In my lab, we work on both basic evolutionary ecology research and discipline-based education research related to course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in laboratory courses. Recently, students in my lab have been investigating the role of diet on the microbiome in the bean beetle (Callosobruchus maculatus) model system.
My discipline-based education research currently focuses on how aspects of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) influence student outcomes. We are investigating the importance of student autonomy in framing research questions on student self-efficacy and science identity, and whether these relationships vary among students, institutions, and course levels. To this end, in collaboration with Dr. Nicole Gerardo at Emory and Dr. Larry Blumer at Morehouse College, we have developed a national-level CURE exploring the microbiome of the bean beetle Callosobruchus maculatus (The Bean Beetle Microbiome Project).
Finally, I am a member of the Four Dimensional Ecology Education Framework sub-committee of the Ecological Society of America (ESA) and the lead editor of Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology (TIEE), a peer-review journal of practice in ecology education supported by ESA. I am also actively involved in the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE), an international professional organization for faculty who teach biology laboratory courses at the college and university level.
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Dr. Christopher Beck
Professor of Pedagogy
Department of Biology
Emory University
1510 Clifton Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30322
christopher [dot] beck [at] emory [dot] edu