Attend Graduate School Research Articles

Learning By Doing: The Long-Term Impact of Experiential Learning Programs on Student Success

As the advisers for the Model United Nations and Judicial Internship programs at our university, we have witnessed first-hand the benefits of simulations and experiential learning. Specifically, students are able to apply knowledge from other classes to real-world situations, all while honing their writing skills and communication skills, as well as their ability to analyze and synthesize information—skills that are critical to success in a wide variety of careers. This practical experience also gives students confidence as they prepare for and make decisions about their future career paths. While we have anecdotal evidence suggesting that these programs contribute to student success, we use survey data from former students to assess formally the longer-term impact of participating in these programs. We find that experiential learning programs contribute to student success by improving time to graduation and increasing the likelihood of attending graduate school or law school and/or finding employment after graduation. In addition, the students’ own assessments indicate that these programs instill numerous practical skills and provide insights that help prepare students for success in their future careers.

Denisa Wagner.

Denisa Wagner.

Comparative Experiences of First- and Continuing-Generation Social Work Students

ABSTRACTFirst-generation college students have received little attention in the social work literature. National data on first-generation students in social work are not collected. However, it is possible that first-generation students are overrepresented in social work programs. This study seeks to fill a critical gap in our literature by investigating differences between first- and continuing-generation social work students, comparing them on hardships, motivations to attend college, knowledge of student services, self-efficacy, stress, grade point average, and plans to attend graduate school. First-generation students in this study had more interdependent reasons for going to college, experienced more stress, and were less likely to plan to pursue an MSW. No differences were found in grade point average.

