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bioRxiv2020

Building a virtual summer research experience in cancer for high school and early undergraduate students: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic posed a unique challenge for summer research programs in 2020, particularly for programs aimed at hands-on experience for younger trainees. The Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center supports two pipeline programs, which traditionally immerse high school juniors, seniors, and early undergraduate students from underrepresented populations in science in hands-on projects in cancer biology labs. However, due to social distancing policies during the pandemic and reduction of research operations, these students were not physically allowed on campus. Thus, the authors set out to strategically pivot to a wholly virtual curriculum and evaluate the Virtual Summer Research Experience in Cancer outcomes. MethodsThe virtual program included four components: 1. a core science and professional development curriculum led by high school teachers and senior undergraduates; 2. faculty-delivered didactic sessions on cancer science; 3. mentored, virtual research projects with research faculty; and 4. online networking events to encourage vertical mentoring. Outcomes data were measured using an 11-item Research Preparation scale, daily electronic feedback, and structured evaluation and feedback via Zoom weekly. ResultsOutcome data suggested high self-reported satisfaction with the virtual program. Outcome data also revealed the importance of coordination between multiple entities for seamless program implementation. This includes the active recruitment and participation of high school teachers and further investment in information technology capabilities of institutions. ConclusionsFindings reveal a path to educate and train high school and early undergraduate students in cancer research when hands-on, in-person training is not feasible. Virtual research experiences are not only useful to engage students during public health crises but can provide an avenue for cancer centers to expand their cancer education footprints to remotely located schools and universities with limited resources to provide such experiences to their students.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2022

The City Nature Challenge - A global citizen science phenomenon contributing to biodiversity knowledge and informing local government practices

The bioblitz phenomenon has recently branched into cities, presenting exciting opportunities for local governments to channel participants efforts toward local issues. The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is one such initiative that has been quickly uptaken by hundreds of municipalities worldwide. Despite high participation, we still lack a framework for evaluating how the CNC contributes to local biodiversity knowledge and to inform local government practices. Here, we develop such a tool and present a case study that illustrates its applicability. We demonstrate that the collected records contributed to a better understanding of contemporary, local biodiversity patterns and provided a more realistic representation of understudied groups such as insects and fungi. Importantly, we show that the CNC presented local governments with a cost-effective tool to make informed, evidence-based management and policy decisions, improve education and engagement programs, foster cross-council collaborations, and support a stronger sense of environmental stewardship within the local community.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2025

Feasibility of an eDNA-based educational program for high school students

O_LIEnvironmental education plays a crucial role in raising public awareness of ecosystem conservation. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is a promising environmental education tool because it enables easy and comprehensive biodiversity assessment through simple water sampling. Despite several citizen-based surveys using eDNA analysis, minimal attention has been paid to its educational effectiveness. C_LIO_LIIn this study, we examined the educational feasibility of eDNA analysis by conducting an environmental education program that incorporated eDNA-based local fish surveys in three high schools in Japan. Through detailed questionnaire surveys conducted before and after the program, we verified whether our program increased student interest in biodiversity and ecosystem services. C_LIO_LIIn the program, students proactively identified diverse fish species living in the survey area by simply collecting water. The questionnaire survey results showed that student knowledge of and interest in biodiversity and ecosystem services increased after the program. Students became aware of local fish diversity and expressed their motivation to engage in conservation activities. We confirmed the educational impact of the program not only at the end but also immediately following the water sampling experience. C_LIO_LISynthesis and applications. These results provide the first empirical evidence of the positive effects of eDNA analysis on student environmental awareness and engagement. Our program provides a feasible model for eDNA-based environmental education. Because eDNA analysis can be applied to diverse target taxa that are unique to a given area, similar environmental education programs can be conducted for various citizen groups worldwide. Our research also suggested that eDNA-based environmental education was effective for younger generations with varying levels of interest and experience in nature, showing significant potential for addressing the extinction of natural experiences and motivating citizens to participate in ecosystem conservation activities. C_LI

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2025

Basketball interest as gateway to STEM interest: Testing a large-scale intervention to enhance STEM interest in sports-engaged populations

