Defining an Evaluation Framework for Undergraduate Research Experiences

In an effort to improve the evaluation framework for the authors’ NSF-funded S-STEM program (Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) that supports undergraduate research experiences (UREs) for its participating students, we analyzed quantitative and qualitative data from the 2009-10 senior exit survey for graduating students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science at a large, metropolitan, research university. The survey data offered a large sample size (n=687) of which 104 or 15% of students reported participation in a URE; non-URE students were used as a comparison group. We then compared our findings with five published studies with large sample sizes. Our survey results showed 41% of gains in “clarification or confirmation of career/education paths,” and 51% of gains in the “personal/professional” domain (which includes “thinking and working like a scientist”). Female and male students showed the same level of interest in continuing on to graduate school. White and Hispanic students showed a higher level of interest in continuing on to graduate school compared to other ethnic groups (but this finding should be interpreted with caution).