DeGroove Is indeMove

<i>De</i>Groove Is in<i>de</i>Move

Characteristics and development plan of Home Economics teachers

본 연구의 목적은 가정과교사 문화의 특징과 가정과교육 발전의 저해 요소를 밝힘으로써 가정과교사 문화의 발전 방안을 제시하는데 있다. 이를 위해 집중면접의 주제 분석법을 실행하였으며, 각 지역 가정교과연구회 또는 한국가정과교육학회 소속 석사과정 이상인 가정과교사 14명을 대상으로 이루어졌다. 응답 자료 분석을 위해 주제 분석법을 실행하였다. 본 연구의 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 가정과교사들은 가정과교육의 철학을 정립한 후 가정교과가 청소년 개인과 가정, 그리고 사회를 이롭게 하는 실천비판교과라는 신념을 확고히 가지고 가정과수업을 통해서 청소년과 그들의 가정, 더 나아가 사회에 유익을 주는 교육을 실천하고 있었다. 둘째, 가정과교사들은 대학원에 진학하거나 가정교과연구회에 가입하여 수업 방법, 평가 방법, 업무 능력을 향상시키고, 수업을 공개하는 등 지속해서 전문성을 향상시키기 위해서 노력하는 문화를 형성하고 있었다. 셋째, 가정과교사들은 가정과교육 패러다임을 실천비판 패러다임으로 전환하여 실천적 문제 중심 수업을 실행해야 한다는 문화를 자리매김하였다. 또한, 그들은 세 행동체계(기술적 행동, 의사소통적 행동, 해방적 행동)를 순환적으로 적용하여 삶의 질과 가치를 향상시켜야 한다고 보았다. 넷째, 가정과교육의 발전을 저해하는 요소에는 교육제도와 사회적 인식이 있었다. 하지만 가정과교사들의 노력으로 가정과교육은 학생과 사회적 요구를 반영한 교육, 학생의 적성을 찾아주며 가정교과의 목표를 잘 살린 교육으로 자리 잡고 있었고, 이를 통해 가정과교사들은 학생들이 가정교과가 개인과 가정의 행복을 위해 꼭 필요한 교과라는 인식의 전환을 가져올 수 있다고 믿었다. 가정과교사문화의 발전방안으로 가정과교사들은 각 지역의 가정교과연구회에서는 더 많은 가정과교사들이 연구회에 참여하고 활동함으로써 발전할 수 있는 기회를 마련해야 한다고 하였다. 또한 지역의 가정교과연구회끼리 협력적 네트워크를 활성화하고 이를 이끌수 있는 컨트롤타워가 필요하다고 했다. 한국가정과교육학회는 각 지역의 교과연구회의 중심점 역할이 되어서 다가올 교육 변화에 더욱 신속하고 조직적으로 움직여 적극적으로 대처함으로써 가정과교사들의 힘이 될 수 있어야 할 것이다. 마지막으로 참여자는 가정과교육의 변화를 위한 기초적 틀을 마련하기 위해 실천 비판적 가정과교사 양성이 필요하다고 했다. 이를 위해 가정과교사 양성과정에서 학생들이 더욱 깊이 있는 가정교과교육철학을 수강함으로써 가정교육학의 본질을 이해하고 정체성을 확립하여 유능하고 성숙한 가정과교사로서의 자질을 갖출 수 있을 것이다.The purpose of this study was to contribute to Home Economics(HE) teachers&#700; culture by figuring out acknowledging characteristics of cultures of HE teachers and impeding factors on development of HE education. For this intensive interview were used. Intensive interviews were made with 14 HE teachers who completed coursework for master&#700;s or doctor&#700;s program of graduate school and belong to HE Teachers&#700; Study Associations of each region or Korean Home Economics Education Association and analyzed by subject analysis method. The results of the study are as follows. First, HE teachers establish the philosophy of HE education, and practice education to provide profit to adolescents, their families, as well as society through HE class with their belief that HE is a practical and critical subject to benefit individual adolescents, families, and society. Second, HE teachers form culture to make an effort to continue to improve their expertises by attending graduate school, joining HE teachers&#700; associations to enhance teaching methods, evaluation methods, and work ability or disclosing their own class. Third, HE teachers settle culture to conduct classes focusing on practical issues by converting the paradigm of HE education to that of practical critique. They also see that the system of three actions(technical action, communicative action, and emancipative action) should be applied in circulating ways to improve quality and value of life. Forth, for impeding factors of development of HE education, there are educational system and social recognition. However, with HE teachers&#700; efforts, HE education settles well, as it reflects demands from students and society, finds students&#700; talents, and actualizes its own goals. HE teachers believe that student will recognize that HE education is necessary for happiness of individuals and families. As a way to develop Home Economics teacher culture, Home Economics teachers should have the opportunity to develop more Home Economics teachers by participating in and working in research sessions in each area. It also called for a control tower to enable and lead collaborative networks between local Home Economics curriculum research committees. The Korean Home Economics Education Association should play a central role in the academic research community of each region and be able to help Home Economics teachers by moving more quickly and systematically to cope with the upcoming changes in education. Finally, participants said that in order to prepare a basic framework for the change in Home Economics education, practical critical Home Economics teacher training are needed. To this end, students can understand the essence of Home Economics education and establish their identity by taking a deeper Home Economics education curriculum philosophy for Home Economics teacher training.

How to make red yeast: An undergraduate laboratory using CRISPR/Cas9 technology to target ADE2 in budding yeast

The ability of CRISPR/Cas9 to edit genomic sequence in a multitude of organisms has revolutionized modern science and is an ideal topic to engage undergraduate students. The ease and speed of this technology combined with the short generation time, well‐characterized genome, established protocols, and relatively limited financial demands of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (bakers yeast) make for a practical undergraduate laboratory. Students, working in pairs were assigned the task of replacing the chromosomal copy of ADE2 with HIS3. Over the course of several weeks students cloned the ADE2 gRNA into an expression vector, PCR amplified a HIS3 construct for homologous recombination, and transformed these components into yeast. ADE2 encodes for Phosphoribosylaminoimidazole carboxylase, an enzyme that catalyzes a reaction in the de novo synthesis of purine nucleotides. Disruption of this gene results in the accumulation of red pigment in the yeast cells. Students were thus able to screen for disruption of the ADE2 gene and subsequent replacement with HIS3 with a specific growth phenotype: red yeast capable of growing on media lacking histidine. The methods used in this lab included: basic cell culture, primer design, PCR, plasmid isolation, transformation, restriction digestion, ligation and DNA sequencing. To reinforce scientific writing and analysis skills the culmination of this project was a manuscript describing their results and a final class lab meeting where each group presented their data and conclusions. Informal assessments indicated that participating in this lab increased student's interest in attending graduate schools and pursing careers in biomedical research.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Predictors of Criminal Justice Undergraduates’ Intentions to Pursue Graduate Education in Criminology or Criminal Justice

