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Undergraduate Research at Community Colleges: A Pathway to Achieve Student, Faculty, and Institutional Success

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Title: Undergraduate Research at Community Colleges: A Pathway to Achieve Student, Faculty, and Institutional Success
Language: English
Authors: Rosas Alquicira, Edgar F., Guertin, Laura, Tvelia, Sean, Berquist, Peter J., Cole, M. W.
Source: New Directions for Community Colleges. Fall 2022 (199):63-75.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2022
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Two Year Colleges
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Student Research, Educational Research, Community Colleges, College Curriculum, Holistic Approach
DOI: 10.1002/cc.20524
ISSN: 0194-3081
Abstract: This chapter examines undergraduate research (UR) from student, faculty, and institutional perspectives. We explore UR implementation models in community colleges, discuss selected examples of practice, present a summary of lessons learned, and make recommendations to advance UR and its early execution into the college curriculum from a holistic perspective.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2022
Accession Number: EJ1340368
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0157755437;0yg01sep.22;2022Jul04.07:24;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0157755437-1">Undergraduate research at community colleges: A pathway to achieve student, faculty, and institutional success </title> <sbt id="AN0157755437-2">INTRODUCTION</sbt> <p>This chapter examines undergraduate research (UR) from student, faculty, and institutional perspectives. We explore UR implementation models in community colleges, discuss selected examples of practice, present a summary of lessons learned, and make recommendations to advance UR and its early execution into the college curriculum from a holistic perspective.</p> <p>What can community colleges do to attract, retain, and improve transfer rates of students in all disciplines? One answer is to implement undergraduate research (UR), identified as an effective, high‐impact educational practice by the Association of American Colleges and Universities among others (Bauerle et al., 2009; Kuh, 2008; Lopatto, 2010). When students connect to their discipline through research, they feel more engaged and motivated. This connection has a positive impact on their retention rates, rate of graduation for first‐ and second‐year underserved minority students, and graduation rates (Carpi et al., 2017; Lopatto, 2004; Rodenbusch et al., 2016; Sithole et al., 2017). These positive impacts on students' success are the motivations that have inspired us to share our experiences as STEM faculty in this chapter.</p> <p>Defining "research" can be difficult. From the institutional or faculty perspectives, the term UR may have different meanings and approaches. The Council on Undergraduate Research defines UR as "A mentored investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduates that seek to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge" (Council of Undergraduate Research, 2022, para. 5). Beckman and Hensel (2009) argue that it may be best for each institution to formulate a definition for UR that best fits its campus culture and its unique institutional mission. Similarly, we suggest a broad definition, one that is most inclusive. A definition of UR may emphasize the knowledge, skills, and abilities that students' gain across a continuum, whereby the product may be an original contribution to the discipline or even one that is student‐ and process‐centered. Models of UR include, but are not limited to, course‐based undergraduate research (CURE), honors courses, independent study/research, internships, summer research experiences for Undergraduates (REUs or SURES), and partnerships.</p> <p>A growing consensus suggests that research can be used as a pedagogical tool, and that UR would be beneficial for community college students (Hensel & Cejda, 2015). According to Loppatto (2003), students who participated in UR (e.g., summer internships) gained the ability to learn a topic area in depth, apply knowledge, develop proficiency in laboratory practice and techniques, learn to work independently and design solutions, improve communication skills, learn what scientific research entails, and clarify career plans.</p> <p>Although UR tends to be largely associated with positive experiences and outcomes, it can also cause anxiety (Papanastasiou & Zembylas, 2008). For example, Gin et al. (2020) compared undergraduate biology students with varying levels of research anxiety and found that students with high research anxiety were less likely to publish or expect to publish a paper from their UR and were less likely to report intentions to pursue a science‐related research career.</p> <p>In this chapter, we present an overview of how UR may look for community college students, the importance of faculty to successfully mentoring UR, the positive impacts that UR has on students, and some examples of UR that have been implemented in two‐year colleges (2YCs). Next, we share our experiences implementing UR, highlighting the outcomes obtained. Finally, we comment on the lessons learned from implementing UR, and give our recommendations for faculty and institutions interested in adding UR into the college curriculum as part of their commitment to student success.</p> <hd id="AN0157755437-3">UR FROM THE FACULTY PERSPECTIVE</hd> <p>According to our experience, UR can be implemented in a variety of models. In these models, all students (CURE) or a few of them (Independent study/research) benefit from participating in the components of the research process through hands‐on or virtual projects. In addition, when implementing these UR models, we have experienced the excitement of sharing our professional goals and the joy of doing research.