Cross-Disciplinary CURE Program Increases Educational Aspirations in a Large Community College

Undergraduate research experiences have been widely demonstrated as a beneficial and essential component of the college experience. However, many community colleges face barriers and lack of support in implementing such research programs, which means a significant number of community college student...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:CBE - Life Sciences Education 2023-06, Vol.22 (2), p.ar21-ar21
Main Authors: Meyer, Rika, Sohani, Madhura, Alvares, Stacy M, Hunt, Katharine, Sciabarra, Christina, Gapinskim, Jacqueline Goeres
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Aspiration
Barriers
College Faculty
Community College Students
Community Colleges
Correlation
Curriculum
Educational Measurement
Humans
Interdisciplinary Approach
Learning Experience
Outcomes of Education
Program Development
Program Effectiveness
Research Skills
Research Training
Self Esteem
Special Issue on Community College Biology Education Research
Student Attitudes
Student Surveys
Students
Teacher Student Relationship
Universities
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Summary:Undergraduate research experiences have been widely demonstrated as a beneficial and essential component of the college experience. However, many community colleges face barriers and lack of support in implementing such research programs, which means a significant number of community college students miss out on these impactful experiences. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) represent a feasible way to increase access to research experiences within community colleges. To investigate whether these CURE opportunities resulted in comparable to 4-year university CURE students, a CURE program was developed across various disciplines in a large community college and the impact on community college students was assessed. Analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data showed that students reported improvement in research skills, increases in confidence, and increases in educational aspirations. Peer interactions and instructor relationships in CUREs were identified as key factors associated with increases in research skills. Key factors associated with increases in educational aspirations included confidence in research-based courses, seeking additional research opportunities, and building a meaningful relationship with the instructor, but only if confidence increased as well. Our findings indicate that CUREs positively impact student outcomes in the community college setting and may provide increased access to research experiences.
ISSN:1931-7913
1931-7913
DOI:10.1187/cbe.21-09-0258