Because research deconstruction requires no laboratory infrastructure, it is an affordable and scalable strategy that may have value for a wide range of colleges and universities, including community colleges. We explored this possibility in 2018, by piloting a research deconstruction course at Santa Monica College, with support from the National Science Foundation. While initial data from the course was encouraging, enrollment was low, likely due to the course being an elective at both SMC and UCLA. Later that year, at a symposium associated with the NSF project, a suggestion was made to explore whether research deconstruction could be folded into existing courses that students already take for their majors. This proposal led to the Research Deconstruction and STEM Gateway Courses project, a multi-campus collaboration between investigators from UCLA, Santa Monica College, Glendale Community College and Fresno State, funded by the California Education Learning Lab.

The Research Deconstruction and STEM Gateway Courses project has developed research deconstruction modules for introductory biology and chemistry courses that serve as gateway courses for STEM majors, and general biology courses taken primarily by non-STEM majors. Each module is based on a pre-recorded research seminar and includes other supporting materials, such as sample assignments or short video tutorials on concepts or techniques from the seminar. The modules have been implemented and assessed at Fresno State, Glendale Community College and Santa Monica College. Please visit our Resources tab to explore the modules.