At St. Xavier University, each of our graduating chemistry, biochemistry, and natural science majors is required to take a two-semester course sequence which culminates in a presentation and research paper on a topic of the student’s choice.  The student may choose to participate in hands-on laboratory research or perform a literature research project.  In each case, the student chooses a faculty mentor to help guide him or her through the experimental procedures, chemistry topics, and research methods in that particular field of chemistry.  In the case of lab research, the student works with the mentor to survey the chemical literature and then design and perform controlled lab experiments.  For literature projects, the student thoroughly investigates the chemical literature to arrive at a distinct thesis or argument.  The instructor for the senior capstone course is viewed as the coordinator of the students and faculty mentors and is responsible for teaching the various research methods in chemistry.  Over the past several years, our department has found the need to restructure and better organize these courses due to increased enrollment and a broader diversity of students.  This presentation discusses the innovations and reorganizations developed for the capstone course, specifically, the incorporation of scaffolded activities.  It is important for the students to critically review literature and “find their own voice” in the field, whether they are performing their own experiments or analyzing published results. The ultimate goal is to teach students how to design a clear and purposeful research project with an element of distinction.

Training undergraduates to design research projects:  Innovations and activities in a senior capstone course

255th National Meeting (2018)

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