Integrating Authentic Biochemistry Research and Peer‐Reviewed Scientific Literature into the High School Classroom

Abstract

Course‐based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have been widely adopted at post‐secondary institutions as a way to engage more students in authentic research. Several CUREs report measurable gains in student outcomes, including technical skills, content knowledge and persistence in science. In light of national initiatives to increase investigation and design in K‐12 classrooms, educators are designing research experiences for students at increasingly early stages of their STEM education. However, there are many challenges to designing and implementing research experiences within a K‐12 setting. At Deerfield Academy and The Pingry School, we have adapted the Biochemistry Authentic Scientific Investigation Laboratory (BASIL) CURE to our upper level STEM curricula. The primary research objective of the BASIL CURE is to determine the enzymatic function of uncharacterized proteins using wet‐lab and in silico investigation. We demonstrate that BASIL is sufficiently flexible to implement in a secondary school setting, either fully or in part. To facilitate planning within a high‐school academic calendar, we have defined six “research phases” of BASIL as benchmarks for our students’ progress. These phases serve as a framework for computational and biochemical analysis of enzyme function, while students gain experience in critical thinking and molecular biology techniques. Within each research phase, students demonstrate their competence by completing a set of defined “deliverables” in which they analyze the data they have collected in the form of a written report or presentation. Beyond the curricular design collaboration between our schools, we also promote virtual student collaboration to provide our students with an avenue for communication of scientific findings to their peers. To augment the research experience and to develop our students’ scientific literacy, we have integrated regular journal club discussions into the research class curriculum. Students demonstrate a high level of engagement in this component of the course, and their comprehension of peer‐reviewed articles is assessed both during and after journal club meetings. Adopting the BASIL curriculum as a part of our secondary school course design has facilitated communication with other educators in the BASIL consortium, a growing community that will prove an invaluable resource for K‐12 educators seeking to establish or expand their research curriculum.