Faculty Perspectives on Developing and Teaching Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences

Abstract

National calls for the transformation of undergraduate biology education have recommended the integration of research experiences into the undergraduate curriculum. Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have emerged as a model by which to offer research experiences to all students. Studies have demonstrated that students benefit in multiple ways from CUREs, but little is known regarding how faculty benefit. This study presents the first qualitative investigation into the perspectives of a diverse group of faculty members who have developed and taught CUREs stemming from their own research interests. The faculty participants reported a number of faculty benefits that can result from a CURE, identified a variety of challenges to implementing CUREs, and speculated about the attributes of a successful CURE instructor. Altogether, our findings could be a way to promote the widespread implementation of CUREs.