Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education (CASPiE) at UIC

Background

CASPiE Website

The Center for Authentic Science Practice in Education (CASPiE) is a multi-institutional organization funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). It aims to address several relevant questions in undergraduate science education: namely, whether authentic research experiences in the undergraduate curriculum will increase interest in the physical sciences and whether this interest results in an increased number of science majors. The key tenet of CASPiE’s pedagogical approach is that students participate in authentic research projects that have been developed by faculty (the principal investigators) at collaborating universities and colleges. This research differs from traditional laboratory experiments in several ways:

• The research is relevant. Most of the modules aim to solve an important scientific problem or answer a specific question that is directly applicable to the “real” world.

• Students have control over the experimental design. For organic chemistry synthesis modules like Biodiesel, an experimental method is typically suggested; however, students must modify those methods based on the results of their investigation or adopt new methods based on published literature.

• The experimental methods are loosely defined. There are few “cookbook” procedures. Therefore, students must collaborate closely with the instructor, teaching assistants and their peers to develop a reasonable protocol. Often, peer-led team leaders (PLTLs)–who have previously participated in the specific module–act as collaborators during the class.

• The outcomes of the experiments are not known. This is authentic research, real research. Evaluation is based primarily on process and interpretation, not whether the experiment was “successful.”

• Negative results are expected, especially at the beginning. Students should not be discouraged by negative results, but encouraged that their discoveries will contribute to the collaborative effort and will help future classes further modify the experimental methods.

• Like most research, the project module is never really complete. As questions are answered and problems solved, new questions are asked and new problems posed.