Keywords

1 Introduction

The spread of “COVID-19” around the world has negatively affected all aspects of life, especially the education process. Education during the Corona pandemic period was a great challenge for both teachers and students. To meet this challenge, attention must be paid to developing students’ scientific skills in the various fields of science and technology. This requires focusing on technology education because of its crucial role in developing and building the educational process during the pandemic [1].

The main mission of education is to train young minds to solve real-life problems and enhance self-learning which is the most crucial outcome in all educational programs especially in the post-COVID-19 era. As it is known in conventional knowledge-based education, knowledge is mostly delivered in modules/courses without clear and direct association between them [1]. Mostly, academic courses are offered on problem-based learning (PBL) or team-based learning (TBL) where known solutions to problems (or cases) are investigated constructively by students [2,3,4,5,6]. Research-Based learning (RBL) relies solely on actual complex problems with compound solutions and investigation and peer led team learning (PLTL) can be easily adopted [7] over the years of studies. Hence, life-long experience in research shall be established. Such an approach is deemed essential during and after the Corona pandemic. It cannot be denied that courses and modules in knowledge-based learning are sequential and complementary; however, solving compound scientific problems through sequential/parallel educational process has not been widely implemented in the higher education at the undergraduate level. In the past few years, students in the applied science field at higher educational institutions became less interested in pursuing science education as it is evident by sharp decrease in retention rates. The latter is evident by lack of interest and motivation, especially in areas of basic sciences, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and to a lesser extent biology. While there are several factors contributing to such phenomena, one of the prominent factors is the inability of students to link content and topics taken in such courses to real-life problems and applications. In addition, students fail to see the connection of these topics to job markets and employability readiness or opportunities. These factors are considered as the main reasons for such loss of interest in basic sciences, which focuses on the inability to present the overall role of collective science fields in solving and understanding real-life problems through the applications of scientific research methods. In addition, and more importantly, students fail to connect what they cover to employment credentials and job readiness. Therefore, program and curriculum designers must consider these issues and provide creative teaching and learning approaches that highlight the importance of such fields in interesting and attractive styles. Instructional delivery and course outcome need to address these concerns. One approach which has proven to be amazingly effective is to allow students to get actively involved and take part in the learning process. The latter has been identified in Blooms taxonomy, which allows them to apply, analyze, and evaluate. After the COVID-19 experience with remote and hybrid learning, students became very dynamic, and so should our educational systems and approaches. Student experience and expectations have changed due to exposure to technologically driven and globalized education. The boundaries between the educational stages (or levels) are changing rapidly and what is expected from high school graduates does not reflect their actual competencies and abilities. Nowadays, students are learning basic principles of chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology at exceedingly initial stages and students can reason hypothetically and deductively [1]. By the time students reach high school, they already possess a certain level of scientific maturity due to accessibility to all kinds of scientific information. This allows educators at postsecondary institutions to introduce creative teaching and learning approaches and models that cater to students taking more prominent at all levels of the education process. At the University of Sharjah, involving students in research at preliminary stages has been identified as one of the key strategies in post-COVD-19. The aim is to involve students in scientific research at the initial stages of their university education deems logical through the incorporation of scientific research as a clearly defined component in the course and curriculum design, educational outcomes, and deliveries. Scientific research projects are also clearly defined and tailored on a customized basis that fits the ability and the interest of students.

2 Methodology

The concept of designing a research-oriented curriculum, course, and RBL starts by introducing a single mandatory course of “Transferable Skills for Scientific Research”. Then the application of such an approach can be implemented via three distinct levels such as intra-departmental research-oriented curriculum, Departmental/program research-oriented curriculum, and Course oriented research. Figure 1 represents the general design of RBL into the curriculum starting by identifying research priority at the National level to course design and implementation.

Fig. 1
A flow diagram of R B L general design has the following labels. National research priority, institutional, departmental, faculty, student, formulating common research theme, compiling research project, courses 1 to 4, and formal research production, interims slash final.

