Skip to main content
Penn State Altoona
Report a Concern Give Visit Apply
  • Academics
    • Majors
    • Academic Calendar
    • Research and Engagement
    • Eiche Library
    • Registrar
    • Academic Advising
    • Honors Program
    • Out-of-Class Learning
    • New Student Orientation
    • Commencement
  • Admissions & Financial Aid
    • Visit Us
    • Admissions Overview
    • Information for First-Year Students
    • How to Apply
    • Accepted Students
    • Find Your Admissions Counselor
    • Tuition and Financial Aid Resources
    • Financial Aid Basics
    • Tuition and Costs
  • Student Success
    • Student Success Center
    • The Help Tool
    • Tutoring
    • Student Affairs
    • Student and Civic Engagement
    • Health and Wellness
    • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
    • Safety at Penn State Altoona
    • Career Services
    • Eiche Library
  • Information For
    • Prospective Students
    • Transfer Students
    • Current Students
    • International Students
    • High School Dual Enrollment Program
    • Faculty & Staff
    • Alumni
    • Parents & Families
    • Professional Development
    • Visitors
Full site navigation menu

This dialog contains the full navigation menu for this site.

Penn State Altoona
Enter the terms you wish to search for.
Search type:
Report a Concern Give Visit Apply
  • This is Penn State Altoona
    • Welcome from the Chancellor
    • Penn State Altoona At a Glance
    • Mission, Vision, and Values
    • College Leadership
    • Our History
    • Campus Map
    • Current Weather Conditions
    • Livestream
  • Academics
    • Majors
    • Academic Calendar
    • Out-of-class Learning
    • Eiche Library
    • Registrar
    • Academic Advising
    • Honors Program
    • Campus Closures
  • Admissions
    • Visit Us
    • Information for First-Year Students
    • How to Apply
    • Accepted Students
    • Find Your Admissions Counselor
    • Experience Altoona
    • Virtual Tour
  • Tuition and Financial Aid
    • Scholarships and Awards
    • Grants
    • Loans
    • Work-study
    • Financial Aid Basics
    • Tuition and Costs
    • Financial Aid Information
  • Student Success
    • Student Success Center
    • The Help Tool
    • Tutoring
    • Student Affairs
    • Student Leadership and Involvement
    • Health and Wellness Center
    • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
    • Internships
    • Safety at Penn State Altoona
    • Study Abroad/Study Away
  • Research and Engagement
    • Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry
    • Faculty Research Resources
    • Internal Grants and Awards
  • Athletics
    • Schedule
    • Facilities
    • Recreation and Club Sports
    • Staff and Coaches Directory
    • Athletic Training and Sports Physicals
    • Athletics News
    • Camps and Clinics
    • Hall of Fame

Find Information For:

  • Prospective Students
  • Transfer Students
  • Current Students
  • International Students
  • High School Dual Enrollment Program
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Alumni
  • Parents & Families
  • Professional Development
  • Visitors

Helpful Links

  • Campus Map
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Calendar
  • Community Calendar
  • Student Success Center
  • The Help Tool
  • Faculty & Staff Directory
  • Offices and Divisions
  • Employment Opportunities

Connect With Us

  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • linkedin
  • tiktok
  1. Home
  2. Research and Engagement
  3. Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry
  4. Information for Mentors

Developing Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs)

By Jacqueline McLaughlin


Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), by definition, are learning experiences in which whole classes of students address a research question or problem with unknown outcomes or solutions that are of interest to external stakeholders (Dolan 2016). They were devised to address a major goal of national reform efforts in life science education to expand research involving undergraduate students (American Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS] 2011; National Research Council 2003).

Numerous studies have shown the benefits of CUREs to students: enhanced self-confidence in scientific thinking and the development of scientific process skills (Szteinberg and Weaver 2013; Brownell et al. 2015), increased inclusivity in science for unrepresented populations (Bangera and Brownell 2014), and improved persistence in science and medicine (Hanauer et al. 2012). CUREs also benefit faculty with several studies demonstrating closer integration of teaching and research, positive influence on promotion and tenure, publication of research in both science and education journals, and greater impact of research programs. Additionally, faculty benefited by identifying, recruiting, and training students to join their research labs, and by enhanced fulfillment in teaching itself (Fukami 2013; Kowalski, Hoops, and Johnson 2016; Shortlidge, Bangera, and Brownell 2016).

