Course Based Undergraduate Research

There is a great deal of evidence on the benefits of engaging students in undergraduate research experiences. Involvement in undergraduate research is linked to positive outcomes such as increased retention, greater acquisition and application of knowledge, and higher rates employment and acceptance into graduate school. Additionally, students improve “soft skills” such as problem-solving, communication, and teamwork (Osborn & Karuckstis, 2009). Generally, participation in research can improve science literacy, leading to a more informed citizenry. However, undergraduate research experiences are often limited to students who are aware of the benefits and have the time and means to participate. Additionally, the mentor-mentee model traditionally associated with undergraduate research can be labor intensive, thus faculty are only able to offer these experiences to a limited number of students (Dolan & Weaver, 2021). While not every course is conducive to research, there are opportunities to provide students with authentic research experiences throughout the curriculum. Please see the following list of resources for suggested readings on the value of undergraduate research.

Dolan, E. L., & Weaver, G. C. (2021). A guide to course-based undergraduate research : developing and implementing CUREs in the natural sciences. W.H. Freeman.

Osborn, J. M. & K. K. Karukstis. (2009). The benefits of undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity. In M. K. Boyd & J. L. Wiseman (Eds.) Broadening participation in undergraduate research: Fostering excellence and enhancing the impact (pp. 41-53). Council on Undergraduate Research.

1. Altman, J. D., Chiang, T.-M., Hamann, C. S., Makhluf, H., Peterson, V., & Orel, S. E. (2019). Undergraduate research: A road map for meeting future national needs and competing in a world of change [White paper]. Council on Undergraduate Research. https://www.cur.org/download.aspx?id=4393
   Brief white paper about the importance of undergraduate research for college completion and preparation of students for the workforce. A quick read about why URSCA is important for our students.


2. Ballentine, B. C. (2022). Undergraduate research and the enrollment crisis in English literature: Four lessons from the sciences. Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture, 22(1), 43–60. https://xavier.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mzh&AN=202223964199&site=eds-live&scope=site
   Article about undergraduate research experiences in English literature.


3. Dean, J. M., & Kaiser, M. L. (2010). Faculty-student collaborative research in the humanities. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 30(3), 43–47. https://xavier.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edo&AN=50422516&site=eds-live&scope=site
   Discusses undergraduate research experiences in the humanities and associated challenges.


4. Doyle, M. P. (2000). Academic excellence the role of research in the physical sciences at undergraduate institutions. Research Corp. https://rescorp.org/gdresources/publications/academic_excellence.pdf


5. Hernandez, P. R., Woodcock, A., Estrada, M., & Schultz, P. W. (2018). Undergraduate research experiences broaden diversity in the scientific workforce. BioScience, 68(3), 204-211. https://xavier.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=vsh&AN=128250294&site=eds-live&scope=site.
   Article about how undergraduate research experiences lead to greater persistence of underrepresented students in STEM fields.


6. Lopatto, D. (2010). Science in Solution : the impact of undergraduate research on student learning. Council on Undergraduate Research. https://xplore.xavier.edu/record=b1650215
   Seven chapters about outcomes of undergraduate research for students. Lopatto developed the original SURE survey examining the impact of summer research experiences and then expanded that survey to include Course-Based research experiences (CUREs). Chapter 2 describes feature of Undergraduate research. Chapter 3 is specifically about the benefits of undergraduate research for students. Chapter 6 is called “The teaching scholar”. This chapter discusses how teaching and research are really two sides of the same coin. Each benefits and is a part of the other.


7. Morrison, J. A., Barthell, J.F., Boettcher, A., Bowne D., Nixon C., Resendes K. K., & Strauss-Soukup J. (2019). Recognizing and valuing the mentoring of Undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity by faculty members: Workload, tenure,promotion, and award systems [White paper]. Council on Undergraduate Research. https://www.cur.org/cur_white_paper_no2/#TB_inline?height=230&width=500&inlineId=tb_external&linkId=2
   Another white paper focusing on the importance of recognizing faculty for their involvement in URSCA. Provides some best practices for institutions to adopt to promote URSCA involvement by faculty. An important follow up to the Altman et al. white paper.


8. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Undergraduate research experiences for STEM students: Successes, challenges, and opportunities. National Academies Press. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24622/undergraduate-research-experiences-for-stem-students-successes-challenges-and-opportunities
   Substantial book about Undergraduate Research from NAS. Chapters include: 2) Heterogeneity of Undergraduate Research Experiences: Characterizing the Variability; 3) Undergraduate Research Experiences in the Larger System of Higher Education: A Conceptual Framework; 4) Research Documenting Student Participation in UREs; 5) The Role of Mentoring; 6) Faculty Impact and Needs; 7) Need for Research about UREs; 8) Considerations for Design and Implementation of UREs; 9) Conclusions and Recommendations.


9. Nolan, J. R., McConville, K. S., Addona, V., Tintle, N. L., & Pearl, D. K. (2020). Mentoring undergraduate research in statistics: Reaping the benefits and overcoming the barriers. Journal of Statistics Education, 28(2), 140–153. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10691898.2020.1756542 
    Article that discusses benefits and challenges of undergraduate research in the statistics field.


10. Osborn, J. M. & K. K. Karukstis. (2009). The benefits of undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity. In M. K. Boyd & J. L. Wiseman (Eds.) Broadening participation in undergraduate research: Fostering excellence and enhancing the impact (pp. 41-53). Council on Undergraduate Research. https://xplore.xavier.edu/record=b1650217
    Chapter discusses the benefits of URSCA for each party involved: students, faculty, and institutions. This is a good place to start for why we should be doing URSCA.


11. Tobias, S. (1990). They're not dumb, they're different: Stalking the second tier. Research Corporation. https://rescorp.org/gdresources/publications/Tobias-Sheila_Theyre-Not-Dumb.pdf.
    Book about second tier students and how they are different.