Research experiences for undergraduate (REU) students are valuable for exploring STEM professions. Students from underrepresented groups and non-research institutions may not have the opportunities to engage in hands-on research. A primary goal of our Applied Plant Systems REU was to provide authentic research experiences for students who may not…

This paper focused on the shared experience of female undergraduate Kinesiology majors as they navigate the research process. Students enrolled in the class Undergraduate Research Opportunities are tasked with seeking IRB approval, collecting data, completing statistical analysis, and presenting results.

The "International Research Experience for Students (IRES)" at Doane University (DU) located in Crete, Nebraska, exposed undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students to international research at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. The international collaboration team included three…

University of Nebraska-Omaha (UNO) and Metropolitan Community College (MCC) have recently completed a five-year NSF STEP project to increase the number of homegrown STEM graduates. The overall project has been quite successful, and the numbers of degrees granted has increased. However, some strategies have worked much better than others. Among the…

This article presents the results of an analysis of student perceptions about speakers of Spanish in the United States before and after participation in a university course on U.S. Spanish that incorporates a hands-on research component. Three arguments are made here: That these perceptions influence their day-to-day relationship with bilingual…

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) documents dimensions of quality in undergraduate education and provides information and assistance to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve student learning. Its primary activity is annually surveying college students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational…