Undergraduate Research for All: Addressing the Elephant in the Room

Abstract

The positive impact of undergraduate research on students' success in college is well documented. Many, however, have questioned the traditional apprentice-style model of undergraduate research, raising concerns about who gets these experiences, how the experiences enhance scientific capability and student persistence, and how these experiences might be improved to get more "bang for the buck" in terms of a higher-performing scientific workforce. Research experiences are usually geared toward selected students, such as those entering graduate or professional schools. Where does that leave the vast majority of STEM students who graduate at the baccalaureate level and join the workforce? In this article, we will describe an assessed model used at Georgia Gwinnett College that provides all STEM-undergraduates (regardless of their career goals) with four years of research experiences in a cost-effective manner that we believe will result in students who are better prepared to contribute to the scientific workforce at all levels.