Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) Development Grant

Benefits to students

Often undergraduate research is limited to the top performers in a faculty mentor’s class or those who have the capital and connections to know to reach out to faculty (Bangera & Brownell, 2014). Even with the best of intentions, centralized offices of undergraduate research are limited in the number of students they can serve primarily due to resource constraints (Auchincloss et al., 2014). CUREs are an attempt to overcome these barriers for students by embedding research into a course, especially required courses. Research has shown that when students engage in CUREs, the achievement gap between high performers and other students narrows, and they have been shown to be particularly beneficial to students from historically marginalized communities (Bangera & Brownell, 2014; Dolan, 2017; Govidan et al., 2019). Students have demonstrated gains in research skills as well as psychosocial, behavioral, and affective areas, such as strengthened identity in field, persistence, confidence, and enjoyment (Dolan, 2017; Govidan et al., 2019).

Benefits to faculty

The benefits of CUREs are not limited to students. In a study by Shortlidge et al. (2017), faculty were interviewed to understand their perceptions of teaching a CURE. Overwhelmingly, they received positive feedback  of two types – tangible and intangible benefits that were both faculty- and student-centered. Faculty cited tangible benefits for themselves, including collecting data for their research and being able to recruit trained students, as well as student benefits in being able to learn particular research skills. Intangible skills identified included enjoyment from the interactions with students, finding their work more fulfilling, and seeing students more engaged through a better way to learn.

Benefits to the institution

On a broader scale, CUREs provide an economical way for a higher education institution to scale up the number of students engaged in undergraduate research. Instead of one-to-one pairings between faculty and student, one faculty member can engage tens of students in a research experience over the course of a semester. The benefits outlined for students and faculty also contribute to the overall benefit to the institution by increasing student persistence, particularly those from historically marginalized communities, and faculty’s increased job satisfaction and capacity to progress in research.

References: Auchincloss, L.C.,  Laursen, S.L., Branchaw, J.L.,  Eagan, K., Graham, M., Hanauer, D.I., Lawrie, G., McLinn, C.M.,  Pelaez, N., Rowland, S., Towns, M., Trautmann, N.M., Varma-Nelson, P., Weston, T.J., and Dolan, E.L. (2019). Assessment of course-based undergraduate research experiences: A meeting report. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 13 (1), 29-40. Dolan (2017). Course-based undergraduate research experiences: Current knowledge and future directions. Govindan, B., Pickett, S., & Riggs, B. (2020). Fear of the CURE: a beginner’s guide to overcoming barriers in creating a course-based undergraduate research experience. Journal of microbiology & biology education, 21(2), 50. Shortlidge, E.E., Bangera, G., & Brownell, S.E. (2017). Each to their own CURE: faculty who teach course-based undergraduate research experiences report why you too should teach a CURE. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 18(2), 18-2.

NAU’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity is leading the effort in increasing the number and quality of CUREs being offered at NAU. Each year, faculty proposals will be accepted to redesign an existing course or launch a special topics course to incorporate the key elements of a CURE. Grant recipients will receive $7,000 to support the development and implementation of a CURE. They will complete a two and a half day intensive training in May with Dr. Sara Brownell, a leader in CURE.net2 with a long history of training faculty on the process of CURE development and implementation, and participate in a year-long learning community.

Instructors or teams of instructors at any level, including faculty, post-docs, research scientists, graduate students, and staff, may apply. Priority will be offered to instructors who intend to augment an existing course with CUREs that is aimed at first- or second-year students and has demonstrated robust historical enrollments.

Completed applications will be sent to the department chair and dean for endorsement. Graduate student applicants will additionally be sent to a faculty mentor or advisor for approval. A review panel convened by the Senior Vice Provost of Academic Operations and the Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity will evaluate all proposals. They will be scored based on:

• Applicant’s demonstrated interest in and knowledge of engaging students in undergraduate research experiences
• Extent to which authentic research is embedded in course
• Extent to which the CURE design addresses key learning outcomes and career competencies
• Feasibility of successful implementation of a CURE by spring 2026
• Potential for impact on a large number and diverse group of students
• Potential to increase engagement between undergraduate students and the local, regional, or statewide community through the incorporation of stakeholders beyond the university
• Potential sustainability of the proposed CURE course

Priority will be given to proposals that:

• Outline redesigning an existing course in a way that does not require approval through the formal curriculum review process
• Will have an impact on a large number and diverse group of undergraduates
• Incorporate community engagement by including stakeholders beyond the university

Proposals will be submitted via the online application portal. The proposal should include the following components:
1) Project Description
A PDF of the project description must be uploaded into the online portal. The project description should be no more than 3 pages (not including the budget, current syllabus, or CV). Successful proposals will need to address the following elements:

• What is your motivation for applying for the CURE Development Grant?
• Description of the CURE course in such a way that those outside of the discipline will understand the research project to be incorporated and intended learning outcomes.
• How do you envision this CURE course will enable students to make discoveries about a real-world issue relevant to stakeholders?
• How will this experience help students develop identified career competencies?
• Tentative outline of the course and a narrative of how the identified course supports student learning in liberal/general studies or specific degree plans.
• What are your plans for long-term sustainability of embedding research into the course?

