Benefits to Students & Faculty

• Prepare students for transfer and the workforce
• Offer students experience in scholarly pursuit
• Improve students’ critical-thinking skills
• Offer students opportunities for hands-on, project-based learning
• Offer students opportunities to use cutting-edge technologies and methods

"I enrolled in Monroe Community College to have a second chance at my education, and I wanted to challenge myself academically …. I did not know … students could conduct research before I took [UR-designated] courses …, but now I can say that I truly have the confidence to find the information I would need to make informed decisions about any subject that is important to me."

"[This UR-designated] class is one of my favorites as I look forward to the interaction and dialogue on topics and seeing the connection between the past and present of human behaviors and interpretation …. The research I have done in [this] class has helped me not only in [this] class but has made a huge impact on my ability to participate and thrive in my other classes. I … find that I thoroughly enjoy digging deeper for more information and insight on other topics as well."

"I have had the pleasure of conducting undergraduate research in a classroom environment …. The class instruction allows me to develop my writing, analysis, and critical thinking skills and simultaneously apply the tools I acquire to a research project. Moreover, performing undergraduate research in a program that encourages curiosity and thoughtful exploration of ideas offers valuable preparation for future projects in higher education."

"With the incorporation of undergraduate research throughout [my] curriculum, I feel I have been able to become a significantly more independent learner, eventually leading me to finally discover a major I'm really passionate about."

"I feel much more prepared to transfer to another school and believe that my knowledge in the process of undergraduate research that I have learned in this course will make me stand out and give me a leg up in the professional world."

• Increased Student Engagement
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Program-level marketing
• Stay current in your field of study
• Find new inspiration in teaching
• Enable higher levels of student retention and success

"In the UR-designated course I teach, the ability to conduct some sort of experimentation, correctly interpret the results, and effectively explain the results to another individual is paramount. Many of my students plan to continue their education past MCC, where they will continue to participate in undergraduate and graduate research. It is my hope that this course prepares them for the excitement and rigor associated with scientific research."

"Undergraduate Research remains one of the most important endeavors our students can participate in, since its relevance and utility spans all disciplines and fields of study. Undergraduate Research makes all the difference between someone who just works at a job and someone who engages in and contributes to a field or a discipline. Each semester, my students continue to teach and enlighten me with their research projects."