Developing Undergraduate Research at Community Colleges: Tapping the Potential of All Students
The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) in collaboration with the National Council of Institutional Administrators (NCIA) received a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Course, Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement (NSF-CCLI) program to build a foundation of knowledge and the resources upon which a vision of undergraduate research at community colleges can be constructed by providing workshops for community colleges considering or just beginning undergraduate research programs, employing expert presenters to help participants plan changes at their institutions and address implementation issues.
The campus workshops were the cornerstones of this grant. The workshops were designed to assist community colleges to develop effective and sustainable undergraduate research programs. The workshop curriculum was developed to take into account the specific needs and characteristics of community colleges including setting a mission that emphasizes teaching over research, five course teaching loads, commuter students who may have full-time jobs and families, and the career preparation and transfer needs of students. Integration of undergraduate research experiences into the curriculum is a powerful way to introduce community college students to undergraduate research and will be a major component of the workshop curriculum. Articulation and funding were also be workshop topics.
Conference Dates:
| October 1-3, 2010 | Malcolm X College | Chicago, IL |
| November 5-6, 2010 | Southern Maine Community College | South Portland, ME |
| November 18-20, 2010 | Eastview Campus–Austin Community College | Austin, TX |
| February 4-6, 2011 | Mesa Community College | Phoenix, AZ |
| March 4-6, 2011 | Jefferson State Community College | Birmingham, AL |
| April 1-3, 2011 | Edmonds Community College | Lynnwood, WA |
| September 24-26, 2011 | Rural Community College Alliance | Oklahoma City, OK |
| October 7-9, 2011 | North Hennepin Community College | North Brooklyn Park, MN |
| November 18-20, 2011 | J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College | Richmond, VA |
| February 3-5, 2012 | Irvine Valley Community College | Irvine, CA |
| March 2-4, 2012 | Queensborough Community College | New York City, NY |
| April 27-29, 2012 | Johnson County Community College | Kansas City, KS |
Participant Materials and Models:
A Model for the Implementation and Engagement of Independent Research by Community College Students
NSF’s Division of Undergraduate Education: Opportunities for Community Colleges (PowerPoint)