BackgroundTo address documented demographic disparities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines, targeted interventions have been designed to close achievement gaps and remedy the "leaky STEM pipeline". However, much less work has focused on designing complementary interventions that to seek to broaden the population of youth who "enter the pipeline" or who are exposed to STEM and interest is stoked from the onset. The current work seeks to broaden STEM engagement in youth by developing a STEM intervention using unrecognized forms of cultural capital. Rather than situating STEM learning within traditional "STEM-Intensive" programs that require a pre-existing level of STEM interest, the current work developed and tested interventions designed to broaden engagement of youth with pre-existing interest in sports. These basketball-based STEM education interventions utilized sports as a venue for informal STEM learning. The current work tested 3 variations of this novel STEM education intervention: a single hour event, a one-day clinic, and a multi-day camp. Each of these programs was delivered to naturally-occurring, targeted populations of students with high levels of pre-existing sport engagement and low levels of STEM engagement. The sample populations included students from 2nd grade to 12th grade, with middle school students being the most heavily represented. ResultsInterest in pursuing a STEM career significantly increased across all 3 variations of the basketball-based STEM education intervention. Notably, these effect sizes were descriptively larger for programs of longer duration (e.g. multi-day camp vs. one hour event) and were significantly stronger for students who reported playing basketball prior to the program. ConclusionsThe current work introduces a novel STEM education intervention that utilizes students pre-existing interest (e.g. basketball) as a bridge to STEM engagement. This approach was shown to be repeatedly successful in enhancing participants STEM career interest, especially for participants from underserved communities with high levels of sport interest.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2019

Positive and negative determinants of normal linear growth among pre-school children living in better-off households: an analysis of secondary data from sub-Saharan Africa

This study examined the factors associated with normal linear growth among pre-school children living in better-off households, using survey data from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Mozambique and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The primary outcome variable was child height-for-age z-scores (HAZ), categorised into HAZ[≥]-2SD (normal growth/not stunted) and HAZ<-2 (stunted). Using logistic regression, we estimated adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of the factors associated with normal growth. Higher maternal weight (measured by body mass index) was associated with increased odds of normal growth in Mozambique, DRC, Kenya and Nigeria. A unit increase in maternal years of education was associated with increased odds in normal growth in DRC (aOR=1.06, 95% CI=1.03, 1.09), Ghana (aOR=1.08, 95% CI=1.04, 1.12), Mozambique (aOR=1.08, 95% CI=1.05, 1.11) and Nigeria (aOR=1.07, 95% CI=1.06, 1.08). A year increase in maternal age was positively associated with normal growth in all the five countries. Breastfeeding was associated with increased odds of normal growth in Nigeria (aOR= 1.30, 95% CI=1.16, 1.46) and Kenya (aOR=1.37, 95% CI=1.05, 1.79). Children of working mothers had 25% (aOR=0.75, 95% CI=0.60, 0.93) reduced odds of normal growth in DRC. A unit change in maternal parity was associated with 10% (aOR=0.90, 95% CI=0.84, 0.97), 23% (aOR=0.77, 95% CI=0.63, 0.93), 25% (aOR=0.75, 95% CI=0.69, 0.82), 6% (aOR=0.94, 95% CI=0.89, 0.99) and 5% (aOR=0.95, 95% CI=0.92, 0.99) reduced odds of normal growth in DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique and Nigeria respectively. A child being a male was associated with 16% (aOR=0.82, 95% CI=0.68, 0.98), 40% (aOR=0.60, 95% CI=0.40, 0.89), 37% (aOR=0.63, 95% CI=0.51, 0.77) and 21% (aOR=0.79, 95% CI=0.71, 0.87) reduced odds of normal child growth in DRC, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria respectively. In conclusion, maternal education, weight, age, breastfeeding and antenatal care are positively associated with normal child growth, while maternal parity, employment, and child sex and age are associated negatively with normal growth. Interventions to improve child growth should take into account these differential effects.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2023

Expanding Interdisciplinarity: A bibliometric study of medical education using the MEJ-24

