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CURE Syllabus

CUR CURE Syllabus Development: Things to Consider

There is no one specific template for a CURE class- instead your CURE classes will typically take shape around your proposed research needs. The syllabus and course can then be built around this core.  Consider the following:

  1. How can a team of undergraduate students contribute to your research goals? Sample student tasks could include
    • Processing re-existing raw data, images, videos or audio 
    • Measure, process, code or transcribe large amounts of raw data
    • Students can collect data themselves
  2. How do you turn this into a course?
  3. How can you deliver this?

The CURE team is here to provide feedback on syllabus proposals throughout the entire planning process including ways to help tailor data collection for undergraduates. 

Data Collection - What are you proposing to use?

  • Data collection should be repeatable and iterative and you may want to include built-in performance checks
    • Consider if multiple students should process/collect data from the same material or using the same method to assess their accuracy and ensure data collected is of a high quality
  • Tasks may be repetitive but should be authentic i.e., with an unknown outcome
  • Should contribute towards research goals and ideally contribute to publishable research

Identify Goals - Turning this into a course.

For students relevant goals might include:

  • Being able to explain in-depth how academics engage in research
  • Identify how their work as part of this course will contribute to the body of knowledge in this discipline
  • Develop enhanced critical thinking skills to assess the relevance and importance of research findings
  • Design a simple experiment or research study
  • Recognize the major challenges in conveying research findings to the general public and be able to explain how to overcome these challenges
  • Demonstrate competency in at least one method of data collection or analysis

For you, goals may be:

  • Improved alignment with your teaching and research responsibility
  • Teaching experience with new pedagogical approaches
  • Publishable data/research that is of interest to scientific and non-scientific communities
  • Turning the CURE experience into an education publication

Delivery - How will this work in practice?

In terms of data collection:

  • Will the proposed research project fit within the term with time to introduce it and discuss results?
  • If not, could it be split into smaller subprojects for groups of students, either concurrently or consecutively?
  • Do you need extra lab materials for the proposed data collection?
  • Who will help deliver the class?  Deal with data management? What other roles do you need filled?(Post Docs graduate students? senior undergraduate TAs?)
  • Have you identified suitable grad students or other lab members who can help lead the course?

Assessment - How will you measure whether goals have been met?

As a group mentoring experience, frequent and constructive feedback is a key to success and will provide formative assessment of the students' progress.

Examples of assessments that could contribute towards CURE goals are:

  • Accuracy checks on data collection
  • Group presentations on primary research literature
  • Poster presentations
  • Research Paper submission to the UF Journal of Undergraduate Research

Getting Started

Although each CURE syllabus will reflect the individual faculty member's needs, there are basic components.that can be included. Examples include:

  • Course Description
    • The overall time spent on the research project should be 75-80%.
  • Student Learning Outcomes
    • Content:
      • Skills development
      • Literature Review/Context of Research Project 
    • Critical Thinking:
      • Responsible Conduct of Research/Ethical Concerns: CUR offers an 8-module, asynchronous, on-line RCR course designed specifically for undergraduate researchers 
      • How research and project impacts society
    • Communication:
      • Many CURE faculty use the Spring Undergraduate Research Symposium as a culminating presentation opportunity. The class may submit a poster as a group.
      • Some CURE faculty have students submit to the UF Journal of Undergraduate Research. 
  • Below are past CURE syllabi as well as a sample that can be used as a template.