</p> <p>Interaction with students through the research process has been shown to enhance teaching as well as heighten personal satisfaction for faculty mentors. By engaging in UR, faculty mentors can initiate and/or continue a productive research agenda in tandem with their teaching responsibilities that allow them to stay up‐to‐date with discipline content and technology, as well as develop professional networks that enhance faculty and student opportunities. While many community colleges are actively engaged in UR (e.g., Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative, https://<ulink href="http://www.ccuri.us/),">www.ccuri.us/),</ulink> this practice is not universal since many community college faculty lack ongoing experience in research environments and have limited institutional resources or support for research activities. As a result, it is often challenging for community college faculty to envision and implement UR. Despite that, a recent study showed that the only factor that was correlated with faculty participation in mentoring undergraduate students was perceived institutional support (Davis et al. 2020). Regardless of the UR model selected, the design, implementation, and oversight are time‐consuming. Institutions and programs developing UR should ensure that faculty have the appropriate pedagogical and institutional resources available to accommodate the desired UR model.</p> <hd id="AN0157755437-4">UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH MODELS: OUR EXPERIENCES</hd> <p>Here we share our experiences implementing UR, highlighting the motivations, support, and barriers faced, and the skills that students gained by participating in UR. Our examples are arranged by topic.</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> <bold> CURE </bold> . In this UR model, the design of a course includes all students in a discovery‐based experience, engaging in components of the research process (e.g., literature reviews, hands‐on data collection, data analysis/interpretation, report writing, presentations). Peter Berquist describes field‐ and lab‐based research experiences he and his colleagues have embedded in geology courses, and Edgar Rosas Alquicira describes students in his courses participating in citizen science research through the online platform Zooniverse.</item> <p></p> <item> <bold> Research‐based activities in an honors course </bold> . In this UR model, a group of academically talented students is enrolled in the same course pursuing an area of academic interest at a level not offered in a non‐honors section of the same course. M. W. Cole describes a multi‐disciplinary honors course in which students collect and analyze data related to global warming.</item> <p></p> <item> <bold> Independent study/research </bold> . In this model of UR, a student pursues subject matter more deeply than offered in a course with the guidance of a faculty member, and typically for academic credit. Such independent research opportunities offer flexibility in design and outcomes. Laura Guertin works with students from a variety of majors in independent study projects, and Edgar Rosas Alquicira mentored a student writing a research proposal to NASA.</item> <p></p> <item> <bold> Partnerships with other institutions </bold> . Partnerships with other universities or laboratories can provide access to materials, facilities, and expertise not readily available to a specific campus. Such partnerships can take a variety of forms, as illustrated in the examples given by Peter Berquist and Sean Tvelia.</item> <p></p> <item> <bold> Professional development workshops for students </bold> . Sean Tvelia, in collaboration with colleagues from a local university, offers guided‐inquiry workshops that provide students at all academic levels the opportunity to explore areas of research while gaining critical science‐related skills.</item> </ulist> <hd id="AN0157755437-5">Course‐based undergraduate research (CURE)</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0157755437-6">Example 1. Peter Berquist and colleagues at Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC)</hd> <p>My colleagues and I have embedded research experiences within two courses, Historical Geology and Oceanography. Among the primary motivations for developing CUREs at VPCC was our desire to help improve student science‐literacy—to learn science by doing science—and to take advantage of the unique geologic setting near the campus. Over several semesters, my colleagues and I realized that for research experiences to be meaningful, they must be integrated throughout the course over the entire semester and in both lecture and lab. My colleagues and I refined our course schedules so that students develop experience with field and lab skills within the first half of the semester. The second half of the semester is dedicated to student research. Over the span of four–six weeks, students in groups of three to five sequentially develop a research question, articulate a plan for field and lab work, collect data/samples in the field, analyze samples in the lab, and compile their findings in a group presentation. Students are provided general research questions but must ultimately develop a more refined and specific question and approach. By the end of the term, each student has played a role in crafting the project, contributing field and lab observations, and presenting their results to their peers. As an instructor, this semester‐long approach integrating research into the course is exciting; week‐by‐week students become more familiar with approaching new questions and problems, are eager to acquire and apply new skills and techniques, and overall are more confident with their abilities, regardless of whether they plan to stay in the sciences or not. Additionally, the multifaceted demands of research mean that students with all backgrounds and abilities are able to contribute to their group's project in some way. This point is especially poignant for students who identify as "not good students" or "not good with science" and report at the end of the semester how much they benefited from and enjoyed learning in this format.</p> <hd id="AN0157755437-7">Example 2. Edgar Rosas Alquicira at Lane Community College (LCC)</hd> <p>I have implemented online CUREs in three introductory marine biology courses at Lane Community College (LCC). The CUREs are based on citizen science projects that are accessible through the Zooniverse platform (see https://<ulink href="http://www.zooniverse.org/">www.zooniverse.org/</ulink> for more details). Information available for each Zooniverse project includes the research goal and step‐by‐step virtual training so students can "adopt" a marine biology Zooniverse project that fits their interests and level of desired challenge (i.e., <emph>Penguin Watch</emph> or <emph>Seabird Watch or Spyfish Aotearoa</emph>). The goal of these CUREs is to build students' science identity through participating in a Zooniverse project. To guide students through the stages of research, they submit a biweekly progress report about the different stages of their research. The project progress report includes Zooniverse project selection, data collection (50 observations) and interpretation, description of the research question, hypothesis, methods, results, and references. Finally, students write a research report communicating their main findings.