IntroductionInterdisciplinary research has been deemed to be critical in solving societys wicked problems, including those relevant to medical education. Medical education research has been assumed to be interdisciplinary. However, researchers have questioned this assumption. The present study, a conceptual replication, provides an analysis using a larger dataset and bibliometric methods to bring more clarity to our understanding on the nature of medical education interdisciplinarity or lack thereof. MethodThe authors retrieved the cited references of all published articles in 24 medical education journals between 2001-2020 from the Web of Science (WoS). We then identified the WoS classifications for the journals of each cited reference. ResultsThe 24 journals published 31,283 articles referencing 723,683 publications. We identified 493,973 (68.3%) of those cited references in 6,618 journals representing 242 categories, which represents 94% of all WoS categories. Close to half of all citations were categorized as "education, scientific disciplines" and "healthcare sciences and services". Over the two decades studied, we observed consistent growth in the number of references in other categories, such as education, educational research, and nursing. Additionally, the variety of categories represented has also increased from 182 to 233 to include a diversity of topics such as business, management, and linguistics. DiscussionThis study corroborates prior work while also expanding it. Medical education research is built upon a limited range of fields referenced. Yet, the growth in categories over time and the ongoing increased diversity of included categories suggests interdisciplinarity that until now has yet to be recognized and represents a changing story.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2024

Generative AI divide: How College Students' Backgrounds Affect Their Gen AI Literacy

In the field of education, generative artificial intelligence has a profound impact, mainly reflected in areas such as personalized learning, automated assignment evaluation, content generation, and open educational resources. However, some scholars have begun to discuss whether this technology may lead to new inequalities. Therefore, this study aims to explore how user background affects the performance of generative artificial intelligence technology through empirical research while focusing on the potential educational inequalities that may arise in the era of generative AI. The research found that generative artificial intelligence literacy is correlated with grade level, institutional tier, and academic discipline, with higher-grade students, those from prestigious universities, and those studying Applied Sciences and Natural Sciences demonstrating better performance.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2025

Antibiotic Use and Resistance in Zambia's Aquaculture Sector: Assessing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Among Fish Farmers

Aquaculture in Zambia is rapidly growing, contributing significantly to food security and income generation. However, the intensification of fish farming raises concerns about antimicrobial use (AMU) and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of fish farmers regarding AMU and AMR across 25 districts in Zambias ten provinces. Data were collected from fish farmers using a structured questionnaire distributed via district fisheries officers and analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics, including logistic regression. The results revealed significant gaps in knowledge, with only 17.4% of farmers classified as knowledgeable about AMU and AMR. Attitude assessments showed that 60.5% exhibited positive attitudes toward responsible AMU practices, while the remaining 39.5% displayed negative perceptions. In terms of practices, 76.5% adhered to good practices, including consulting veterinary professionals and responsible antibiotic use, whereas 23.5% engaged in poor practices. Key factors influencing KAP outcomes included age, farming experience, and annual production capacity. Farmers aged 30-39 years and those with 1-5 years of experience demonstrated significantly more positive attitudes (p < 0.05), while those with higher production capacities (501-1000 kg) exhibited better practices (p < 0.001). The findings highlight critical knowledge gaps and inconsistent practices regarding AMU and AMR among Zambian fish farmers. Targeted interventions, including education programs, enhanced access to veterinary services, and strengthened regulatory frameworks, are essential to promote responsible AMU, mitigate AMR risks, and ensure the sustainability of aquaculture in Zambia.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2018

Applying Inter-rater Reliability to Improve Consistency in Classifying PhD Career Outcomes

In the past year, there has been an exciting groundswell of national efforts to integrate multiple taxonomies for the transparent dissemination and analysis of PhD career outcomes. In this study, we leveraged the unique resources of the Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training Consortium to examine the reliability of the three-tiered Unified Career Outcomes Taxonomy (UCOT v.2017) that was collaboratively developed at a meeting convened by Rescuing Biomedical Research in August 2017. Using an amended version of the UCOT v.2017 (UCOT v.2017-rev1) and a new Supplementary Guidance document, we categorized over 570 PhD alumni records from three different universities. Utilizing Krippendorffs alpha to measure the interrater reliability from nine different individuals, we determined moderate to robust reproducibility within the first two tiers of the taxonomy (Workforce Sector and Career Type); however, the reliability for the third tier (Job Function) did not meet established standards. The team identified significant sources of error, revised category definitions, improved coder training materials and processes, and tested for improved reliability through coding 219 PhD alumni records using the revised taxonomy, UCOT v.2017-rev2. Our results revealed that the changes introduced in UCOT v.2017-rev2 improved inter-rater reliability in all three tiers, and either met or exceeded the acceptable standards for reliability. A final set of clarifications were made to UCOT v.2017-rev2, resulting in UCOT v.2018 and a Finalized Guidance document. Our findings underscore the importance of carefully developing guidance documents to aid coders in the reliable and consistent categorization of alumni career outcomes. We propose periodic assessment of the UCOT v.2018 to address the natural evolution of PhD careers in the global workforce. Ultimately, we hope that UCOT v.2018 will aid in the classification and dissemination of alumni career outcomes that is essential to educating trainees, institutions, and agencies about the diversity of career options for PhDs, and therein empower all PhDs to pursue the careers of their choice.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2019

