Biology student bases research on her experiences as a peer mentor

Biology student bases research on her experiences as a peer mentor

SummerFellow-KassandraGlover

Kassandra Glover decided on the topic for her Summer Fellows research project during her time spent working in the biology peer mentor program and doing an internship in the biology department that designated her the “lead” peer mentor.

While serving as a peer mentor for both Bio 105 and Bio 112, Glover noticed that the attitudes of the incoming biology students differed from her own attitude as well as those of her fellow peer mentors.

“I have a passion for biology and all the fascination that it holds, while the freshmen viewed it as a tough course that wasn’t particularly enjoyable,” said Glover. “This led me to wonder if the reason for the difference in attitudes was because of my interest in the subject and the prolonged experience I have had with the skills I learned in the courses or if there was another outside reason for the students to feel this way.”

For her research this summer, Glover gave a survey to all the students who took Bio 105 in order to compare their answers to those they gave immediately after finishing the course and those they gave after taking Bio 112. She hopes to determine if there is a statistical pattern or demographic correlation between how students felt when they took the course and how they feel about it now that they are further in their collegiate career.

A junior biology major, Glover serves as the president of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority and as a member of Beta Beta Beta (the biology honor society), the Spanish club, and the pharmacy club.

When asked why her research is important, Glover said, “The Bio 105 program here at PC is somewhat unique in that it practices a different sort of teaching style. If the skills learned from this teaching style are further promoting the education of our students, this should be expanded. On the other hand, perhaps there is something about the program that should be changed based on student perception.”

Glover plans to attend pharmacy school after graduating and hopes to utilize her summer research to further her background in statistical analysis.

“This research is important to me because I spent a lot of time with the students taking Bio 105 and 112,” said Glover. “I want them to learn something valuable even if they feel that they won’t ever use the subject again. I want the students to be able to take away something that will help them better their education and that they can take into whatever field they pursue.”

 


 

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