To date, CUREs have primarily been utilized in undergraduate laboratory courses. There is now a growing consensus about what constitutes a CURE in the natural sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics, math, earth, and planetary science) laboratory. Such CUREs have five defining characteristics: 1) There is an element of discovery, so that students are working with novel data. 2) Iteration is built into the lab. 3) Students engage in a high level of collaboration. 4) Students learn scientific practices. 5) The topic is broadly relevant so that it could potentially be published and/or of interest to a group outside the class (Auchincloss et al. 2014).

While there is much diversity in the research laboratory topics explored in CUREs, two distinct CURE models have emerged, both revealing student and faculty benefits: (1) a local model where faculty members develop and teach a CURE stemming from their own research interests (e.g. Brownell et al. 2012; Ward et al. 2014) and (2) a national model where a CURE is developed by an individual faculty member and then is expanded and taught by a network of faculty (e.g., Lopatto et al. 2008; Jordan et al. 2014).

A great way to develop a local CURE is for faculty, instructors, and/or advanced graduate students to identify a way to scale up their own research interests and embed this into a lab course. A proven framework that orients and guides an instructor through the process of designing and implementing a CURE that possesses the above listed five elements is presented in Figure 1 and example transformations using this model in Table 1. Per this framework, students work in small groups to learn research techniques; ask novel questions grounded in the scientific literature; design their own experiments; test their hypotheses using the scientific method and the reflective process of progressive problem solving; interpret their data; and disseminate their work in a professional scientific manner by means of poster presentations, oral academic talks, or scientific papers. To achieve this, students receive individualized mentorship which is essential to knowledge integration (Linn et al. 2015).

The Four-step CURE Pedagogical Framework used to develop and implement CURES in CHANCE field courses.

Figure 1: The “Four-step CURE Pedagogical Framework” used to develop and implement CURES in CHANCE field courses.

Credit: Created by McLaughlin and Coyle (2016) and evaluated by McLaughlin et al. (2017, 2020).
Table 1: Some successful transformations of biology laboratories using “Four-step CURE Pedagogical Framework.”
Level Lab Topic Location Reference
Freshmen Sophomore Introductory Cell Biology for Majors Growth Kinetics of Yeast 4-year college Goudsouzian, McLaughlin, and Slee 2017
Freshmen Sophomore Introductory Cell Biology for Majors Cancer Cell Transformation 4-year college McLaughlin and Coyle 2016
Honors Introductory biology for nonmajors Microalgae as a Source of Biofuel 2-year college Goedhart and McLaughlin 2016
Sophomore Developmental biology for majors Drug Induced Arrthymias in the Developing Vertebrate Heart 4-year college McLaughlin and Patel 2017

Faculty looking to carry out pedagogical research on the effectiveness of a local CURE that they develop and implement should work to fill the present gaps Faculty looking to carry out pedagogical research on the effectiveness of a local CURE that they develop and implement should work to fill the present gaps in the literature. To date, there are few studies that make use of valid and reliable measures of student outcomes (beyond Student Assessment of their Learning Gains (SALG) surveys) or that include study designs and methods that control for student-level differences. Additional research is needed that makes use of theory and methods from the social sciences to more fully understand how CUREs operate; how students and faculty benefit from this unique learning environment; and how challenges to adopting, implementing, and sustaining CUREs can be overcome (Dolan 2016).

References

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). 2011. Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action. Washington, DC: Accessed May 1, 2020. https://live-visionandchange.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/...

