Better Together: Connecting with Other Disciplines Builds Students' Own Skills and Professional Identity

摘要

The Summer Research Community (SRC) at Boise State University brings STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students together with faculty and other students from social sciences and humanities to form an interdisciplinary summer experience. The SRC was founded with impetus from a National Science Foundation grant to create efficiencies among NSF and other STEM education initiatives and to address critical junctures for undergraduate STEM students and faculty. The SRC leadership team chose to focus on building community and facilitating growth in research skills and professional identity amongst participants in undergraduate research programs. Previous researchers have shown that engaging undergraduate students in research is associated with increases in retention. There is also evidence indicating that participation in research activities improves students' content knowledge of STEM disciplines and facilitates small-group learning, which effectively improves academic performance, attitudes toward the subject, and persistence. Further, well-implemented undergraduate research programs allow students to develop mentoring relationships with faculty members that have been linked to academic success. Participation in undergraduate research has also been linked to increases in graduate school attainment and in students' interest in science and engineering careers.