There is a growing interest in developing and offering Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) for students at every level of undergraduate science education. In a CURE, students participate in an authentic research project during a course that they are taking as part of their regular course load. Because CUREs do not require students to spend additional time outside of their classes or to pay for additional credit hours, they are considered a high-impact and equitable method for offering research opportunities to more students.
I was first introduced to CUREs years ago by a colleague teaching in biology who invited me to collaborate on an independent research project related to a CURE in her classes. This collaboration encouraged me to develop a related CURE in one of my courses. After including this experience as part of my course for several years, I am now working on developing a second one for another course I teach. It is an incredibly rewarding way to introduce students to the practice of science and scientific research. Recently, I came across this newly published book and began using it as I continue to work on developing my second CURE project. I have found the content to be an excellent literature review and an incredibly helpful way to reflect on all the components that should intentionally be included and considered when developing a CURE for any level of undergraduate science student. It gives great guidance to aligning goals for the course with the research goals for the experience. It includes a discussion of everything from sustainability and scaling-up the CURE to cross-institutional partnerships. This is really a must-have resource for faculty interested in undergraduate research experiences.