Course-Based Research and Mentorship: Results from a Multiterm Research Academy at a Minority-Serving Institution

ABSTRACT This article describes the creation of the Minority-Serving Institution Research Academy (MSIRA), a training and apprenticeship program for undergraduate political science students supported by the National Science Foundation and launched at the University of California, Riverside, in 2023. MSIRA is a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) in which students spend 10 weeks learning basic research methods through active-learning and team-based exercises. After the 10-week course, students provide 25 hours of research assistance for faculty mentors. We examine focus group and survey data from the first cohort of MSIRA fellows to describe its impact and to draw parallels and distinctions with other CUREs.