The Office of Undergraduate Research is excited to announce the new Course-based Undergraduate
Research Experiences (CURES) Funding Program! In a CURE, faculty embed authentic research
experiences into an existing course. Students in the course have the opportunity to
participate in a project that has the potential to advance research in their field,
opening up more research experiences to students who might not otherwise have had
the opportunity to participate.
Research has shown that CUREs can provide valuable research experience to students that is comparable to what they might experience in the traditional apprentice model (Auchincloss et al., 2014). In addition, students build skills that are important for their future (Shapiro et al., 2015).
What Are the Components of a Successful CURE?
Item
Description
Type of Course
A CURE is distinguished from an apprentice-model research experience in that it is a content course that ordinarily does not involve research, but an authentic research experience has been embedded in this section of the course. Courses that are explicitly designed for a research purpose (for example, Directed Methods/Directed Study/Vertically Integrated Projects courses) are not eligible for this funding.
Faculty Expertise
The research is supervised by a faculty member who has the necessary skill set to
effectively mentor the research in the course.
Ethical and Safety Guidelines
The research projects meet the ethical guidelines for responsible conduct of research.
Projects involving animal or human subjects must undergo IRB approval, and the faculty
member and students are (or will be) certified through the appropriate CITI training.
When applicable, students will undergo any safety trainings required.
Scaffolding
The undergraduate research experience is appropriately scaffolded. In other words,
students have learned foundational information in previous courses or research experiences
(for example, research design in the discipline, statistics, lab techniques, and scientific
vocabulary). If they have not, there is a plan regarding how to develop these skills
in the context of the course.
Learning Outcomes
The syllabus contains a list of measurable learning outcomes geared toward undergraduate
research in this discipline. A possible list of outcomes can be found here. Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and it is unlikely that all of these
would be appropriate for any given research project.
Formative Feedback
There are frequent opportunities for students to receive feedback (by peers and/or
the instructor) at different phases of the research.
Group Processes
If the undergraduate research is a group, rather than individual, project, then the
project is structured according to best practices for collaborative projects.
Discovery
The research projects have the potential to make an original contribution to the literature
in this discipline. The outcomes of the projects are unknown beforehand (for both
the students and the instructor). The work should be relevant or important beyond
the classroom.
Public Dissemination of the Product(s)
There is a plan to disseminate this product publicly (i.e., peer-reviewed publication,
presentation at a professional conference or on-campus symposia). All students should
have the opportunity for presenting or publishing their undergraduate research work.
Eligibility & Application Requirements
Eligibility: Any instructor of record for any class at KSU can apply for these funds. The course
must meet the requirements for a CURE, as detailed above.
The application is housed in InfoReady. A separate application is required for each CURE and each semester.
Each application requires the following information:
Name, email, and department for the instructor of record
Previous experience, if any, in teaching a CURE
The semester you will teach this CURE (must be Fall or Spring due to fiscal year deadlines
for spending)
Information about the course (course name, CRN, student cap)
The syllabus for the CURE (uploaded as an attachment)
A description about how the project meets the definition of undergraduate research
("A mentored investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduates that seeks
to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge")
A description about the public dissemination of the research
Information about the funding request (what you are requesting the funds for, budget
table, supporting documentation about the budget request, information about the student
teaching assistant if applicable)
Use of funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research for the past three years,
if applicable (what type of funding you and your students received, how much you received,
what deliverables emerged from the funding, etc.)
Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
The extent to which the course meets the criteria listed in the table above (for example,
having clear learning outcomes for the research, effectively structuring group work,
effectively scaffolding the research project)
The extent to which the research in the course meets the definition of undergraduate
research. The work should have the potential to advance the field. "Canned" experiments
in a lab, where the instructor knows what the outcome will be, do not meet this criteria.
The extent to which the research has a clear plan for students to be involved in the
dissemination of the work. Some CUREs may involve students collecting data for a larger
research project; however, the students in the course should still have the opportunity
to publicly disseminate the work they did during the semester.
The extent to which the budget request supports the research students will conduct
in the CURE. Budget tables should be complete, containing all necessary information,
and should use the template provided in InfoReady.
Funding Information & Post-Award Requirements
Funding: Maximum $1,000 per CURE, per semester
The funding can be used for:
Supplies or Materials needed for the CURE
If you are requesting research supplies or materials (i.e. lab supplies, software,
art materials, etc.), you are required to provide a budget table and any relevant
quotes or supporting documents. A budget table template is available for downloading
on the front page of the application and within the application itself.
Participant Incentives
You are required to provide a budget table, and you must include the following: IRB Approval or Exemption AND Fiscal Compliance Approval. A budget table template is available for downloading on the front page of the application
and within the application itself.
A student teaching assistant to help with the CURE*
Hired on through HR as an hourly student assistant ($10/hr. rate) with the faculty
member as their supervisor who helps maintain their hours
If you are requesting funding for a student teaching assistant, you are required to
provide the student's information, the total number of working hours for the semester,
and a detailed description of the work the student will be doing during those hours.