2) Budget
A PDF or Excel budget must be uploaded as a separate document into the online portal. The budget should clearly indicate how and when the funds will be used to support the project. This may include but is not limited to receiving summer salary; using funds for a course reassignment to allow time to pilot the CURE; hiring an undergraduate assistant for CURE implementation; or purchasing materials to support the development and implementation of the CURE. The budget should not exceed $7,000.

3) CV
A PDF of the applicant’s current CV must be uploaded as a separate document. If a team submission, CVs for all members of the team must be uploaded as one PDF document.

4) Copy of the current syllabus used for the course (if applicable)

4) Additional Application Questions
Six additional questions will need to be addressed to complete the proposal submission.
1. Career competencies you expect students to develop (select all that apply). See NACE Career Competencies for full descriptions

• Career and Self-development
• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Equity and inclusion
• Leadership
• Professionalism
• Teamwork
• Technology

2. Will this be a revision to an existing course or a new course?
3. Number of course units
4. Mode of course delivery (in-person, online, hybrid)
5. Historical enrollments in the course over the past three years
6. Which semester will the CURE be implemented?

Grant recipients will receive up to $7,000 to support the development and implementation of the CURE. Funds will be made available in July 2024 and will be accessible until May 2025. OURCA will coordinate the purchase/payment of approved expenditures following award notification.

OURCA Faculty CURE Development Grants will be selected through a competitive process. Recipients will be required to:

• Actively participate in a two and a half day intensive training in May 2025
• Attend no less than five 1-hr meetings over the course of the year with the learning community, facilitated by OURCA staff
• Submit the course syllabus in September 2025 for approval
• Implement the CURE course by spring 2026
• Complete pre- and post-assessment surveys, allow for a member of the program team to observe the implementation of a CURE, and complete an interview at the conclusion of the grant

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

• Dr. Jessica Barnes, Geography Planning and Recreation
  • GSP 170 – Project Title: Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience in Sustainable Communities

• Dr. Michael Costelloe and Christine Arazan, Criminology and Criminal Justice
  • CCJ 250 – Project Title: Criminology

• Nora Dunbar, Psychological Sciences
  • PSY304W – Project Title: Advanced Research Methods

• Dr. Brooke de Heer and Dr. Andrew Brown, Criminology & Criminal Justice
  • CCJ 101 – Project Title: Implementing CURE into a Large Enrollment Criminology and Criminal Justice Course

• Dr. Kurt Lancaster and Nita Blum, School Communication
  • DMF  340 – Project Title: Producing Client Work

• Dr. Joshua Merced, Geography, Planning, and Recreation
  • GSP 148: Project Title: Foods of the US

• Dr. Lucero Radonic, Anthropology
  • ANT 309W – Project Title: CURE Development Grant to redesign Cultural Anthropology

• Dr. Rita Stageman, Social Work
  • SW 450 – Project Title: Implementing CURE to Demystify Child Welfare Policy and Practice

College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences

• Dr. Lisa Chien, Astronomy & Planetary Sciences
  • Project Title: Implementing CURE into NAU’s First Science Communication Course for Undergraduate Students

• Dr. Jaechoul Lee, Math and Statistics
  • STA 477 – Project Title: Beyond Textbook Examples Toward Elevating Excellence in Time Series Analysis Research

• Dr. Amanda Wilson Carter, Biological Sciences
  • BIO 325 – Project Title: Dung Beetles: The CURE to Overcoming Common Barriers in Undergraduate Research

• Dr. Pranay Ranjan, School of Earth and Sustainability
  • ENV 359: Environmental Policy

College of Education

• Mitch Askew, First Year Seminar
  • SYS 221 – Project Title: Highlighting Indigenous Voices

• Emma Canning, First Year Seminar
  • SYS 221 – Project Title: Creating Stories: Creating Ourselves

• Dr. Victoria Damjanovic, Teaching and Learning
  • ESE 240 –  Project Title: Action Research in Universal Design for Learning

• Kaitlin Hublitz, First Year Seminar
  • SYS 221 – Project Title: What is an Educator

• Jacob Lesandrini, First Year Seminar
  • SYS 221 – Project Title: Sport, Art, and the Human Condition

College of Heath and Human Services

• Julia Gardner, Public Health
  • HS 404 – Project Title: Principles of Epidemiology

College of Arts and Letters

• Kyoungmee Byun, School of Art + Design
  • ID 461 – Project Title: Interior Design Studio III – Neurodiversity in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB),

• Lizzy Hanks and Kevin Hirschi, English
  • ENG 308 – Project Title: Linguistic analysis of a corpus of spoken American English: A CURE project with implications for scholars, teachers, and students worldwide

• Dr. Jaclynn Jutting, Theatre
  • TH 352 – Project Title: Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences in Stage Directing

• Dr. Jaewook Lee, Art
  • ART 378 – Project Title: CURE in New Media: Art in the Age of the Anthropocene

• Dr. Katrina Maggiulli and Dr. Kent Linthicum, Environmental Humanities
  • HUM 175 – Project Title: Studying the Cultures of The San Francisco Peaks

Honors College

• Dr. Melissa Schonauer
  • BIO 205H – Project Title: Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience: Microbiome Analysis