Investigating the Development of Team Science Skills and an Improved Understanding of Multidisciplinary Research through Parallel Courses in Biology, Geology, and Environmental Engineering

Conducting Research with Human Participants is presented as an institutional review board (IRB) guide for students and faculty alike. The format is one of a textbook, with learning objectives at the beginning and a chapter summary at the end of each chapter. Chapter summaries are helpful and succinct. They are followed by “Questions to Ask Yourself” that allow readers to reflect on their own previous and current experiences. Finally, “Concepts in Focus for your IRB Work” provides a further distillation of the topics discussed in the chapter.

In this study, the Research Methods Sequence (RMS) courses in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences at California Baptist University were evaluated. There were two central aims in the study. First, the effectiveness of the RMS courses in developing students’ research skills and perceptions of the research process were assessed. Second, the investigator explored significant factors in the success of research experience in an undergraduate program. It was found that the RMS courses improved students’ proficiency in research-related skills. Students reported gains in thinking and working like a scientist, personal gains related to research work, gains in research skills, and gains in knowledge about and attitude toward research. Furthermore, out-of-course research activities and mentor relationships contributed to the success of the undergraduate research experience.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many undergraduate internships, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) programs, were canceled or moved online. Although several studies have examined student success during the online transition, less research has examined how REU programs have changed from this experience, the ongoing and novel challenges, and strategies that program coordinators employed to overcome them. To investigate this gap, REU site programs were surveyed in the NSF Geosciences (GEO) Directorate, with findings that many students declined participation after having been accepted into programs, and that there were difficulties accessing institutional support services and meeting changing student needs. Despite these challenges, nearly all respondents reported program satisfaction, with several indicating the importance of GEO REU community support. Overall, REU coordinator resilience appears to be a major factor in program success.

Undergraduate research offers a significant avenue for enhancing the engagement and skill development of underrepresented students, particularly those from BIPOC backgrounds. This study conducted at Penn State University aimed to illuminate the challenges faced by BIPOC students in their pursuit of undergraduate research opportunities and promote diversity and inclusivity within research programs. Through interviews and surveys, the research team discovered that students often grapple with uncertainty when seeking research prospects, with disparities in access to information. They also highlighted the importance of faculty mentorship, particularly from individuals with shared backgrounds. Although opinions on the influence of race or ethnicity on research experiences varied, the study emphasized the need for tailored support and proactive outreach efforts to improve the accessibility of undergraduate research resources.

This article describes the Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP), a mentored undergraduate research experience implemented in 2017 at a public land-grant institution located in the Appalachian region. The article focuses on RAP’s approach to recruiting, retaining, and supporting students in faculty-mentored research and creative inquiry. To assess the impact of RAP on undergraduate retention, institutional data were collected to identify RAP participants from the years 2017 to 2022 (n = 868) to compare next-year retention rates with institutional averages across similar demographic groups. The results showed that retention rates for RAP participants were significantly higher than institutional averages, and disaggregated data also showed higher retention rates for participants from historically marginalized populations. These results provide evidence of the program’s contribution to the educational development of the Appalachian region.

This study investigates the impact of community college students’ participation in mentored undergraduate research, with an emphasis on STEM transfer students. The STEM Academic Research and Training (START) program at Wake Technical Community College was designed and implemented by community college faculty and staff and was evaluated in a randomized control trial. Early evidence showed statistically significant positive effects on students’ attitudes toward STEM.

The benefits of undergraduate research experiences are well documented, yet few studies focus on programs designed to support students conducting research in the fields of humanities, arts, and social sciences. In this study, the authors examine learning experiences of students participating in the undergraduate research programs (URP) at UCLA, which support students conducting multiterm research or creative projects with faculty mentors. Drawing on data from students who participated in URP from 2015 to 2022 (N = 431), findings indicated that URP offered students structure, resources, mentorship, and peer networks to help them succeed. Further, students made significant gains in feeling connected to the research community and reported that undergraduate research was an important component of their academic career.

ConnectUR is a relatively new annual conference from the Council on Undergraduate Research that brings together all professional constituencies related to undergraduate research. This commentary offers context for the importance, potential impact, and evolutions of ConnectUR as the most inclusive and complete event for leaders in all areas related to undergraduate research.

The dual mission of the Council of Undergraduate Research, to both stimulate the rigorous assessment of undergraduate research programs and encourage models of undergraduate research programs, presents challenges for assessment. This commentary observes the directions taken by assessment when pursuing either a theoretical model of undergraduate research or a role model of undergraduate research. The first direction suggests the goal of generalizable findings afforded by sophisticated quantitative methods. The second direction suggests the goal of transferable programs evaluated with simpler approaches including mere description, graphical presentation, and the evaluation of ostensible confounding variables as support factors for the success of the program. The diversity of undergraduate research and creative inquiry programs points toward the use of student self-disclosures as direct measures of the student experience.