Course-Based Research: A Vehicle for Broadening Access to Undergraduate Research in the Twenty-First Century

The traditional model of undergraduate research is less effective for engaging students who have little or no previous exposure to research, are unfamiliar with available research opportunities, or face financial or time constraints that prevent them from engaging in co- or extracurricular activities. Given today’s changing student demographics, models such as course-embedded research need to be explored so that undergraduate research participation may be broadened across disciplines. This article describes how a community of practitioners was created to infuse research in courses at both two- and four-year campuses, with four examples of courses with embedded research activities. Discussed are strategies for implementing discipline-specific research activities at all levels of the undergraduate curriculum to expose a broader student population to the benefits of mentored research.