Successfully Engaging Early Undergraduates in CS Research

Abstract

Engaging undergraduates in research has been shown to improve retention, increase students' sense of science identity, and increase the chances that they will continue to graduate school. Yet many undergraduates don't participate in research until very late in their undergraduate program, while most undergraduates don't participate in research at all. On the other hand, many faculty are eager and willing to do research with undergraduates, but are unsure how to mentor and supervise them, particularly early undergraduates who may have very little specific technical knowledge and skills. This workshop will provide participants with concrete skills and techniques for engaging early undergraduates (first and second-year students) in real research projects, and, if desired, for developing or growing a department-wide early undergraduate research program. Participants will engage in hands-on activities where they will learn how to develop appropriately scoped research projects, manage and mentor early undergraduates successfully, and teach core research skills like reading research papers and writing research proposals. The workshop will also cover how to mitigate specific challenges faced by students from groups underrepresented in computer science. The materials presented in this workshop are based on the successful NSF-funded Early Research Scholars Program at UC San Diego (ersp.ucsd.edu), which is in its fourth year, and engages 40 second-year students per year--the majority of whom are women and/or students from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups--in academic-year research apprenticeships.