</p> <p>When implementing these CUREs, students faced the following challenges: selecting a Zooniverse project that they are not interested in or that requires a lot of time to: classify data, interpret patterns from chronologically organized data, search for and synthesize information related to their research project. They may also feel isolated and without peer support. To successfully mentor students to face these challenges, I recommend: guiding students in their selection of a Zooniverse project based on the challenges and benefits associated with it, teaching students how to analyze the collected data, providing timely feedback about students' questions, and suggesting key academic literature related to their research project. In addition, describing the specific pathways about how to search for academic journals (ex.: online LCC library, Google scholar), including research notes that former students have completed, and creating a virtual community where students share and provide feedback about their hypothesis and research questions can lead to successful projects. Feedback from students has been mostly positive; they expressed feeling more connected with class material, gained research skills, and explored new potential career pathways such as marine biology or oceanography.</p> <hd id="AN0157755437-8">Research‐based activities in an honors course</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0157755437-9">M.W. Cole (M. Will‐Cole) at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM)</hd> <p>Under this UR model, a group of academically talented students is enrolled in the same course pursuing an area of academic interest at a level not offered in a non‐honors section of the same course. To engage Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) students in research, I have developed a modified CURE (M‐CURE) as an honors course. I wanted the course to attract students across multiple STEM disciplines; hence, I selected the research theme of global warming, a topic that is both interdisciplinary and socially relevant. In designing this course, it was also important to make sure the course was congruent with the educational level of beginning college learners and CNM's student demographics. Thus, the course research elements were designed to be student‐ and process‐centered rather than solely outcome‐ or product‐centered.</p> <p>Students made discoveries by collecting and analyzing authentic data to produce results that were new to the student, but not necessarily unknown to the scientific community. For example, students investigated climate change using open‐access archived temperature data from the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). In this activity, students compiled the average annual and monthly temperature data for several locations within the United States and applied data‐graphical analysis and statistics to analyze, critically interpret, and compare/evaluate their data sets. The students expressed their time series findings and scientific evaluations of their work in both a written report and a presentation to their peers in a discussion‐based whole‐class forum. Using this research theme, for example, employing open‐access archived climate‐related data, the program was configured to provide 14 weeks of data‐rich, research‐based activities, where students learned how to approach a problem; develop a hypothesis; collect, and manipulate data in a spreadsheet; analyze, interpret, evaluate their data; and present their results in both written and oral formats.</p> <p>To improve students' learning experiences and support students' positive attitude towards science, through foundational topic familiarity, I integrated several core‐competency lessons on global warming that introduce and provided students with a solid understanding of the fundamental science concepts. In addition to research, two weeks of the 16‐week course were dedicated to workshop modules in which students performed science communication and professional skill‐development activities. These modules were intermittently introduced into the program covering topics such as: responsible conduct of scientific research, effective use of the literature, science communication, creating a resume, crafting a personal statement, and strategies for admission/scholarship applications and/or STEM jobs. The M‐CURE concluded in the 16th week with students presenting their research projects in both oral (Student Research Symposium with invitations to family, friends/peers, CNM faculty/administrators) and written formats.</p> <p>Through their research projects, students utilized and analyzed authentic data from reputable science open‐access sites and corelated their data set analyses to various aspects/impacts associated with global warming. A few examples of the student's research project titles include: "<emph>Analysis of the causes of ocean warmth and gauging the level of certainty</emph>," "<emph>Assessment of glacier recession and its impact on the Earth's oceans</emph>," "<emph>Atmospheric aerosols and their role in anthropogenic climate change</emph>," and "<emph>An evaluation of 70 years of NMs historical temperature data and its impact on vegetation</emph>." Upon completion of the Student Research Symposium, several students expressed that the oral presentation of their work to others was "an awesome way to celebrate their accomplishments" and "a fun experience." A pre‐ and post‐assessment, which evaluated students' learning/knowledge‐gain, acquisition of analytical and communication skills, and ability for translational problem solving, demonstrated that all students benefited in terms of their skills, knowledge, and abilities.