Incorporating the development of research skills into level I undergraduate human biology courses

Abstract

Within the Health Sciences research and employment sectors, there is an increasing expectation that graduates with a tertiary qualification in a health related field will have appropriate research skills as outlined in the program’s Graduate Attributes. While research training is available in Honours programs, until recently, there have been few attempts to incorporate the development of research skills into the delivery and assessment of undergraduate coursework programs. In the Bachelor of Health Sciences program, the development of research skills has been incorporated into the teaching and assessment of two level 1 Human Biology courses. The approach taken utilises the Research Skill Development (RSD) framework (Willison and O’Regan, 2007, Higher Education Research and Development 26(4)), to generate marking criteria for tasks prescribed as part of the courses. Each student’s RSD profile is tracked and compared with their initial skill level as indicated by a diagnostic test administered at the start of the year, and increasing levels of complexity and autonomy are introduced in tasks as the courses progress. Data show an improvement in skill levels for most students, regardless of their starting point. Interviews are now being undertaken with students to identify factors that facilitate/inhibit research skill development. Advantages of using the RSD framework include the ability to: (a) clearly track skill development for each student, (b) identify specific areas of skill weakness and provide remedial support, and (c) better match learning objectives with assessment criteria. We intend to expand the approach to level 2 and 3 Health Sciences courses and envisage that by the time of graduation, students will be more able to function in a research oriented environment.