Please note: Requests for the Fall Semester will only be accepted through September
3rd, in order to allow time for on-boarding.
Student Teaching Assistant requests for Spring Semester can be submitted starting
November 17th.
*International students on H4, L2, or E2 dependent visas are not allowed to work,
and therefore are not eligible to be hired.
Please email our@kennesaw.edu if you have questions about allowable funding.
Application Deadline Dates:
The application portal opens on Friday, August 1, 2025 and closes on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 or whenever the funding for this program runs out.
Faculty should apply for funding for the current semester only when they are ready to use it, and applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis, with the exception of the student teaching assistant.
Packing slips are required by KSU's Fiscal Services as proof of receipt of order,
when the OUR Purchasing team turns in their monthly purchasing card reports. Immediately upon receipt of any items purchased for your project by the OUR, you must notify
our@kennesaw.edu and provide the packing slip. You can provide the packing slip via photo (must be
clear and readable) or by sending via inter-department mail to Jennifer Harb (MD 4808).
Failure to provide packing slips will result in all purchases being delivered to the
Office of Undergraduate Research suite (ALC 5500) so that the packing slip can be
retrieved by OUR staff. It will be your responsibility to pick up all purchases from
the suite in a timely manner.
Any dissemination activities will have to acknowledge financial support from the Office
of Undergraduate Research.
As the recipient of funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research, you are required
to:
Complete an End of Semester progress report. This report is collected through the
InfoReady system and will be sent to you two weeks in advance of the deadline date.
Commit a minimum of 1-hour to judge at the Symposium of Student Scholars, each semester
Failure to fulfill these requirements will result in ineligibility for 1-year of future
funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research
The Office of Undergraduate Research would like to receive feedback from the students in the CURES, at the end of the semester. A link to a survey will be provided to awarded faculty to distribute on our behalf.
Additional Resources
Faculty Resources:
Syllabus Template
This syllabus template might provide ideas for you as you develop your course. You should feel free to make
your syllabus your own; you are not required to adhere to this template.
Public Dissemination Options
Below are some examples of ways that the students in your course can publicly showcase
their work. This list is not exhaustive; please feel free to propose other possibilities
in your application. The public dissemination should include all students in the class
and should occur in the semester the class is held.
The Symposium of Student Scholars is held near the end of the Fall and Spring semesters. It is a chance for students
to present to the campus community. It is free and open to the public. Students would
need to submit an abstract by the deadline and present at the event (the abstract
can be preliminary if the results are not known yet; simply indicate in the abstract
that results will be presented at the Symposium).
The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research(KJUR) is an online journal for KSU students to showcase their research. If students
submit a manuscript to KJUR or any other scholarly journal at the end of the semester,
that would count toward the dissemination requirement.
Students may present their work at other public venues besides the Symposium, such
as discipline-specific conferences at KSU or elsewhere.
Students may make their work publicly available online (e.g., website, blog).
Faculty Research Workshops
We provide training and professional development workshops for faculty research mentors.
Student Resources:
Undergraduate Peer Ambassadors
The Undergraduate Research Peer Ambassadors are experienced student researchers representing each college at Kennesaw State University.
They conduct workshops on various undergraduate research topics and are available
for one-on-one appointments to provide peer mentoring on undergraduate research specific
topics.
Undergraduate Research Student Workshops
Training and professional development for undergraduate researchers is provided in
the Office of Undergraduate Research. View current workshops here.
Undergraduate Research Video Series
These videos contain valuable information on a variety of undergraduate research topics, including writing abstracts, creating posters, creating oral presentations, and more.
Undergraduate Research Club
The Undergraduate Research Club (URC) is all about building a supportive, exciting research community where you can grow professionally and make a real impact through your projects. Open to all KSU students, URC offers regular meetings covering diverse research topics and provides the perfect platform to connect with fellow students and mentors.
FAQs
Why is this funding not permissible for research courses?
CUREs are a unique form of undergraduate research where instructors embed an authentic
research project into an existing course. There has not been Office of Undergraduate
Research funding dedicated to these kinds of courses before, and we would like to
increase the number of these courses offered at KSU.
Faculty who would like funding for students in research courses should consider applying
for URCA or other student funding in the Office of Undergraduate Research. In addition, there are several faculty funding
sources (see examples here and here) that can be used for undergraduate research that is not part of a CURE.
Where can I learn more about CUREs?
Below are several good resources for faculty who would like to learn more about CUREs:
CUREnet is a website with resources, tips, and examples of successful CUREs. The examples
are oriented toward courses in the STEM fields, but all faculty can get good ideas
and insights from the ways these courses are structured.
Auchincloss, L. C. et al. (2014). Assessment of course-based undergraduate research
experiences: A meeting report. CBE–Life Sciences, 13, 29–40. doi: 10.1187/cbe.14-01-0004
Shaprio, C. et al. (2015). Comparing the impact of course-based and apprentice-based
research experiences in a life science laboratory curriculum. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 16(2), 186–197. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/jmbe.v16i2.1045