This study relies on data from 388 junior and senior criminal justice majors to examine predictors of intentions to pursue graduate education in criminology, criminal justice, or a closely related field. Logistic regression results demonstrate that women, students who receive greater encouragement to attend graduate school, students with a lower aversion to reading, writing, and statistics, and students who perceive greater diversity intolerance are more likely to report graduate school intentions. Although students’ race was not found to be significant in the overall model, split-sample models revealed that the significance of predictors varied by race and ethnicity. In discussing the findings, special attention is given to the need for primarily White institutions (PWIs) to partner with historically Black college and universities (HBCUs). We conclude by calling for departments to redouble their efforts to diversify their faculty and student bodies.

Faculty Behaviors Influencing Intent to Pursue Graduate Education Among RN-BSN Students

Record numbers of nurses are returning to school for their bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN). The purpose of this study was to determine if supportive and caring behaviors of nursing faculty influence registered nurse-to-BSN students' decision to pursue graduate education in nursing. This descriptive correlational study found statistically significant positive relationships (p<.01) between both faculty-supportive behaviors and caring behaviors and their influence on the student's decision to attend graduate school. A significant number of students enter registered nurse-to-BSN programs uncertain of their aspiration to attend graduate school. Consequently, a considerable opportunity is present for nurse educators to employ supportive and caring behaviors that can have a significant impact on academic progression in nursing.

Understanding the experiences of Latina former student athletes pursuing graduate education: The role of ethnic identity and emotional intelligence

ABSTRACTEducational leaders, inclusive of faculty, are charged now more than ever with understanding the challenges and needs of their diverse student body, ensuring that they are prepared for their chosen career post-graduation. This study sought to better understand and explore the experiences of five Latina former NCAA student-athletes who made the choice to pursue graduate education. This study aimed to further understand how ethnic identity development occurred in Latina student-athletes and how this experience impacted their pursuit of graduate education. To better understand the phenomenon of ethnic-identity development in Latina student-athletes, the concept of emotional intelligence was utilized. The current study found three overarching themes: Self-Confidence, Greater Understanding of Self (Race and Ethnicity), and Motivation. This study presents implications and recommendations for educational leaders who work with student-athletes who self-identify as Latino/a who are considering attending graduate school.