</p> <p>To understand the benefits/impacts/challenges of the program from the student's perspective, I administered a survey/questionnaire. The findings demonstrated that all students gained a positive perception towards science/research and in terms of their sense of belonging, increased confidence, and self‐efficacy. This result is important as students with positive STEM experiences will likely continue pathways in STEM beyond 2YCs and ultimately into STEM careers. Finally, for me, the most important highlight of the M‐CURE was having students excited to pursue more STEM courses and transfer to four‐year institutions.</p> <hd id="AN0157755437-10">Independent study/research</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0157755437-11">Example 1. Laura Guertin at Penn State Brandywine</hd> <p>I have been mentoring student researchers for over 20 years in individual and group projects on campus and in the field by implementing an independent study at a two‐year campus in a four‐year (R1) institutional system. Students build foundational research skills in my introductory‐level earth science courses (oceanography, climate change, renewable energy, etc.) for nonscience majors. I invite students who were sparked by their course‐based experience, whether they were pursuing STEM degrees or not, to participate in semester or summer independent study.</p> <p>The research experience provides valuable skills that all students can build upon for their intended degree. For example, I had one student pursuing international politics who organized a community‐based discussion on global impacts and solutions to climate change, and another student pursuing secondary education who developed a Google Earth‐based curriculum to teach about field expeditions from a local science museum. Each project required these students to develop information literacy, data collection and analysis, and communication skills. I do not have a dedicated research space to work with students, so I use the campus library facilities for collaboration as well as online tools for virtual mentoring (Guertin, 2013). Whether it be students doing interviews for climate solutions being carried out in the state or monitoring the spatial and temporal properties of water quality in a stream running through campus, each student concludes their experience by writing an abstract and giving an elevator speech that summarizes their work. Many students have presented their work in campus‐to‐national conferences, and some have continued to collaborate with me in the publication of their research results (e.g., Nguyen & Guertin, 2020; Scholtz & Guertin, 2010).</p> <hd id="AN0157755437-12">Example 2. Edgar Rosas Alquicira at the Lane Community College (LCC)</hd> <p>I mentored an LCC biology undergraduate student as he submitted an experimental research proposal to a NASA call for community college students who was co‐sponsored by LCC. The independent study was developed over a 10‐week‐long term. During the first week, the student collected marine algae and cut algae discs. In the next two weeks, the student modified available equipment to let him manipulate the experimental parameters, prepare seawater, and run seawater nutrient analysis. In the next four weeks (eight hours per week), the student measured the algae discs, exchanged seawater, and performed seawater nutrient analysis. Finally, the student worked on the final report and presentation, which took about 20 hours. After completion of this study, the student commented that he gained experience writing a research proposal, maximizing college resources, and experiencing what it means to be a scientist.</p> <hd id="AN0157755437-13">Partnerships with other institutions</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0157755437-14">Example 1. Peter Berquist at Virginia Peninsula Community College</hd> <p>My colleagues and I have developed a robust relationship with a geology department, inspired initially by a Broader Impact effort from a research grant. Dr. Nicholas Balascio, a faculty member from William & Mary, a local four‐year college (4YC), reached out to explore a partnership to engage under‐represented students with research opportunities. Together we recognized the mutual benefits for our programs and students and the value of 2YCs in transfer and retention, especially among under‐represented individuals.</p> <p>Despite having very different professional backgrounds (one in structural geology, geochronology, and tectonics, and the other in paleoclimatology), we developed a program in which 2YC students spend a summer working in a lab at W&M with W&M faculty and students. We both pursued separate avenues for internal and external funding, specific to our different institutions, and developed a research project with funding for student stipends and shared material and analytical expenses. By keeping the initial program small (one or two students each year), we had the flexibility to adapt and modify expectations as needed. For example, although several 2YC students were interested in participating, most could not commit to working in a lab full‐time for the summer because of existing jobs and other commitments. Therefore, the requirements were modified from full‐time five days a week to one‐to‐two full‐time days per week during the summer and part‐time days throughout the semester.</p> <p>Collectively, we relied on our different backgrounds to craft research projects that addressed topics within our shared community. One project explored sedimentation rates within a tidal creek that had been used for various human activities for over 400 years and likely contained clues about climate change on the scale of thousands to tens‐of‐thousands of years ago (Berquist et al. 2019). We involved students in all aspects of the research, including collecting samples in the field, preparing and storing samples in the lab, analyzing samples and interpreting the data, and presenting at a professional conference (Berquist et al., 2020).</p> <p>This partnership was particularly exciting for me, as a 2YC faculty member, for three reasons. I connected with university faculty who shared similar goals of exposing students to authentic research, accessed sophisticated research equipment, and mentored students through an entire research project. As teaching‐focused institutions, 2YCs historically lack access and support for scientific research; my experience with this partnership reminded me of the joy of research and reinvigorated my career. The 2YC students who participated left equally motivated, and to date, all have transferred to 4YCs and remain within STEM fields.