# Mind the Gap: Addressing "Missing Pieces" in Neuroscience Curricula to Reinforce Research Rigor

> **NIH NIH UE5** · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · 2022 · $89,792

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The PhD Program in Neuroscience at Harvard University has been a leader in the development of
innovative curricula for training in research rigor, beginning with the creation, in June 2011, of the
course "Quantitative Methods for Biologists," led by Drs. Michael Springer and Richard Born. Since this
time, we have continued to develop curricula in this area, including specific instruction in research rigor
and reproducibility from a statistical perspective in the course "Thinking about data," taught by Dr. Born.
We propose to extend and enhance these efforts by developing teaching materials that will address
"missing pieces" in neuroscience curricula to reinforce research rigor: 1) identifying and eliminating
sources of bias in experimental design and analysis, 2) distinguishing experimental failures from
biological answers; 3) investigating the details and assumptions of analyses and 4) making coded
analyses reproducible. Our pedagogical approach will emphasize active learning and embedding
concepts within a specific neuroscience context to enhance student engagement, learning, and
retention. All units will feature interviews with diverse scientists to highlight the importance of the topic
and tutorials of varying difficulty focused on specific neuroscience examples. These tutorials will consist
of short animated videos to introduce key ideas, interactive visualizations, discussion questions, real
data when appropriate, and optional coding exercises, and will be available in various levels of difficulty
and assumed expertise. All units will include a “learner resources page” with summary notes, a
glossary, and pointers to further resources on the topic, as well as an instructor resources page with
sample lesson plans, assessment question banks, and downloadable content.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10513085
- **Project number:** 1UE5NS128294-01
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
- **Principal Investigator:** RICHARD T BORN
- **Activity code:** UE5 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $89,792
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-08-01 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10513085

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10513085, Mind the Gap: Addressing "Missing Pieces" in Neuroscience Curricula to Reinforce Research Rigor (1UE5NS128294-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10513085. Licensed CC0.

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