The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash

Reviewed by: The Last Ballad by Wiley Cash Jessica Cory (bio) Wiley Cash. The Last Ballad. New York, N.Y.: William Morrow, 2017. 384 pages. Hardcover. $26.99. Wiley Cash’s third novel The Last Ballad is a suspenseful tale based on a historical event. The novel follows protagonist Ella May Wiggins and a wide cast of narrators, including a northern porter, a wealthy mill owner’s wife, a demoted yet trigger-happy police officer, and an alcoholic monk, through the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the 1929 Loray Mill strike in Gastonia, North Carolina, a small city nestled in the Appalachian foothills and Cash’s hometown. The novel is based on actual events, though unlike some historical fiction, it is not at all dry nor does it spend excessive [End Page 116] time regurgitating monotonous details. Instead, Cash embellishes the lives of Ella May and the other characters, adding layers to their experiences that, even if speculative, seem entirely believable. He flourishes the main historical event with minor plots mostly centered on romantic entanglements, including sordid affairs and tales of good love gone bad. The variety of narrators, their lives, and their perspectives of the circumstances surrounding the mill strike weave together so eloquently that the reader begins to wonder if Cash himself is a descendent of textile workers. He reveals in the afterword that he is, to no surprise. The novel centers around Ella May, who decides to join the National Textile Workers Union, referred to as “Communists” and “Bolshevists” in the newspaper ads taken out by the Council of Concerned Citizens of Gaston County, reasoning that workers should not have to choose between their children’s lives and a twelve-hour shift. Earning nine dollars a week for seventy-two hours’ worth of work, Ella May struggles to care for her four children as a single mother and is pained by already losing one infant son to whooping cough, when she was faced with the choice of working her shift or losing her job at American Mill No. 2, the only integrated mill in the area. After walking away from her position at the mill to join the union, Ella May begins to write and perform protest songs including “Two Little Strikers,” “All Around the Jailhouse,” and most notably “The Mill Mother’s Lament” whose lyrics are haunting. (Cash notes in the afterword that Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger later performed Ella May’s songs, giving voice to an incredibly talented and strong woman that few people ever learn about. Cash confesses that despite numerous connections between his location and family to Ella May’s circumstances, he knew nothing of her tale until he attended graduate school.) [End Page 117] After a violent clash between the union strikers and law enforcement in the Loray tent colony, which left Chief of Police Aderholt dead and several unionizers arrested, Ella May is suddenly thrust into the role of union organizer. Because of her strong belief in racial equality, she ostracizes many potential strikers, but her commitment is strong and she focuses her energy on an integrated union, telling her fellow believers in the labor movement “I’m proud to be with me friends.” Cash’s understanding of the resistance to integration, even in a national organization, is clearly well-researched. Unlike some works of Southern historically-based fiction, he refuses to paint folks with a broad brush. Rather than showing how the entirety of the 1920s South is averse to civil rights, he portrays racism on a more personal level rather than on a systemic front, despite the fact that Jim Crow was certainly alive and well. Cash also wants to show how the tide was changing in the South and how there were those who believed in integration, as represented in Ella May, Sophia, and Kate. To add to the reader’s understanding of the Loray Mill strike and the National Textile Workers Union, Cash intersperses copies of newspaper articles relating to the events. Many of these are calls to action funded by the Council of Concerned Citizens of Gaston County, however others are printed by the union or are general headline news reports. One of the...

Pursuing Graduate Study: Factors Underlying Undergraduate Engineering Students' Decisions

AbstractBackgroundEnrollment of US students in engineering graduate programs is declining, the proportion of underrepresented groups being even lower at the graduate level than it is at undergraduate levels.PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore engineering undergraduate student perceptions about graduate study, how these perceptions impact their decisions to pursue graduate study, and whether or how these differ by sex and race/ethnicity.Design/MethodWe administered a survey about graduate study to 1082 undergraduate engineering students from four US institutions. Student characteristics included sex, race/ethnicity, and year in college. Exploratory Factor Analysis identified factors related to Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT). We created multinomial logistic regression models to predict intention to pursue a master's or PhD degree.ResultsIdentified factors were Self‐efficacy, Outcome expectations, Supports, Barriers, and Choice actions. Model fit statistics indicate a strong model. Only Choice actions was not significant. Few sex and race/ethnicity differences held once factors were added to the models. Hispanic students were more than twice as likely to indicate they were planning on enrolling in a master's program relative to no graduate school.ConclusionsSelf‐efficacy most strongly influenced graduate school intention. For every one‐unit increase in students' self‐efficacy, they were over 8 times more likely to plan to enroll in a master's program and 13 times more likely to enroll in a PhD program, relative to not attending graduate school. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Dark Knowledge in The Handmaid's Tale Vol. 53, No. 3 Spring/Summer 1991)