</p> <hd id="AN0157755437-15">Example 2. Sean Tvelia at Suffolk County Community College (SCCC)</hd> <p>I developed a partnership with Stony Brook University to enhance our program and to attract new majors. Geology majors at SCCC are only required to take two intro‐level geology courses. To keep majors engaged with the discipline throughout their two‐year experience, I created a series of programs that allowed students to take part in low‐stakes, no‐strings‐attached research and skills‐building activities developed under a previously funded NSF program (award# 1600353, GP EXTRA: Geoscience Educational Opportunities and Career‐Oriented Research Experiences).</p> <p>To ensure broad participation, each year I offered a number of projects with broad appeal and interests that can be researched locally such as ground and surface water pollution, Long Island glacial history, and, most recently, geology and Long Island's native cultures. Since SCCC students have little discipline‐specific geology coursework, all UR projects are designed such that students could use basic concepts to inform how they approached the project. All projects have a field component so that students can experience the processes and concepts being studied and all projects inform larger, ongoing research activities I am pursuing.</p> <p>To launch each project, students attend a pre‐field briefing where they meet outside partners, discuss the research question, determine what data need to be collected, plan specific goals for each field excursion, and determine the relevant health/safety requirements of the field site. During each field excursion, participants are paired and assigned a specific research task that is critical to the overall project. In many cases, these tasks require little to no previous experience, and when possible, less experienced students are paired with more experienced majors. At the end of each day, participants regroup to debrief and discuss findings from the day's work and discuss additional next steps for the project. In many cases, the questions asked during the debrief lead to individual student projects.</p> <p>Students can choose their level of involvement from one‐off experiences to full‐fledged research projects that are ultimately presented at regional and local geology conferences. Typically, students spend the first one or two semesters participating in one‐off experiences before engaging in individual projects. Students engaged in long‐term projects develop research posters that are displayed within the department and presented at local and regional conferences such as the Long Island Geologists conference on the Geology of Long Island and Metropolitan NY and the SUNY Undergraduate Research Conference.</p> <p>Partnering with Stony Brook University gave students access to instrumentation and facilities that do not exist at SCCC. Through this partnership, community college students worked directly with university faculty and students to learn geophysical techniques and to conduct geophysical surveys at each research site. The partnership helped expose community college students to new technologies and created a larger network of peer mentors that bridge the 2YC–4YC gap. Each year university faculty also led a one‐day workshop for SCCC geology majors to discuss the cultural differences between the two institutions and resources available to them during the transfer process. The attention provided to the 2YC students by the Stony Brook faculty greatly encouraged majors to persist and students looked forward to meeting and working with their university peers and faculty. Since beginning this partnership, the number of majors at SCCC have increased and transfers to geoscience programs at Stony Brook University have nearly doubled (NSF Award Abstract # 1600353 GP EXTRA: Geoscience Educational Opportunities and Career‐Oriented Research Experiences (GEOCORE).</p> <hd id="AN0157755437-16">Professional development workshops for students</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0157755437-17">Sean Tvelia at Suffolk County Community College</hd> <p>In an effort to attract a greater number of under‐represented minorities (URM) to science disciplines, my colleagues from Stony Brook University's department of Geosciences and I, with support of a grant from the National Science Foundation, implemented professional development‐style guided inquiry workshops designed to provide students at all academic levels with the ability to explore areas of research while gaining critical science‐related skills. These noncredit‐bearing professional development opportunities take the form of three‐to‐four hour workshops led by 2YC faculty, 4YC faculty, and industry professionals, and provide students training on essential skills such as MS Excel, GIS, and programming. Each workshop utilizes place‐based curriculums that allow participants to not only explore, learn, and practice new skills but also to contextualize their knowledge within the broader environmental context. For example, in the workshop Excel Basics for Science Majors, students learn basic operations of Excel while developing a plot of global temperature data downloaded directly from NASA. The interdisciplinary appeal of many of the workshops attracts a wide range of students from STEM and non‐STEM disciplines. These workshops routinely attract 10–15 participants. Though not a typical research experience, in each workshop, participants collect and analyze local or global data and present their results during the workshop. The confidence built during these events encourages participants to take part in other UR opportunities.</p> <hd id="AN0157755437-18">LESSONS LEARNED AND RECOMMENDATIONS</hd> <p>UR is critical in preparing students for entry into occupations across all disciplines as involvement in research provides students with tangible gains in critical thinking, analyses, problem solving, and translation to new applications, communication, and professional skills. Here we share lessons learned with respect to student, faculty, and institutional domains, and offer recommendations to strengthen each individual component as well as reinforce the interconnections between them.