Targeted Infusion Project:Impact of Course-Based Undergraduate Research with Immersive Advising (CURES-IA) on Biology STEM Majors to Improve Persistence and Graduation Outcomes.

Texas Southern University serves more than 550 undergraduate biology majors and aims to implement a student-centered academic success model that integrates two evidence-based, high-impact educational approaches: 1) immersive advising, where advisors provide proactive and personalized support through a student's academic journey, and 2) course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), which allow students to participate in scientific research as part of required coursework. The overall goal is to increase student retention, persistence, academic achievement, and graduation while strengthening foundational knowledge and preparing students for the next step in their academic journey and the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce. The resulting advising framework and instructional model are intended to establish a foundation that can be used across the department, as well as other STEM disciplines. The research will examine how a three-year educational intervention that integrates immersive advising and CUREs within introductory biology courses impacts the trajectory of undergraduate biology majors. The research team will investigate whether efforts to combining forward-thinking advising and mentoring with authentic research experiences improves student outcomes beyond those achieved through immersive advising alone. Faculty members will implement research-based teaching practices and advising strategies, promoting long-term institutional capacity for student success in biology. Findings from this project will contribute to the growing body of evidence on effective strategies for improving undergraduate science education, particularly at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and will provide a framework for increasing student persistence and increased competitiveness in STEM. Expected contributions include new knowledge on CUREs that integrate immersive advising, a modernized curriculum that can be implemented across other departments, trained faculty in proactive advising, and sustainable practices that can be implemented at other HBCUs. This award is funded by the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), through Targeted Infusion Projects, which supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based, innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students to pursue STEM graduate programs and/or careers. 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.