Undergraduate research (UR) has long been acknowledged by the Council of Undergraduate Research (CUR), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other agencies as a high-impact practice in promoting student engagement, learning, attitude, and career choice. Higher ed institutions, and in particular Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs), have created variety of programs at all stages of a students’ academic career designed to support both the students and their faculty (or staff) mentor in UR, with a wide range of documented outcomes and successes. In has been thought that involving students in UR early (usually in their first or second semester at college) would lead to better outcomes, including increased persistence in major, better graduate rates, increased GPAs and others. At Albion College, the Foundation for Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity (FURSCA) has been supporting UR across all disciplines since 1999 through several programs, including the Student Research Partners Program (SRP). The SRP program recruits first-year students to work with faculty mentors on a variety of projects in all disciplines. We have undertaken a rigorous study of this first-year UR program through analysis of 20+ years of participation patterns and outcomes tracking, coupled with surveys of current faculty and student participants in the program. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we have found that participation in the SRP program does not lead to further participation in later UR opportunities, among other outcomes. In this presentation, we will present the results of our study and some of the next steps for FURSCA to undertake to reverse these outcomes.

Fostering professional development through undergraduate research: Supporting faculty mentors and their student researchers through early career initiatives

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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