Dr. Michele Shuster

The war on cancer has been waged for nearly 40 years, yet the burden of cancer remains high, especially among minority and underserved populations. One strategy to make strides in the war on cancer and its disparate impacts is to increase the diversity of the cancer research workforce. We describe an approach to recruit a diverse population of future cancer researchers from an undergraduate student population at a minority-serving land grant institution. Specifically, we have addressed the following questions: given the dearth of published reports of undergraduate cancer courses, is it possible for undergraduates at a land-grant institution (rather than a research or medical institution) to successfully learn cancer biology from a lecture-based course

that does not have a laboratory component; can we develop a template that has the potential to be used by others in the development and implementation of an undergraduate cancer course; and can such a course stimulate interest in careers in cancer research? Based on a learning gains analysis, students were able to learn cancer content and related skills, and based on student surveys, student interest in the field of cancer research was stimulated by course participation. We have identified aspects of our course development process that were critical for the successful development, implementation and assessment of the course. Furthermore, we have identified areas for targeted learning gains improvements, and we have used this course as a teaching laboratory for researchers to gain teaching experience.

Shuster, M., and Peterson, K. (2009) Development, Implementation and Assessment of a Lecture Course on Cancer for Undergraduates. CBE-Life Sciences Education Vol 8: 193-202, Fall 2009.