</p> <hd id="AN0157755437-19">Encouraging and supporting faculty involvement and development of UR</hd> <p>Recommendations for community colleges to advance this area include:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> <bold> Establish forums </bold> to introduce and educate faculty on the creation, development, implementation, or improvement of UR models. As an example of this, Edgar Rosas Alquicira led a Faculty Inquiry Group at LCC. During these five, one‐hour virtual meetings, he guided faculty to self‐evaluate implemented CUREs based on Auchincloss et al. (2014) and to create a LCC faculty community to share challenges, strategies, and materials related to CUREs.</item> <p></p> <item> <bold> Create resource‐rich digital repositories </bold> for faculty communities within the institution to share experiences and strategies, as well as to encourage interdisciplinary participation. Electronic/cloud‐based repositories (e.g., Management System shell, Google Drive, and/or institution‐affiliated websites) can be used to easily share content across disciplines and cohorts.</item> <p></p> <item> <bold> Encourage internal and external partnerships </bold> to share equipment, expertise, and experiences. These partnerships can help students make better connections to outside discipline knowledge and may provide resources that would otherwise be unavailable to students and will result in a stronger integration within and between the institution and the community.</item> <p></p> <item> <bold> To reduce stress and design time _B_, encourage faculty to seek assistance</bold> from the UR community, internal and external to their institution. Tap available online resources such as CUR (Council on Undergraduate Research), CUREnet, Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education in Two‐Year Colleges (SAGE 2YC), GETSI/GEodesy Tools for Societal Issues, Concord Consortium, PhET/Physics Education Technology, and others.</item> <p></p> <item> <bold> Provide structure for meaningful assessment </bold> such as the University of Colorado at Boulder's Undergraduate Research Student Self‐Assessment (URSSA) or the NSF‐sponsored Student Assessment of their Learning Gains (SALG). In addition, there are a variety of instruments that have been employed as useful assessment tools (e.g., see Assessment Toolkit https://www.cur.org/engage/mentors/assessment/toolkit/) to include but are not limited to: rubrics, for assessing qualitative student work such as students' research reports and/or presentations; structured interviews; surveys "pre‐experience" and "post‐experience," which are a personal reflection on one's attitudes with respect to the UR; and so forth. It is also important to identify and address the areas of improvement based on self‐evaluation, peer comments, pass rates data, students' skills, knowledge and abilities gains, and students' feedback.</item> <p></p> <item> <bold> Establish avenues to support </bold> faculty for time to develop UR programs (e.g. payment, course/committee relief, etc.).</item> </ulist> <hd id="AN0157755437-20">Recruiting students and supporting the student experience</hd> <p>The creation of a successful UR is based on the ability to design the program from a holistic perspective that not only considers the skills needed by the workforce but also is sensitive to student demographics. Recommendations to advance this area include:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Offer seminars and structured sessions that promote student awareness of research opportunities and how they relate to student career aspirations.</item> <p></p> <item> Know your student demographics.</item> <p></p> <item> Institute avenues for reaching out to students to understand their personal logistical constrains (e.g., student surveys).</item> <p></p> <item> Consider interdisciplinary approaches that not only allow students to connect knowledge from other coursework but also provide avenues and structures that foster cooperation between faculty and programs.</item> <p></p> <item> Celebrate student research products. In‐person "live" events such as student conferences or colloquia and static poster showcases allow students to see firsthand what their peers were capable of and help to better establish a science identity amongst students.</item> </ulist> <hd id="AN0157755437-21">Institutional prioritization is key</hd> <p>The level of success achieved through any UR model will be directly related to the value perceived by the institution(s) that supports the time and resources required for successful initiatives. As stated in the previous section, faculty willingness to participate in these endeavors is directly tied to their perception of the level of institutional support they will receive (Davis et al., 2020). From the initial development to the day‐to‐day operations, assessment, and marketing, UR models can impact other vital staff, faculty, and student resources. Understanding these implications will allow departments, programs, and the institution to better prioritize the needs of the program to ensure more efficient resource allocation models and help determine the scalability and sustainability of the UR models. Depending on the scale of the UR model, institutional leadership may be required to engage and support the right partners within the community. Recommendations to advance this area include:</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> Create institutional structures that provide professional value for scholarly mentoring and should be considered in the context of promotion and tenure. Designing and implementing UR is time‐consuming but provides enormous benefits to programs and institutions. Unfortunately, these activities are not always considered by promotion and tenure committees—especially when incorporated within regular teaching assignments.</item> <p></p> <item> Advertise URs' opportunities broadly. Since these opportunities are not typically included in course catalogues, large‐scale advertising that has the capability of reaching target populations is difficult, especially if that responsibility is left to the organizing faculty or department. With this said, recruitment of students into UR programs can be accomplished at the grassroots level whereby faculty can attract students to these programs by drawing from the local student pool within their respective classes. Such a localized method would also ensure that the recruited students are both interested and motivated to be part of the program. Institutions should provide mechanisms that give UR organizers the ability to inform all audiences on campus, from the admissions staff through discipline leaders and deans, of the importance of engaging students in UR.