Institutionalizing Undergraduate Research to Advance STEM Education and Student Outcomes at a Two-Year College

This project aims to serve the national interest by fostering academic achievement, professional development, and long-term student success for two-year college students through robust campus-based research experiences and Lorain County Community College (LCCC). The primary focus is on operationalizing and institutionalizing a cross-disciplinary, comprehensive framework for undergraduate research that lays the foundation for knowledge generation and the development of replicable models applicable to other two-year colleges. This effort aligns with broader initiatives to ensure more students are fully prepared to participate in and contribute to the STEM enterprise. By building on existing evidence for designing effective early research experiences and examining the impact on students, this model offers a scalable approach that can be adapted across regional, statewide, and national networks, ultimately advancing a culture of undergraduate research throughout the two-year college ecosystem. The objectives of this project are to: 1) develop an institutional culture of support for undergraduate research, 2) increase opportunities for participation in early research experiences, and 3) assess the impacts of undergraduate research participation on two-year college student outcomes. These objectives are addressed by streamlining administrative processes and centralizing student support through the creation of the Undergraduate Student Research Advisory Committee and Research Center. The project also provides stipends to facilitate participation in STEM research, establishes flexible pathways into undergraduate research, and supports student researchers pursuing transfer pathways and graduate degrees. A mixed methods assessment and evaluation plan, combining surveys, focus groups, and academic performance analysis captures the impact of undergraduate research experiences on student success and persistence. Dissemination includes student and faculty presentations and publications in relevant journals. By integrating research opportunities within in a two-year college context, this initiative positions two-year institutions as essential contributors to innovation in STEM education and the preparation of the next generation of STEM professionals. The NSF IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (ITYC) Program seeks to accelerate and advance knowledge about the impact of emerging and evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.