Implementing and Assessing an Inclusive Introductory Research Program: The OURA Lab

Extensive evidence links participation in high quality undergraduate research experiences to positive student success metrics (e.g., retention rates) but barriers to entry persist. The Office for Undergraduate Research and Artistry (OURA) at Colorado State University developed a program called the OURA Lab, grounded in culturally relevant pedagogy. The OURA Lab program was designed to address many of the identified barriers, including a flexible schedule, compensation for participation, and scaffolded opportunities for students to connect their personal identities and experiences to research. We collected data to investigate the following two project aims: 1. In what ways does an undergraduate research program that is guided by culturally relevant tenets contribute to growth and development as researchers? And 2. How does an undergraduate research program guided by culturally relevant tenets address barriers to entry for students? We used a mixed methods approach to assess the impact of the OURA Lab on participants (N = 125), including four semesters of data from the Entering Research Learning Assessment (ERLA) survey, focus groups conducted at the end of the semester with current participants, and a survey and focus group implemented with past participants from the OURA Lab. The data indicate that the OURA Lab successfully increased students' research skills, confidence and belonging in lab spaces, and their likelihood of pursuing other research opportunities beyond the OURA Lab (project aim 1) and that the design of the activities and structure guided by culturally relevant pedagogy also reduced the effect of barriers to entry (project aim 2). In this paper, we share how the OURA Lab was guided by culturally relevant pedagogy, the implementation details of the program, our methods of assessment and data, and suggestions for those who are interested in implementing and/or assessing a similar program.