Conducting Authentic Collaborative Research in Undergraduate Biology Courses Using the Open Science Framework

 

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2016, Volume 37

Anne B. Allison

Abstract

The Open Science Framework (OSF) is a free, online research management tool, currently in beta release from the nonprofit Center for Open Science. The OSF may soon interface with scientific journals to allow access beyond supplementary material to original raw data associated with a publication. Here, the OSF is used in an alternative way to manage authentic research projects in undergraduate lab curricula. A project from an upper level cell biology course is presented to demonstrate how the OSF 1) helps faculty manage many students working on an authentic research project, and 2) helps students practice rigorous, transparent scientific reporting.

Keywords:  collaboration, authentic research, Open Science Framework/OSF, Blind Overlapping Data Collection/Analysis, Research Workflow, Research Lifecycle, Best Scientific Practices

Boston University (2015)