Low-intensity environmental education can enhance perceptions of culturally taboo wildlife

1.Traditional cultural beliefs influence perceptions of animals, and in some cases can result in persecution of wildlife. Stigmas against species associated with witchcraft, for example, can act as a barrier to the uptake of more cost effective, sustainable, and environmentally sound practices such as reducing crop damage by controlling rodent agricultural pests by relying on indigenous predators rather than pesticides. One way of enhancing perceptions of wildlife to increase participation in such ecologically-based rodent management (EBRM) schemes, is the development of environmental education initiatives. Low intensity programmes are cost-effective and can produce positive attitudinal shifts, but their impact has not been assessed for species strongly associated with witchcraft. We set out to test whether a single presentation on the natural history of owls (order Strigiformes) could improve perceptions of these species, and increase willingness to participate in an EBRM scheme that involved the installation of owl boxes to increase owl populations and reduce rodent populations and crop damage in agricultural fields. We used a questionnaire survey to assess perceptions of owls at four schools in two villages in South Africa. Our initial survey sampled perceptions of respondents before listening to the presentation. A follow-up survey conducted three months later sampled the perceptions of respondents that had listened to the presentation as well as perceptions of a control group that did not listen to the presentation. We found that associations between owls and witchcraft was a common theme driving negative perceptions of owls. Respondents that watched the presentation had more positive perceptions of owls than respondents that had not watched the presentation, and they were more likely to be willing to put up owl boxes near their home. Despite this shift, negative perceptions of owls still dominated responses due to cultural associations with the occult. These findings indicate that even low-intensity programmes can be effective at enhancing perceptions of wildlife associated with witchcraft. We suggest that environmental education programmes featuring culturally taboo species should adopt a culturally sensitive and locally tailored approach, focus on the benefits these species provide, and may be more effective when delivered with greater intensity.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2019

Cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes associated with student engagement in a novel brain mapping and connectomics course-based undergraduate research experience

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) engage emerging scholars in the authentic process of scientific discovery, and foster their development of content knowledge, motivation, and persistence in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Importantly, authentic research courses simultaneously offer investigators unique access to an extended population of students who receive education and mentoring in conducting scientifically relevant investigations and who are thus able to contribute effort toward big-data projects. While this paradigm benefits fields in neuroscience, such as atlas-based brain mapping of nerve cells at the tissue level, there are few documented cases of such laboratory courses offered in the domain.\n\nHere, we describe a curriculum designed to address this deficit, evaluate the scientific merit of novel student-produced brainatlasmapsofimmunohistochemically-identifiednervecellpopulations for the rat brain, and assess shifts in science identity, attitudes, and science communication skills of students engaged in the introductory-level Brain Mapping and Connectomics (BM&C) CURE. BM&C students reported gains in research and science process skills following participation in the course. Furthermore, BM&C students experienced a greater sense of science identity, including a greater likelihood to discuss course activities with non-class members compared to their non-CURE counterparts. Importantly, evaluation of student-generated brain atlas maps indicated that the course enabled students to produce scientifically valid products and make new discoveries to advance the field of neuroanatomy. Together, these findings support the efficacy of the BM&C course in addressing the relatively esoteric demands of chemoarchitectural brain mapping.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2021

Rapid adaptation and remote delivery of undergraduate research training during the COVID 19 Pandemic