Auchincloss, Lisa Corwin, Sandra L. Laursen, Janet L. Branchaw, Kevin Eagan, Mark Graham, David I. Hanauer, Gwendolyn Lawrie, et al. 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

Bangera, Gita, and Sara E. Brownell. 2014. “Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Can Make Scientific Research More Inclusive.” Edited by Graham Hatfull. CBE—Life Sciences Education 13(4): 602–6. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.14-06-0099

Brownell, Sara E., Daria S. Hekmat-Scafe, Veena Singla, Patricia Chandler Seawell, Jamie F. Conklin Imam, Sarah L. Eddy, Tim Stearns, and Martha S. Cyert. 2015. “A High-Enrollment Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Improves Student Conceptions of Scientific Thinking and Ability to Interpret Data.” CBE–Life Sciences Education 14(2):ar21. doi: 10.1187/cbe.14-05-0092

Brownell, Sara E., Matthew J. Kloser, Tadishi Fukami, and Rich Shavelson. 2012. “Undergraduate Biology Lab Courses: Comparing the Impact of Traditionally-based ‘Cookbook’ and Authentic Research-Based Courses on Student Lab Experiences.” Journal of College Science Teaching 41(4):36-45. https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-294897794/undergraduate-biol...

Dolan, Erin L. 2016. Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences: Current Knowledge and Future Directions. Commissioned for Committee on Strengthening Research Experiences for Undergraduate STEM Students. http://sites.nationalacademies.org/cs/groups/dbassesite/documents/webpag...

Fukami, Tadashi. 2013. “Integrating Inquiry-Based Teaching with Faculty Research.” Science 339(6127): 1536–37. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1229850

Goedhart, Christine M., and Jacqueline S. McLaughlin. 2016. “Student Scientists: Transforming the Undergraduate Biology Lab into a Research Experience.” The American Biology Teacher 78(6): 502–8. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2016.78.6.502

Goudsouzian, Lara K., Jacqueline S. McLaughlin, and Joshua B. Slee. 2017. “Using Yeast to Make Scientists: A Six-Week Student-Driven Research Project for the Cell Biology Laboratory.” CourseSource 4. https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2017.4

Hanauer, David I., Jennifer Frederick, Brian Fotinakes, and Scott A. Strobel. 2012. “Linguistic Analysis of Project Ownership for Undergraduate Research Experiences.” Edited by Hannah Sevian. CBE—Life Sciences Education 11(4): 378–85. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.12-04-0043

Jordan, Tuajuanda C., Sandra H. Burnett, Susan Carson, Steven M. Caruso, Kari Clase, Randall J. DeJong, John J. Denneh, et al. 2014. “A Broadly Implementable Research Course in Phage Discovery and Genomics for First-Year Undergraduate Students.” MBio 5(1): e01051-01013. DOI: 10.1128/mBio.01051-13

Kowalski, Jennifer R., Geoffrey C. Hoops, and R. Jeremy Johnson. 2016. “Implementation of a Collaborative Series of Classroom-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Spanning Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, and Neurobiology.” CBE—Life Sciences Education 15(4): ar55. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.16-02-0089

Linn, Marcia C., Erin Palmer, Anne Baranger, Elizabeth Gerald, and Elisa Stone. 2015. "Undergraduate Research Experiences: Impacts and Opportunities." Science 347, 1261757. https://science-sciencemag-org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/lookup/doi/10....

Lopatto, D., C. Alvarez, D. Barnard, C. Chandrasekaran, H-M. Chung, C. Du, T. Eckdahl, et al. 2008. “Undergraduate Research: Genomics Education Partnership.” Science 322 (5902):684-685. doi: 10.1126/science.1165351

McLaughlin, Jacqueline S., and Melissa S. Coyle. 2016. “Increasing Authenticity & Inquiry in the Cell & Molecular Biology Laboratory.” The American Biology Teacher 78(6): 492–500. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2016.78.6.492

McLaughlin, Jacqueline S., David E. Favre, Suzanne E. Weinstein, and Christine M. Goedhart. 2017. “The Impact of a Four-Step Laboratory Pedagogical Framework on Biology Students’ Perceptions of Laboratory Skills, Knowledge, and Interest in Research.” Journal of College Science Teaching 47(1): 83–91.

Mclaughlin, Jacqueline S., Mit Patel, and Joshua B. Slee. 2020. “A CURE Using Cell Culture-Based Research Enhances Career Ready Skills in Undergraduates in Preparation to Enter the American Workforce.” Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research (Spur) (under review).

