Team Experiences and Mentoring Strategies for Undergraduate Research (TEaMS-UR)

Departments in two Colleges at East Carolina University (ECU), Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics, and Engineering, will provide opportunities for students to be involved in course-based research and develop team competencies. The model is built upon an inclusive introductory laboratory structure in which students across disciplines, experience a common laboratory structure, language and emphasis for instruction based on the argument-driven inquiry (ADI) instructional model. The ADI model provides the foundation for students to move into the authentic practice of research within their major through team science experiences that are aligned with existing course requirements. Upper-division and capstone experiences will engage students in multidisciplinary team science which will require students to negotiate their role as a disciplinary leader acting within a science team. The compelling feature of the project is the training and support in team science competencies developed for undergraduate and graduate students, and faculty. Evidence of undergraduate research experiences as a high-impact practice is widely recognized and interdisciplinary training is highly sought by employers. This project builds upon the known benefits of disciplinary research to determine if they, when paired with additional targeted training, can be used as a suitable training ground for development of team competencies and productive multidisciplinary collaborations.

Scholars @ ECU