COVID-19 continues to alter daily life around the globe. Education is particularly affected by shifts to distance learning. This change has poignant effects on all aspects of academic life, including the consequence of increased mental stress reported specifically for students. COVID-19 cancellations of many summer fellowships and internships for undergraduates across the country increased students uncertainty about their educational opportunities and careers. When the pandemic necessitated elimination of on-campus programming at Mayo Clinic, a new program was developed for remote delivery. Summer Foundations in Research (SFIR) was drafted around 4 aims: 1) support the academic trajectory gap in research science created by COVID-19; 2) build sustainable scientific relationships with mentors, peers, and the community; 3) create opportunities for participants to share and address concerns with their own experiences in the pandemic; and 4) provide support for individual wellbeing. SFIR included research training, but also training in communication through generative Dialogue and resilience through Amit Soods SMART program. 170 participants were followed for outcomes in these spaces. Knowledge of and interest in careers involving biomedical research rose significantly following SFIR. Participants mean confidence levels in 12 Key areas of research rose between 0.08 to 1.32 points on a 7-point scale. The strongest gains in mean confidence levels were seen in designing a study and collaborating with others. SFIR participants demonstrated gains in perceived happiness, and measured resilience and a reduction in stress. Participants qualitative responses indicated exceptionally positive mentor relationships and specific benefit of both the SMART program and Dialogue.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2024

"The best home for this paper": A qualitative study of how authors select where to submit manuscripts

IntroductionFor academics selecting a target journal to submit a manuscript is a critical decision with career implications. In medical education, research conducted in 2016 found that authors were influenced by multiple factors such as a journals prestige and its mission. However, since this research was conducted the publishing landscape has shifted to include a broader variety of journals, an increased threat of predatory journals, and new publishing models. This study updates and expands upon how medical education authors decide which journal to submit to with the aim of describing the motivational factors and journal characteristics that guide authors decision making. MethodsThe authors conducted five qualitative focus groups in which twenty-two medical education authors and editors participated. During the focus groups participants were engaged in a discussion about how they select a journal to submit their manuscripts. Audio from all focus groups was transcribed. Transcripts were analyzed using codebook thematic analysis. ResultsParticipants considered multiple factors when selecting a target journal. Factors included a journals impact, the scope of a journal, journal quality, and technical factors (e.g., word limits). Participants also described how social factors influenced their process and that open access plays a role that could both encourage or deter submission. DiscussionThe findings describe the motivational factors and influential signals that guide authors in their journal selection decision making. These findings confirm, extend, and update journal selection factors reported in medical education and other disciplines. Notably, these findings emphasize the role of social factors, relationships and personal experiences, which were absent from previous work. Additionally, we observed increased consideration of OA and a shift away from an emphasis on journal prestige.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2017

Creating a Community of Data Champions

Research Data Management (RDM) presents an unusual challenge for service providers in Higher Education. There is increased awareness of the need for training in this area but the nature of discipline-specific practices involved make it difficult to provide training across a multi-disciplinary organisation. Whilst most UK universities now have a research data team of some description, they are often small and rarely have the resources necessary to provide targeted training to the different disciplines and research career stages that they are increasingly expected to support.\n\nThis practice paper describes the approach taken at the University of Cambridge to address this problem by creating a community of Data Champions. This collaborative initiative, working with researchers to provide training and advocacy for good RDM practice, allows for more discipline-specific training to be given, researchers to be credited for their expertise and an opportunity for those interested in RDM to exchange knowledge with others. The community of practice model has been used in many sectors, including Higher Education, to facilitate collaboration across organisational units and this initiative will adopt some of the same principles to improve communication across a decentralised institution. The Data Champions initiative at Cambridge was launched in September 2016 and this paper reports on the early months, plans for building the community in the future and the possible risks associated with this approach to providing RDM services.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2018

Health-seeking behavior and associated factors among community in Southern Ethiopia: Community based cross-sectional study guided by Health belief model.