The research problem design that starts with national research priority

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2.1 Transferable Skills

The Transferable skills for scientific research will be designed to introduce newly admitted students to scientific research methodologies, skills required for conducting scientific research, and well-defined problems that shall be addressed over the years of acquiring knowledge. The transferable skills course shall act as the road map for students to use the appropriately guided education in scientific research. The difference between the “Transferable Skills for Scientific Research” and the “Transferable Skills” courses is that the former shall clearly define the research projects of interests (National, institutional, Departmental, or individual) [8]. The national research interest is defined by the national authorities as important problems to tackle and resolve and is stated in the government's strategic plan. The institutional and departmental research interests are subsets of the national research interest where the projects are bound with the infrastructure and the skills of faculty members and researchers who belong to such institutions /Departments. The individual research projects reflect the interest of the individual (students or Faculty member) whose research interest and expertise falls beyond the national interest like resolving an abstract problem in mathematics.

The structure for the proposed syllabus for “Transferable Skills for Scientific Research” shall follow the following timetable:

  • Week 1: Introduction to scientific research methodologies. This includes various steps involved in research and experimental design, data analysis, presentation, and reporting.

  • Week 2–3: Introduction to editing tools used in scientific research; Chemdraw, mathcad, AutoCad, EndNote, MS office, Databases, Simulations protocols, overview of instrumentations, and related techniques.

  • Week 4–6: Writing research proposal and grants [9].

  • Week 7–10: Documenting and processing scientific results through mini-projects.

  • Week 11–16: Presentations and round table discussions about specific research projects.

  • Assessment tools:

    • Comprehensive proposal about selected research project (50%)

    • Exams, Quizzes, assignments (50%)

Detailed syllabi are program specific and what is presented here is a generic structure for mere illustration purposes [10].

2.2 Aspects of Research-Oriented Curriculum

During the delivery of the “Transferable research skills course”, the three aspects of Research oriented academic structure and curriculum shall be presented in the following approach.

2.2.1 Intra-Departmental Research-Oriented Curriculum

As the scientific academic programs are clearly overlapping, it will be beneficial to define interdisciplinary research projects that can be executed and supervised through many Departments and academic units [2, 11, 12]. As an example of such an approach is to address the issue of sustainability through common complementary projects between Applied Science and Engineering Departments [13]. For example, in a typical joint project, scientists shall explore new material for harvesting energy and engineering looks for design, applications, and feasibilities as shown in Fig. 2. A similar example, cases or problems can be easily created in applied sciences courses taught in the medical and health sciences colleges with the aim of addressing issues in both disciplines in the form of creative research-driven projects. These approaches are of great national interest and align with the latest United Arab Emirates reforms in postsecondary education in general and in applied sciences. The objective of such reforms is to allow students to get involved in creative innovative projects as early as the second and third year of their academic programs. All intra-disciplinary projects are well defined, and the research components shall be clearly defined and implemented either in the courses or in the program design and delivery. The knowledge and skills components of the educational outcome are clearly defined by the program QA and additional research outcomes are incorporated and assessed. The initiative is designed to introduce micro-credentials that include various skills such as presentation and communication, scientific write-up and reporting as well experimental design. The research-related activities shall be on a continuum trend to achieve the fruit of research strain by the time the student graduates. Instead of conducting research only in the capstone modules, research outcome will the product of continuous training and investigation over the years of study. Challenges are expected, especially when the research objectives are not clearly identified and properly structured (or outlined). Students will be allowed to work on projects that serve the outcome of interlinked courses throughout the entire program (study plan). Even though this may be considered a challenge, it is important to allow students to work in projects that can be extended beyond one course, which will enable institutions to move into the era of personalized or custom-made curriculum where the specific interest of the student, the nation and the institute is to be addressed. Each student shall have a specific problem to understand and resolve during his/her course of studies. In such a model, all academic and research activities of the students shall be advised and monitored through the assigned academic/research advisors.

