This project looks at the UCF Undergraduate Research Journal and explores the functioning of this small university level publication. This poster will review the strategies used by the journal to market themselves, support student writing, and overcome the challenges of being an interdisciplinary journal.

Undergraduate research opportunities have been linked to outcomes produced from undergraduate student engagement in research activities are associated with gains in writing, cognitive, and personal skills, enhanced self-concept, and academic achievement (ASHE Higher Education Report, 2007; Estepp, Velasco, Culbertson, & Conner, 2016). Research experiences allow students to engage in deep learning, helping them learn to link ideas and identify patterns using evidence and logic by examining arguments; ultimately developing their own ideas about a particular problem through reflection (Entwistle, 2006). Research demonstrates that this high impact practice enhances a student’s link to the campus, faculty, and peers, which in turn supports their persistence (Kuh, 2008; Kuh 2013). Yet engaging minority undergraduate students in research activities has been a challenge in higher education. This literature review identified specific characteristics of research experiences that supported minority undergraduate students throughout different types of research activities. From the more traditional faculty led research mentorship to research activities that stemmed from curricular frameworks which were embedded across courses, there were clear behaviors, structures, and supports which created rich experiences for minority students. These were grouped into overarching themes that created meaning for minority students: relationships, self-efficacy, and structure of the research process.

Scientific Process is a required course for all undergraduate science majors at FGCU. In this course, students develop original research proposals on topics of their interest. Information literacy skills are critical as students must be able to use multiple sources of information to develop their proposals. Biology and library faculty have collaborated to add instruction and assignments addressing research question development, search strategy, citation management, and more. Our goal is to improve students’ information literacy skills as well as the quality and quantity of citations in their final proposals. We will present on this initiative and our preliminary assessment results.

With the national emphasis on promoting and increasing retention in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines, there is a need to establish retention models designed to be adaptable to varying types of students and institutions. Faculty at Florida Atlantic University (FAU), University of Central Florida (UCF), and Western Carolina University (WCU) have created the LEARN Consortium, a three-institution initiative to directly address this national need, by sharing and expanding best practices in existing retention models, and developing and testing new models for STEM retention, specifically targeting incoming transfer students. The STEM retention model being evaluated and modified is Learning Environment and Academic Research Network (L.E.A.R.N.^TM). This model was developed at UCF targeting first-year students (FTIC) and has already demonstrated success in STEM retention for their students. We have modified this model to meet the unique needs of incoming upper-division AA transfer STEM students, while retaining the three central components of the model including Research, Mentoring, and Community building. We will implement both models (FTIC and Transfer) at all three different institutions beginning Fall 2016 and evaluate (1) the factors within a STEM research community which impact student success and retention, (2) the impact of the FTIC STEM model at improving STEM retention FAU and WCU and (3) the adaptability of a FTIC STEM model to an AA/AS transfer student population. We will present the two LEARN models outlining the modifications made to address the transfer student needs, share strategies for effective collaborations among the three institutions and summarize the assessment plans established for evaluating the effectiveness of this model at impacting STEM retention and success.