BackgroundHealth-seeking behavior is a sequence of actions taken to promote health and prevent disease. Governments expenditure to health is being improved in Ethiopia. In contrast, high disease burden and low health service utilization is observed. The low health service utilization could be due to low health-seeking behavior of the community. Thus, this studywas aimed to determine the level of health-seeking behavior and associated factors in Hosanna town, Southern Ethiopia.\n\nMethodsWe used communitybased cross-sectional study design among community (n= 443) in Hosanna town. The overall health-seeking behavior of study participants was assessed using the mean score of each of the dimensions (health promotion and disease prevention activities) as a cut-off value. Having a score above the mean on each of the target dimensions was equated with having a high level of health seeking behaviour. STATA 12 soft-ware package (Stata Corporation, College Station, Texas, 77845, USA)was used for descriptive and logistic regression analysis.\n\nResultsAbout eighty five percent of (85.4%) participants had low level of health-seeking behavior. Males were about two folds more likely to have low level of health-seeking behavior than females (AOR: 1.8; CI 1.03-3.42). Widowed participants were about five times more likely to have low health-seeking behavior (AOR: 4.8; CI 2.1-17.1) when compared to married participants. Those participants who are illiterate were about five times more likely to have low health-seeking behavior than who completed higher education (AOR: 4.5; CI 1.16-17.8).\n\nConclusionThe study revealed low health-seeking behavior among the study participants in the study area. This finding suggested the need forurgent interventions to the health literacy packages of Ethiopia to enhance the health seeking behavior of the country.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2026

Instructor Perspectives on Challenging Topics in Evolution Education and Their Implications for Game-Based Learning

Evolution is a foundational framework for understanding biology, yet it remains challenging to teach and learn. Game-based learning may offer one way to support evolution instruction by helping students visualize abstract, dynamic, and difficult-to-observe processes. In this study, we interviewed undergraduate biology instructors to examine how they evaluated video games as potential tools for evolution education, including which topics they perceived as most challenging for students. We found that instructors were broadly open to using video games for evolution instruction, particularly when games could support population-level reasoning, evolutionary mechanisms, speciation and phylogeny, quantitative reasoning, and long time scales. Instructors also emphasized that games must be scientifically accurate, accessible, and aligned with course learning goals. This study contributes an instructor-centered perspective to evolution education and game-based learning research by identifying how instructors connect persistent student learning challenges with potential design priorities for educational video games. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=113 SRC="FIGDIR/small/736808v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (24K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@d7fcd4org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@17caeforg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@c3c0aorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@139e8dd_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2020

BioSkills Guide: Development and National Validation of a Tool for Interpreting the Vision and Change Core Competencies

To excel in modern STEM careers, biology majors need a range of transferrable skills, yet competency development is often a relatively underdeveloped facet of the undergraduate curriculum. Here, we have elaborated the Vision and Change core competency framework into a resource called the BioSkills Guide, a set of measurable learning outcomes that can be more readily interpreted and implemented by faculty. College biology educators representing over 250 institutions, including 73 community colleges, contributed to the development and validation of the guide. Our grassroots approach during the development phase engaged over 200 educators over the course of five iterative rounds of review and revision. We then gathered evidence of the BioSkills Guides content validity using a national survey of over 400 educators. Across the 77 outcomes in the final draft, rates of respondent support for outcomes were high (74.3% - 99.6%). Our national sample included college biology educators across a range of course levels, subdisciplines of biology, and institution types. We envision the BioSkills Guide supporting a variety of applications in undergraduate biology, including backward design of individual lessons and courses, competency assessment development, curriculum mapping and planning, and resource development for less well-defined competencies.

scientific communication and education↗

bioRxiv2021

Using Stakeholder Insights to Enhance Engagement in PhD Professional Development

There is increasing awareness of the need for predoctoral and postdoctoral professional development and career guidance, however many academic institutions are only beginning to build out these functional roles. As a graduate career educator, accessing the vast silos and resources at a university and with industrial partners can be daunting, yet collaborative endeavors and network development both on and off campus are crucial to the success of any career and professional development office. To better inform and direct the efforts of graduate career offices, forty-five stakeholders external and internal to academic institutions were identified and interviewed to gather and categorize perspectives on topics critical to career and professional development offices. Using a stakeholder network visualization tool developed by the authors, stakeholder engagement can be rapidly assessed to ascertain areas where offices have strong connections and other areas where additional efforts could be directed to enhance engagement. General themes from interviews with internal and external stakeholders are discussed to provide graduate career educators with various stakeholder subgroup perspectives to help prepare for successful interactions. Benefits include increased engagement and opportunities to collaborate, as well as the opportunity to build or expand graduate career development offices.

scientific communication and education↗