Undergraduate Research Benefits Student and Faculty Skills and Retention

This study investigates the impact of undergraduate research at a single university on both student and faculty mentor skill development and retention. Survey methodology was used to determine students’ and mentors’ self-perception of their own skills as researchers and mentors, respectively, both before and after participation in undergraduate research. Moreover, students and mentors were also asked to assess each other’s skill development as mentors and student researchers, respectively. This dual assessment demonstrated gains in self-perception of research and mentorship skills among students and faculty, who also confirmed these gains in their counterparts. Importantly, this study documents increases in student retention and graduation rates and also increased faculty retention at the university for faculty who serve as undergraduate research mentors.