Construction of a CURE Community to Empower Faculty and Accelerate Pedagogical Change

Labs that incorporate a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) increase student gains in discovery, ownership, and scientific identity. One barrier for faculty developing CURE courses is finding support for the scientific and pedagogical methods necessary for offering a CURE. The Malate Dehydrogenase (MDH) CUREs Community (MCC) was created as part of an NSF-IUSE grant to fill a need for protein-based CUREs. To evaluate the role of the MCC in development and teaching of CUREs, a survey was submitted to MCC faculty. Survey data showed that community-building activities and resources were supportive components in the development of the MCC. Survey responses also demonstrated that all three key features of a community of practice were present in the MCC. In addition, participation in the MCC had professional benefits for faculty participants. The MCC provides a template for creating a sustainable CURE community in other areas of the physical and life sciences.