Structured Worksheets: Simple Active Learning Strategies to Increase Transparency and Promote Communication

There are varied pedagogical approaches that promote active learning in the classroom, many of which have been shown to have positive impacts on student outcomes. Simple active learning techniques that do not require costly resources or extensive time investment for faculty may increase the likelihood of instructor adoption and decrease student anxiety or skepticism about such approaches. In two upper-level Neuroscience electives, scaffolded worksheets were utilized to increase transparency in instructor expectations and subsequent assessment, and to support student contributions to learning and group work. Scaffolded worksheets that presented practice questions were provided in a Behavioral Neuroscience course; students completed the worksheets alone or in teams, and course time was used for review and additional clarification. Shared group worksheets were used to support a group project in a mid-level Cognition course. These worksheets delineated expectations for the assignment and gave a timeline for in-class and out-of-class meetings with required individual, graded contributions to support group progress. Worksheets also enabled instructor feedback throughout the project. When surveyed, students responded positively to the worksheets for their ability to support learning and alleviate some of the common concerns associated with group work. This approach was also easily expanded during the pandemic to provide more time for active learning, and to maintain communication and ensure support of student learning during periods of remote learning due to Covid-19. Active learning techniques, particularly those that promote transparency and metacognition, are likely to benefit students and create a more inclusive classroom. Yet care must be used in the implementation of these approaches. In addition, barriers exist to the utilization of active learning, including a lack of support for such work at the institutional level. Greater institutional investment in these approaches will likely broaden their use and extend their impact.

Sex Differences in Nicotine Enhancement of Conditioned Place Avoidance Driven by Foot-shock In Male and Female Rats

INTRODUCTION

Tobacco use is driven by nicotine, which can enhance the ability of non-nicotine stimuli, including aversive stimuli, to alter behavior. Sex differences exist in the reinforcement enhancement properties of nicotine, but the degree to which this extends to nicotine's ability to enhance behavior driven by aversive stimuli is unclear.

METHODS

The current study used adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats to explore sex differences in nicotine enhancement of footshock-conditioned place avoidance. Footshock-conditioned and control rats were tested for conditioned avoidance of footshock- or control-paired chambers after injections of saline or nicotine (0.3mg/kg, s.c).

RESULTS

Footshock supported place avoidance in both male and female rats, and nicotine enhanced avoidance. Females showed more avoidance after nicotine than males, even in nonconditioned control rats.

CONCLUSIONS

These results support the idea that sex differences do exist in nicotine enhancement of aversive stimuli, and suggests the mechanisms through which nicotine supports tobacco dependence in males and females may differ.

IMPLICATIONS

Nicotine enhancement of non-drug stimuli is thought to play a role in tobacco dependence. Yet previous research of enhancement has overwhelmingly used male subjects and appetitive stimuli. Our findings confirm that nicotine also enhances behavior driven by aversive stimuli, and suggests that females may be more susceptible to nicotine enhancement. Such sex differences suggest sex may be an important factor to consider in treating dependence.

Integrating Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum: 2. Scaffolding Research Skills and Transitioning toward Independent Research

Undergraduate research experiences are widely regarded as high-impact practices that foster meaningful mentoring relationships, enhance retention and graduation, and stimulate postbaccalaureate enrollment in STEM graduate and professional programs. Through immersion in a mentored original research project, student develop and apply their skills in critical thinking, problem solving, intellectual independence, communication, collaboration, project ownership, innovation, and leadership. These skills are readily transferable to a wide array of future careers in and beyond STEM that are well-served by evidence-based approaches. The 2019 Society for Neuroscience meeting included a well-attended workshop on integrating research into the curriculum at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs). This article is the second of three articles that summarize, analyze, and expand the workshop discussions. In this second article, we specifically describe approaches to transitional research courses that prepare students for independent research experiences such as undergraduate research theses. Educators can intentionally scaffold research experience and skills across the curriculum, to foster participation in scientific research and enhance diversity, equity, and inclusivity in research training. This article provides an overview of important goals and considerations for intermediate undergraduate research experiences, specific examples from several institutions of transitional courses that scaffold research preparation using different structures, and a summary of lessons learned from these experiences.

