Promoting Undergraduate Research Through the Development of Two Interdisciplinary Research Methods/Statistics Courses and Increased Support of Student Research

The main goal of this NSF grant is to increase the number of undergraduate students conducting research in order to prepare future scientists, technicians, teachers, and health professionals who are able to meet the challenges of an increasingly diverse and technological society. 
Additional goals include increasing research opportunities for the underrepresented minorities in the CSH and enhancing the scientific knowledge of the current 105 teacher certification students with CSH majors, primarily in Biology, Exercise and Movement Sciences, and Mathematics.

The interdisciplinary team approach in this project is the development and implementation of a two-course sequence in research methods/statistics offered to sophomore students in the College of Science and Health.  

During the first course (Integrated Research Methods/Statistics I, CSH 250), students working in interdisciplinary research groups will complete the first two sections of a research report including the introduction and review of literature.  Labs will be conducted and instruction on statistics will also be provided.

The second course (Integrated Research Methods/Statistics II, CSH 350) will cover additional statistical procedures and computer applications in addition to writing the method, results, and discussion sections of the research report.  The research groups will collect data and present their results in a research presentation and/or research poster.