Fig. 2
A flow diagram includes energy conservation and production, sustainability and harvesting energy, renewables, physics, chemistry, production and fabrication of solar cells, fabrications, analyses of band structures, synthesis of electron harvesting material, and formal research productions.

Example of integration energy-oriented project between different departments

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2.2.2 Inter-Departmental Research-Oriented Curriculum

The Departmental/program research-oriented curriculum is implemented the same way as the intra-departmental concept; that research project is solely supervised, assessed, and monitored within the department. The initiation of such programs starts with the students taking the “Transferable Research Skills” course. After that, the student shall be advised by his/her advisor to define the research component in every major course in the field. For example, Fig. 2, a student who wishes to address the UAE national interest in diabetes must define related contribution to the problem's solution from most courses he/she will take during the study.

In the transferable course, the problem shall be clearly defined along with the related issues. In the introductory courses, understanding of chemical equilibrium principles and the acid/base behavior on insulin functionality. In the level 2 courses, the thermodynamically/kinetically controlled process to be discussed along with the insight of functionality and identity of the active centers. In the third level courses, study the activity and selectivity of selected related enzymes. In the 4th level courses, students shall design and synthesize chemical inhibitors/initiator of some enzymes related to diabetes. At this stage, the scientific problem is well defined, and findings must be reported. The end results must lead to publication in scientific journals as pioneer research work along with a comprehensive thesis. Consequently, the senior research project courses shall be integrated within the curriculum over the years.

While the supervisor prepares a set of projects that serve the model, students with high intellectual capacities and mature research ideas shall be given the opportunity to select their own projects. The research advisors shall guide such students to formulate their individual research plan. A proposal compiled by the student can be submitted to the research council within the Department to be assessed and appropriate recommendations shall be provided.

The research-oriented course can be applied in two ways:

  • Through a specific problem assigned to students individually and must understand and solve such problems during the course. The instructor shall break down a complex problem into small modules which will be assigned to students. At the end of the semester, the students shall integrate all their findings into a single report/presentation. For example, Fig. 3, a case study was advised in the Physical Chemistry 2 course where students compiled a single report about Alzheimer’s disease, potential cause at the molecular level, identification of related substrates, proteins and enzymes and potential inhibitors using principles of thermodynamic and kinetics (Fig. 4).

    Fig. 3
    A flow diagram of the model has the following labels. Diabetes is a national threat to public health in the U S E, institutional, departmental, faculty, drug design for diabetes, physical chemistry 1, binding energy, electron transfer, the energy of formations, and formal research productions.

    Model for fostering research related to diabetes in line with UAE national interest

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    Fig. 4
    A flow diagram includes the definition of Alzheimer's disease as a major threat to national health in the United Arab Emirates, institutional, departmental, faculty, and functionally of insulin at the molecular level, which is mapped with course content as chapter by chapter, student, physical chemistry, mechanism structure, enzyme, inhibitor design, and report.

    Model for fostering research related to Alzheimer's disease in line with institutional interest

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  • Through a specific problem to be addressed in all academic courses during the same academic year. The research council of the department shall define a complex problem to be addressed by students enrolled in level 2, 3, and 4 courses. At the end of the year, all findings shall be presented in a research forum along with proper recommendations and further action plans. Multiple departments and academic units can identify common problems. Students are treated as if they are graduates with a clear focus on research and research methods. The outcome of such an approach is preparing students to pursue their future career in research and development sector.

  • Through assigning each student a different problem based on their academic achievement and level of intellectually. At level 1 course, such problems may act as a stimulus for students who have not defined a problem to address yet.

3 Conclusion

Incorporating scientific research in our educational systems is highly needed to prepare future generations to excel in the areas which have not been explored yet. The world has many current problems along with emerging new ones, and to contribute to moderating such problems, scientific research should be a culture rooted in our youth at the undergraduate level. Adopting the RBL is extremely challenging and can be implemented as a formal part of curriculum of all undergraduate programs. As the main principle of the RBL is fostering long-life problem solving based on enhancing the soft skills of students, it is a well-fitted model for teaching/learning in the post-COVID-19 era.