normal sense. However, I continue to pursue and develop new interests and have modified courses to provide undergraduate research experiences for students in my General Biology courses as recommended by Vision and Change (2011). Data collected from these projects are or will be publicly available in the Mendeley open source data repository and will be included in manuscripts that are submitted to appropriate peer-reviewed scientific or education based publications, or to undergraduate research based publications if it is based on an independent student project. My overall interests can be grouped into the areas of Behavioral Ecology, and Undergraduate Biology Education and Research Experiences. Below I provide an overview of those interests. Past research projects, current Course-based research, and Independent Student Research projects are contained within their own pages.
Behavioral Ecology
Within behavioral ecology, I have focused my attention and questions on small mammals, specifically Sigmodon hispidus in west Texas, and vespertilionid bats in southeastern North Carolina. I have applied foraging theory to test hypotheses regarding multitasking and interspecific eavesdropping in cotton rats and measured environmental variables associated with roost site selection in bats' utilization of bridges. Recently I have become interested in host-parasitoid interactions as well the use of plant-derived compounds (essential oils) as potential repellents/insecticides against agricultural pest species. I have developed a CURE for my General Biology I course that allows my students to help develop and test hypotheses using essential oils against the cowpea weevils (Callososbruchus maculatus) as well as the use of a parasitoid wasp's (Anisopteromalus calandrae) cuticle chemicals as repellents. To learn more, please visit the Cowpea Weevil CURE page.
Undergraduate Biology Education and Research Experiences (UREs)
I am also interested in the implementation of the recommendations from Vision and Change (2011) regarding undergraduate education and research experiences. Until this past fall, I was unaware of it and the fact that research had begun to have a place in community colleges as a teaching tool. In September 2017, I applied for and was awarded a small Inquiry Grant by the Frontier Set committee at DDCC to research the possibility of providing UREs for our students and made a report to them in early December, 2017. Recently I was awarded an an Implementation Grant to begin UREs for my students in General Biology I.
Undergraduate Research Experiences (UREs) as a pedagogical tool have expanded since being recommended to reverse the national decline in STEM based degrees. Before 2010, few students experienced and learned from research, but since, evidence has shown UREs lead to: 1) higher rates of retention and completion, 2) more positive self-efficacy and perceived abilities as scientists, 3) more optimistic plans for their futures and 4) increased persistence if they are members of under-represented groups. Recently, course-embedded research (CUREs) have been developed to provide these experiences that aren’t possible under a mentor-ship, 1-on-1 model. This includes their use at community colleges (CC) nationwide, places usually not equated with research activities.
Currently, a gap exists in the graduation rates of junior-status transfer students from Davidson-Davie Community College, and their non-transfer peers at state universities. It takes, on average, 3 years for DDCC transfer students to reach the graduation rate of non-transfer peers who graduate on time (within 2 years). Additionally, as more sister CC in N.C. provide UREs, a second gap could develop between our transfer students and theirs. Given these two challenges, the continued decline in STEM degrees nationally, and future projections of STEM based jobs, the need to reverse those trends, close gaps and prevent others should be a priority on every level (National, State, and local). As part of the Inquiry Project I conducted last year, I surveyed A.S. degree seeking students at DDCC to determine their interests in participating UREs. Most students indicated an interest in having such experiences, with most students indicating they would pursue such experiences in the biological sciences. Therefore, not only is there a need for such experiences at DDCC, there is also a want by the students. |
The goals of this project are to utilize CUREs to help: 1) close the graduation gap described above, 2) prevent a second gap with other state CC, and 3) reverse the trend of declining numbers of graduates with STEM degrees while meeting the recommendations from the Vision and Change report of 2011. It will also be used to assess students with regards to the concepts and competencies in biology found in the report. A logical extension of meeting these goals is the abilities of the current and future student populations to fill job vacancies requiring a STEM degree. As a result, the economy that is linked with STEM on so many levels will not suffer.
I will be using the following assessments as part of the determination and efficacy of using CUREs at DDCC: Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS), Experimental Design (First Year Undergraduate Level), and Statistical Reasoning in Biology Concept Inventory (SRBCI).
I will be using the following assessments as part of the determination and efficacy of using CUREs at DDCC: Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS), Experimental Design (First Year Undergraduate Level), and Statistical Reasoning in Biology Concept Inventory (SRBCI).
After the first trial at the use of UREs in General Biology I (BIO 111) at Davidson-Davie Community College, students in both sections saw an increase in the overall average scores between their pretest and post-test scores on the TOSLS and Experimental Design Concepts Inventory. Only one of the two sections saw an increase in their scores on the SRIBCI and I will be assessing and making changed in the coming weeks to pinpoint issues and make corrections.