Open Science: Reproducibility and Transparency in Undergraduate Biology

Project Team

  • Jason Pither, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science (Lead Applicant)
  • Mathew Vis-Dunbar, Data & Digital Scholarship Librarian, UBC Okanagan Library
  • Tristyn Hay, Laboratory Program Manager, Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
  • Tyler Donner, Laboratory Program Manager, Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
  • Robin Young, Assistant Professor of Teaching, Department of Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
  • Jordan Katchen, Undergraduate student, Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science

Themes

  • OER
  • Program Development and Transformation
  • Teaching Resources

Year

2023

About the Project

This proposed project is a continuation of existing activities by the application team. The goal is to integrate the principles and practices of Open Science throughout the undergraduate Biology curriculum.

Open Science (OS) describes science that is transparent, reproducible, respectful, and inclusive. Transparency and reproducibility are achieved through practices such as literate programming, whereby students fully document their workflow and decision-making alongside analysis code, and collectively these are compiled into reports that simultaneously communicate inputs, process, and outputs.  Respect and inclusivity in part means engaging students with the impacts of research on the broader community and shifting the paradigm of research away from researcher and subject to embracing the role of subjects as stakeholders in the research process.  These learning opportunities will benefit our Biology graduates regardless of their future endeavours, and will help them stand out among their nation-wide peers.

The project is multifaceted in its approach. First, existing lab materials, activities, and assignments are reviewed, and opportunities identified to introduce

  1. standardized language addressing the tenets of OS;
  2. examples that address inclusivity and diversity;
  3. assignments applying best practices in OS; and
  4. marking schemes that themselves embody these practices.

Second, these materials are being migrated to an online platform that allows for discrete connections between courses within the Biology programs, eliminating redundancies and re-enforcing curricular connections.

Third, a network map of key concepts related to OS Open Science across the curriculum is being created, to facilitate faculty and students making connections across the program.

 

Awarded in the 2022 Program Development and Redesign Stream

Additional Information