A recent report published by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, “Integrating Discovery-Based Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum,” reports on a convocation held to discuss the present state and future of course-based undergraduate research experiences. The goals of the convocation were to
(1) try to identify and showcase a variety of models, for which there are assessment data, for creating and expanding undergraduate course-based research opportunities, particularly those that can reach large numbers of students; (2) provide an overview of the most pertinent scholarly literature regarding the efficacy of such efforts; (3) consider some of the major barriers, and address how these might be overcome, looking in particular at the needs of underrepresented students; and (4) discuss what features of the research experience are important for maximum impact, and the mechanisms to support these features in a course-based structure with large numbers of students.
David Williamson Shaffer, Professor of Learning Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, was invited to attend the convocation, where he discussed work on virtual internships, online simulations of authentic STEM practices. In particular, he discussed the use of virtual internships in introduction to engineering design courses. To date, more than 1,200 undergraduates at nine universities have used engineering virtual internships as part of their coursework in engineering degree programs, and research has shown that these experiences help students learn engineering content and practices, develop professional skills, and gain confidence and motivation to succeed in engineering.