</item> <p></p> <item> Dedicate financial resources to support UR implementation. When possible, provide stipends for students engaged in these activities; many students may be forced to choose participation in URs over part‐time employment. Consider extra compensation/course release for faculty. Provide infrastructure for the research process, including instrumentation and technology needs.</item> <p></p> <item> Establish forums to advertise and celebrate student research opportunities and the work performed by students, from on‐campus celebrations/conferences to locally hosted articles and community publications. These activities not only provide recognition of student accomplishments, they also serve as a marketing tool to attract new students to the program and/or college.</item> </ulist> <hd id="AN0157755437-22">CONCLUSION</hd> <p>There are multiple ways to do research with students. The development of a UR model will depend upon the students (individual, team, or those enrolled in a course), the faculty mentor, resources, collaborators, and the defined student learning outcomes. Importantly, UR in the first two years of college builds a student's content knowledge and skill sets, along with their science identity and inclusion within a community. We hope the examples in this chapter encourage individual faculty and administrators to engage in conversations about what UR would look like on their campus and identify the needs and support networks that must be in place for participation and sustainability. Ultimately UR must support student equity and access while at the same time promoting faculty growth and satisfaction—two essential elements for maintaining a healthy institution.</p> <hd id="AN0157755437-23">ACKNOWLEDGMENTS</hd> <p>The authors thank Heather Macdonald (William & Mary) and Eric Baer (Highline College) for the opportunity and funding through the <emph>Supporting and Advancing Geoscience Education at Two‐Year Colleges</emph> (SAGE 2YC) project. We also thank Karen M. Layou (Reynolds Community College) and Sharon Zuber (Writing consultant) for fruitful discussions and helpful comments regarding this manuscript. M.W. Cole would like to thank CNM Dean's Phil Carman and Phil Lister for supporting her efforts in developing the M‐CURE honors course. Edgar F. Rosas Alquicira thanks Paul Ruscher (former Science, Math, and Engineering Dean at LCC), Melissa Kilgore, Richard Glover, Rosie Kirwin, and Doug Young for their support to implement the SCORE‐NASA research project; the SCORE‐NASA program for the funding; and Melissa Kilgore (LCC), and Lisa Munger (University of Oregon) for their guidance and support to implement CUREs in introductory marine biology courses. L. Guertin thanks the Geoscience Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research for their support and leadership opportunities in conversations and efforts in institutionalizing and sustaining UR students and programs at the local‐to‐national level. S. Tvelia thanks his colleagues at SCCC for their participation in SCCC's UR programs as well as Gil Hansen and Daniel Davis of Stony Brook University for their support of our work and our students. P. Berquist thanks his colleagues from VPCC (Lynsey LeMay, Dr. Karen Layou, and Dr. Jennifer Martin) for developing the CURE experiences and Dr. Nicholas Balascio at William & Mary for his ongoing support for and collaboration with UR opportunities (supported by NSF Grant EAR‐1660309). This work is supported in part by the National Science Foundation through Grants 1525593, 1524605, 1524623, 1524800, and 1835935. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.</p> <ref id="AN0157755437-24"> <title> Footnotes </title> <blist> <bibl id="bib1" type="bt">1</bibl> <bibtext> Edgar F. Rosas Alquicira, Laura Guertin, Sean Tvelia, Peter J. Berquist, and M.W. Cole contributed equally to this work.</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <ref id="AN0157755437-25"> <title> REFERENCES </title> <blist> <bibtext> Auchincloss, L. C., Laursen, S. L., Branchaw, J. L., Eagan, K., Graham, M., Hanauer, D. I., ... Dolan, E. L. (2014). Assessment of course‐based undergraduate research experiences: A meeting report. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 13 (1), 29 – 40. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.14‐01‐0004</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib2" type="bt">2</bibl> <bibtext> Bauerle, C., DePass, A., Lynn, D., O'Connor, C., Singer, S., Withers, M., ... Wubah, D. (2009). Vision and change in undergraduate biology education: A call to action. Final report of a National Conference organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib3" type="bt">3</bibl> <bibtext> Beckman, M., & Hensel, N. (2009). Making explicit the implicit: Defining undergraduate research. CUR Quarterly, 29 (4), 40 – 43.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib4" type="bt">4</bibl> <bibtext> Berquist, P. J., Balascio, N., Metzger, E., & Kaste, J. (2019). Investigation of sediment dynamics within Queen Creek, Virginia: A collaborative project between 2‐Yr and 4‐Yr institutions. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 51 (3), https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2019SE‐326822</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib5" type="bt">5</bibl> <bibtext> Berquist, P. J., Carlin, M., Price, Z., Balascio, N. L., Arthur, R., & Kaste, J. M. (2020). Sedimentary history of Queens Lake, Williamsburg, Virginia: Connecting lacustrine and estuarine systems within the Virginia Coastal Plain. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 52 (2), https://doi.org/10.1130/abs/2020SE‐344862</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib6" type="bt">6</bibl> <bibtext> Carpi, A., Ronan, D. M., Falconer, H. M., & Lents, N. H. (2017). Cultivating minority scientists: Undergraduate research increases self‐efficacy and career ambitions for underrepresented students in STEM. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 54 (2), 169 – 194. