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The Office of Academic Affairs is offering seed funding to develop Course-based Undergraduate Research (CURE) opportunities in ODU's colleges. This program aims to improve undergraduate students' research skills by engaging them in research activities embedded in course curricula.

Framed around the learning-by-doing teaching philosophy, Course-based Undergraduate Research provides faculty with opportunities to integrate research into their teaching, gather data for potential publications, and potentially influence their promotion and tenure track (mentoring, student satisfaction, and peer recognition). For students, past research shows that CUREs yield cognitive, psychosocial, behavioral, and affective gains:

• Cognitive gains: increased content knowledge and improved understanding of the research process, skills development, such as analytical, technical, collaborative, experimental design skills, and problem-solving abilities.
• Psychosocial gains: increased confidence and self-efficacy in conducting research, interacting with faculty, communicating with a wider audience, and gaining real-world experience.
• Behavioral gains: interest in science majors and potential enrollment in graduate school.
• Affective gains: increased motivation and enjoyment of class content and research activities (Dolan, 2016).

Who is eligible?

• ODU's full-time teaching and research faculty, tenured, tenure-track, and non-tenure track.

Award Amounts

• Awards range from $1,000 to $2,000 per recipient.
• As a one-time grant, CURE funds must be spent by June 15, 2025, even if the course is not offered until spring 2026.
• The funds may be used for course development/teaching (personnel and supplies).
• Matching funds or in-kind contributions from college deans and department chairs are strongly encouraged.

Each CURE award recipient is expected to:

• Develop one research-based course, which will become part of their department's future offerings.
• Serve as the instructor of record for the CURE in its first offering (Fall 2025 or Spring 2026).
• Remain at ODU for the duration of the grant.
• Encourage students enrolled in the CURE course to present/attend the ODU Undergraduate Research Symposium in Spring 2026.
• Acknowledge the support of the Provost's Office when publishing or presenting the project findings.
• Record a short video or use other strategies to showcase their work with the students.
• Submit a report by June 30, 2026....OR participate in a Center for Faculty Development workshop by June 30, 2026 focused on Course-based Undergraduate Research in which you share your results.

Proposals will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

• Proposal Submission Form
• Proposal Administrative Form
• Project Report Form

• Winners of 2022 CURE Grant
• Winners of 2023 CURE Grant

References:

Dolan, E. L. (2016). Course-based undergraduate research experiences: current knowledge and future directions. National Research Council Communication Papers, 1, 1-34.