McLaughlin, Jacqueline S., and Mit Patel. 2017. "An authentic research experience for undergraduates in the developmental biology and physiology laboratory using the chick embryonic heart." The American Biology Teacher 79(8): 645-653. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2017.79.8.645

National Research Council. 2003. BIO 2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/10497

Shortlidge, Erin E., Gita Bangera, and Sara E. Brownell. 2016. “Faculty Perspectives on Developing and Teaching Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences.” BioScience 66(1): 54–62. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biv167

Szteinberg, Gabriela A., and Gabriela C. Weaver. 2013. “Participants’ Reflections Two and Three Years after an Introductory Chemistry Course-Embedded Research Experience.” Chemistry Education Research and Practice 14(1): 23–35. https://doi.org/10.1039/C2RP20115A

Ward, Jennifer Ward, H.David Clarke, and Jonathan L. Horton. 2014. “Effects of a Research-Infused Botanical Curriculum on Undergraduates’ Content Knowledge, STEM Competencies, and Attitudes toward Plant Sciences.” CBE-Life Sciences Education 13(3): 387-396. doi:10.1187/cbe.13-12-0231

Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry

  • Who Participates in Undergraduate Research and Why
  • Finding an Opportunity
  • Funding Opportunities
  • Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Fair
  • Programs to Support Your Experience
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Information
  • Information for Mentors
    • Advertising a Research Position
    • Funding Undergraduate Researchers
    • Developing Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs)
    • Resources and Opportunities

Research Features

John Eicher

In brief: Did Europeans know the 1918 flu was a pandemic in 1918?

Nicholas Rowland, Dawson Coventry, Ally Black, Kateln Kurtz, Devlin Glenn, Riley Fegley, Madison Adamiak, Abigail Hayes, Ray Ncube, Makaylah Bangura and Nathan Kruis

Penn State Altoona research lab sweeps two categories in Erie competition

Madison Adamiak holding a certificate for first place in the PACJE Student Poster Competition

Altoona research lab sweeps state criminal justice research competition

See More
Pennsylvania map showing Penn State's campuses with Penn State Altoona highlighted

Penn State Altoona

A full-service, four-year, residential campus located less than 45 miles from the research campus at University Park. Offering 21 four-year degrees and the first two years of over 275 Penn State majors.
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • linkedin
  • tiktok
Give Visit Apply
  • This is Penn State Altoona
    • Welcome from the Chancellor
    • Penn State Altoona At a Glance
    • Mission, Vision, and Values
    • College Leadership
    • Our History
    • Campus Map
    • Current Weather Conditions
    • Livestream
  • Academics
    • Majors
    • Academic Calendar
    • Out-of-Class Learning
    • Eiche Library
    • Registrar
    • Academic Advising
    • Honors Program
    • Campus Closures
  • Admissions
    • Visit Us
    • Information for First-Year Students
    • How to Apply
    • Accepted Students
    • Find Your Admissions Counselor
    • Experience Altoona
    • Virtual Tour
  • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Scholarships and Awards
    • Grants
    • Loans
    • Work-study
    • Financial Aid Basics
    • Tuition and Costs
    • Financial Aid Information
  • Student Success
    • Student Success Center
    • The Help Tool
    • Tutoring
    • Student Affairs
    • Student and Civic Engagement
    • Health and Wellness Center
    • Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
    • Safety at Penn State Altoona
    • Career Services
    • Eiche Library
  • Research & Engagement
    • Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry
    • Faculty Research Resources
    • Internships
    • Study Abroad/Study Away
    • Internal Grants and Awards
  • Athletics
    • Schedule
    • Facilities
    • Recreation and Club Sports
    • Staff and Coaches Directory
    • Athletic Training and Sports Physicals
    • Athletics News
    • Camps and Clinics
    • Hall of Fame
  • Stay Connected
    • Faculty and Staff Directory
    • Offices and Divisions
    • Campus Calendar
    • PSUAlert Text Messaging Service
    • Penn State Altoona Connect
    • Penn State Go App
    • Penn State Student Engagement Network
Penn State University
3000 Ivyside Park, Altoona, Pennsylvania 16601 814-949-5000

Footer Legal Menu

  • Privacy
  • Non-discrimination
  • Accessibility
  • Copyright
  • Directory
  • The Pennsylvania State University © 2025
  • We Are Penn State