A Study of Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences and the Challenges and Opportunities for Computer Science

A course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) involves the incorporation of research at the under-graduate level, typically as a replacement to the lab portion of the course. A motivational driver for incorporating research in the classroom is to ensure greater participation and retention of undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Studies have also shown that students who engage in undergraduate research experiences gain a better understanding of the scientific process and are more likely to pursue graduate studies. The CURE model is regarded as a pedagogical paradigm that originated in the life sciences, resulting in numerous research studies and support networks. Computer science can be regarded as a singular discipline and as a discipline that spans all areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Interestingly, it was the STEM Education Act of 2015 that resulted in the official inclusion of computer science to the definition of STEM disciplines. This paper provides a review of undergraduate research experiences in STEM from the research literature, identifying the unique challenges and opportunities associated with incorporating CUREs into an undergraduate computer science curriculum. In addition, this paper entails an evaluation of an upper-division Artificial Intelligence (AI) course incorporating course-based research.