Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) are often an extension of the instructor’s research, which may make them difficult to replicate in other academic settings because of differences in expertise or facilities. A challenge in developing new CUREs is engineering in flexibility to facilitate broad adoption across a variety of institutions. We have developed the Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Inquiry Lab (BASIL) CURE in which students investigate proteins with unknown functions that are available in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) in an attempt to assign biochemical function. The BASIL CURE curriculum was purposefully designed with flexibility in mind through several years of iteration among faculty members with different backgrounds, facilities, and campus cultures. It has been implemented successfully at institutions that vary in infrastructure, available equipment, support personnel, faculty expertise, course time allotment, student populations, and pedagogical requirements. We present our ideas on flexible CURE design with a focus on identifying and overcoming challenges and barriers that may be encountered.

Benefits and challenges of designing a flexible course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE)

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.