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21341</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib7" type="bt">7</bibl> <bibtext> Council of Undergraduate Research. (2022, January 10). https://<ulink href="http://www.cur.org/who/organization/mission%5fand%5fvision/">www.cur.org/who/organization/mission%5fand%5fvision/</ulink></bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib8" type="bt">8</bibl> <bibtext> Davis, S. N., Jones, R. M., Mahatmya, D., & Garner, P. W. (2020). Encouraging or obstructing? Assessing factors that impact faculty engagement in undergraduate research mentoring. Frontiers in Education, 5, 114. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.00114</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibl id="bib9" type="bt">9</bibl> <bibtext> Gin, L. E., Cooper, K., & Brownell, S. (2020). The impact of student research anxiety on undergraduate biology students' intentions to pursue a scientific research career. The FASEB Journal, 34 (S1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.07040</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Guertin, L. (2013). How new technologies advance mentoring practices with non‐residential undergraduate researchers. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 45 (7), 364.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Hensel, N., & Cejda, B. (2015). Embedding undergraduate research in the community college curriculum. Peer Review, 17 (4), 27 – 30.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Kuh, G. (2008). High‐Impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Association of American Colleges & Universities.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Lopatto, D. (2003). The essential features of undergraduate research. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 23 (3), 139 – 142.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Lopatto, D. (2004). Survey of undergraduate research experiences (SURE): First findings. Cell Biology Education, 3 (4), 270 – 277.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Loppatto, D. (2010). Undergraduate research as a high‐impact student experience. Peer Review, 12 (2), 27 – 30.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Nguyen, A., & Guertin, L. (2020). An audio journey through solutions to global warming in Pennsylvania. Journal of Sustainability Education, 24, 4.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Papanastasiou, E., & Zembylas, M. (2008). Anxiety in undergraduate research methods courses: Its nature and implications. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 31 (2), 155 – 167. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437270802124616</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Rodenbusch, S. E., Hernandez, P. R., Simmons, S. L., & Dolan, E. L. (2016). Early engagement in course‐based research increases graduation rates and completion of science, engineering, and mathematics degrees. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 15 (2), 1 – 10. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.16‐03‐0117</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Scholtz, L., & Guertin, L. (2010). Using tombstone records from Centralia, PA, to evaluate the effects of mining activities on male survivorship. The Pennsylvania Geographer, 48 (1), 3 – 15.</bibtext> </blist> <blist> <bibtext> Sithole, A., Chiyaka, E. T., McCarthy, P., Mupinga, D. M., Bucklein, B. K., & Kibirige, J. (2017). Student attraction, persistence and retention in STEM programs: Successes and continuing challenges. Higher Education Studies, 7 (1), 46. https://doi.org/10.5539/hes.v7n1p46</bibtext> </blist> </ref> <aug> <p>By Edgar F. Rosas Alquicira; Laura Guertin; Sean Tvelia; Peter J. Berquist and M.W. Cole</p> <p>Reported by Author; Author; Author; Author; Author</p> <p></p> <p>Edgar F. Rosas Alquicira is a Biology Instructor in the Science, Math, and Engineering Division and Guided Pathways at Lane Community College. LCC serves over 15,000 students. Forty‐one percent of the students are 25 or older. Nearly 80% of full‐time first‐time undergraduates were awarded financial aid; 49% of all first‐time full‐time students were awarded Pell grants.</p> <p>Laura Guertin is a Professor at Penn State Brandywine, an institution that enrolls ∼1300 students (46% non‐White, 59% male, 95% FTE), and is a two‐year feeder campus in The Pennsylvania State University system. She is a Blogger on geoscience education for the American Geophysical Union (GeoEd Trek) and former councilor and chair for the Geoscience Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research.</p> <p>Sean Tvelia, Professor of Geology and academic chair of Physical Sciences at Suffolk County Community College (SCCC). SCCC serves communities that vary from densely populated suburban regions to the rural farm communities along the eastern forks. In addition, he currently serves as president of the GEO 2YC Division of the NAGT.</p> <p>Peter J. Berquist, Assistant Professor of Geology, Geology Department Chair, Science Program Chair, Virginia Peninsula Community College, formerly Thomas Nelson Community College. The college serves ∼11,000 students annually across two campuses including urban, suburban, and rural communities. The VPCC student community is ∼50% minority race/ethnicity, ∼69% female, ∼30% Pell‐eligible, and with nearly half transferring to 4‐year colleges and a quarter enrolled in occupational/technical programs.</p> <p>M.W. Cole (M. Will‐Cole) is an adjunct professor in the School of Math Science and Engineering at Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), a two‐year Hispanic‐Serving Institution with an enrollment of ∼24,442 students. CNM student demographics are primarily Hispanic/Latinx and Native American, she is passionate about research and has mentored over 30+ students throughout her career as a research scientist with expertise in electromagnetic materials/devices and a STEM educator.</p> </aug>
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  Data: This chapter examines undergraduate research (UR) from student, faculty, and institutional perspectives. We explore UR implementation models in community colleges, discuss selected examples of practice, present a summary of lessons learned, and make recommendations to advance UR and its early execution into the college curriculum from a holistic perspective.
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