Exploring Undergraduate Research Experiences and Perceptions of Responsible and Ethical Conduct of Research (RECR) Education in the Biological Sciences and (Bio)chemistry Disciplines

Increasing calls to reform undergraduate (UG) education within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines have emphasized the importance of early exposure to responsible and ethical conduct of research (RECR) education. Historically, RECR has primarily been presented at the post-baccalaureate level, leaving many students without a foundational understanding of what responsible research ethics entails during the course of their undergraduate experience. Over the last decade, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have emerged as a promising platform to establish expectations of responsible and ethical conduct through greater accessibility and inclusivity, starting at the freshman level. Interestingly, few studies have examined how undergraduate students and stakeholders have experienced and perceived RECR tenets within authentic research environments such as CUREs. This has left us with an incomplete picture regarding how this education is being presented to and perceived by students, including how instructors view the long-term feasibility of RECR integration within the curriculum. This research seeks to address this by (i) adopting quantitative methodologies to evaluate how undergraduate students in biological science and chemistry disciplines experience and perceive RECR education and (ii) using qualitative approaches to examine how stakeholders view RECR and the factors related to scaling and sustaining this education within CUREs. Collectively, this study will contribute to the creation and integration of RECR activities within CURE curricula with the intent of improving individuals’ development of long-term attitudes, habits, and understanding of responsible and ethical research conduct