Integrating Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum: 1. Early Research Experiences and Training

Undergraduate research experiences have emerged as some of the most beneficial high-impact practices in education, providing clear benefits to students that include improved critical thinking and scientific reasoning, increased academic performance, and enhanced retention both within STEM majors and in college overall. These benefits extend to faculty members as well. Several disciplines, including neuroscience, have implemented research as part of their curriculum, yet many research opportunities target late stage undergraduates, despite evidence that early engagement can maximize the beneficial nature of such work. A 2019 Society for Neuroscience professional development workshop provided multiple examples of integrating research into an undergraduate curriculum, including early engagement (Fernandes, 2020). This article is the first in a series of three that expands upon the information presented in those workshop discussions, focusing on ways to promote early research opportunities. The benefits and challenges associated with early research engagement suggest thoughtful consideration of the best mechanisms for implementation are warranted; some options might include apprenticeship models or course-based approaches. Regardless of mechanism, early research can serve to initiate more prolonged, progressive, scaffolded experiences that span the academic undergraduate career.

Integrating Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum: 3. Research Training in the Upper-level Neuroscience Curriculum

The benefits of undergraduate training in research are significant. Integration of such training into the undergraduate experience, however, can be challenging at institutions without extensive research programs, and may inadvertently exclude some populations of students. Therefore, inclusion of research into the academic curriculum ensures all students can access this important training. The 2019 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience included a workshop on integrating research into the curriculum at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs). In this last article of a three-part series, we describe models for integrating research into advanced stages of the undergraduate curriculum, specifically for juniors and seniors. First, we describe multiple models of faculty-mentored group-based research. Second, we detail a peer-mentored research system, in which seniors mentor groups of first through third year students. Third, we describe multiple examples of integrating research into "capstone" courses for seniors. Fourth, we describe models in which a senior thesis is a graduation requirement for all students. Lastly, we describe several models of implementing an optional honors thesis for students. Although similarities exist across these programs, their differences allow for specific secondary objectives to be met, which are often unique to institutions and/or departments. Therefore, for each of these examples, we describe the context, specific design, and required student assessments. We conclude by discussing some of the key successes and challenges of developing programs that facilitate undergraduate research by upper-level students, and suggest a number of concepts that should be considered by individuals developing and assessing new programs.

Neuroscience and Education Colleagues Collaborate to Design and Assess Effective Brain Outreach for Preschoolers

Neuroscience outreach efforts are currently aimed at older elementary or high school children and have not traditionally assessed effectiveness. Additionally, programs are often initiated by either neuroscientists or educators alone, with few combined instances of these groups working together. Considering the wide range of benefits that accompany interdisciplinary collaborations for outreach, this study sought to develop a neuroscience curriculum for preschool students via collaborations between neuroscience and education departments. Six neuroscience lessons addressing various functions of the brain were taught to preschool students in consecutive weeks. The first lesson was given to the entire class, after which a baseline pre-assessment was performed. Students were then divided into groups, after which only half of the class received further neuroscience instruction. A post-assessment measured for increases in neuroscience knowledge in the students. Results showed that students who received the neuroscience lessons had a greater understanding of content-specific material compared to the group who did not receive neuroscience lessons. The undergraduates involved also reported great benefits from participation in this program. This work addresses the gap in interdisciplinary science programming targeting young elementary aged students, and also provides a framework for improved design and assessment of such programs to continue to better scientific outreach efforts.

Double dissociation of pharmacologically induced deficits in visual recognition and visual discrimination learning

Monkeys trained in either one-trial recognition at 8- to 10-min delays or multi-trial discrimination habits with 24-h intertrial intervals received systemic cholinergic and dopaminergic antagonists, scopolamine and haloperidol, respectively, in separate sessions. Recognition memory was impaired markedly by scopolamine but not at all by haloperidol, whereas habit formation was impaired markedly by haloperidol but only minimally by scopolamine. These differential drug effects point to differences in synaptic modification induced by the two neuromodulators that parallel the contrasting properties of the two types of learning, namely, fast acquisition but weak retention of memories versus slow acquisition but durable retention of habits.