Dark Knowledge in The Handmaid's Tale Vol. 53, No. 3 Spring/Summer 1991) Jeanne Campbell Reesman Among critics of Margaret Atwood, an important question about her work—whether or not she is a feminist—has given rise to considerable confusion. If she is chary of being categorized with contemporary United States writers and their traditions, a practice that sometimes threatens to obscure her Canadian identity, she is even more prickly when questioned about her identity as a feminist. Both of these concerns—her relationship to other writers and her feminism—may be addressed by analyzing an important metaphoric pattern in Atwood's most successful novel, The Handmaid's Tale: the replacement of ocular images for knowing with conversational ones. What is revealed is a profound feminist commitment through language. We need a greater sense of Atwood's work within both the cultural and feminist contexts, for her feminist readers often miss both her feminism and her position among North American writers, while other readers need to address more carefully how her feminism permeates every aspect of her works' structure, characterization, and imagery. The Handmaid's Tale replaces the certainty of rigid categories of any kind with the fluidity of an extraordinary heroine's voice. Delicately but unerringly addressing many of our most urgent cultural preoccupations, The Handmaid's Tale (1985) quickly became a bestseller. Ostensibly fantastic in its mode, it engages religious fundamentalism, sexism, racism, pollution, nuclear war, and political chaos, describing in its dystopia a general contemporary sense of the tiredness of our world's institutions. Its vision is frightening, but its heroine's voice offers a moving testament to the power of language to transform reality in order to overcome oppressive designs imposed on human beings. This effort to maintain freedom of imagination places The Handmaid's Tale in dialogue with a particular philosophical tradition in the modern American novel while, at the same time, it transcends any national or traditional context through its feminist dialogics. Though she is frequently described by literary critics as a writer impossible to "pigeonhole" (Ingersoll 525)—simultaneously a "feminist, nationalist, literary witch, mythological poet, satirist, formulator of critical theories" (Fulford 95) about whom there "is no real accord concerning her tone or attitude, her point of view" (Mandel 53)—obviously, as a Canadian writer, she cannot be read apart from that context. Indeed, she is self-consciously [End Page 302] Canadian; in her poetry, novels, interviews, and essays, she emphasizes her rootedness in Canadian literature, both in the Canadian landscape itself and in broad cultural issues. She has promoted understanding of Canadian writers in copyright cases. But The Handmaid's Tale is about America: It is set in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Atwood lived while attending graduate school; it is about American-style fundamentalist religion; and its narrative enacts a hermeneutics typical of American novels. Atwood told an interviewer that The Handmaid's Tale was the first major work she set in America and that she made this choice of setting because she "'couldn't fly it in Canada.'" She realized that the religious fundamentalism of The Handmaid's Tale's future America, Gilead, "[is] not a Canadian sort of thing to do. Canadians might do it after the States did it in some sort of watered down version. Our television evangelists are more paltry than yours. The States are more extreme in everything. The Canadian joke goes something like, there's a road to heaven and there's a signpost on the road and one arrow says to heaven and the other says panel discussion about heaven, and all the Canadians choose the second." She also remarks that "'everyone watches the States to see what the country is doing and might be doing ten or fifteen years from now,'" but she continues with a more significant historical context for her chosen setting: "'And then they are my ancestors. Those nagging Puritans really are my ancestors. So I had a considerable interest in them when I was studying them, and the mindset of Gilead is really close to that of the seventeenth century Puritans'" (qtd. in Lyons 72–73). This work's most telling connection to American novels is precisely its post...

The Future of Sustainability: A Participant Motivation Model for Higher Education, Research, and Practice

Environmental and sustainability education offer meaningful insights and instructive guidance for social-ecological systems. While some of the underlying concepts may be contested and even controversial, we submit that the overarching themes can contribute to healthy, balanced, and resilient individuals, organizations, and communities. Our study investigates student participation in a multidimensional Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program focused on building basic and applied research skill sets anchored in sustainable energy knowledge, and introduces use of a conceptual structure for evaluating outcomes: the Motivation, Core Competency, Research Skills and Sustainability (MCRS) Framework. We focus specifically on student motivation to pursue graduate education and sustainability careers. This is accomplished through an exploratory, multi-strand, case-oriented study, utilizing mixed methods to analyze qualitative and quantitative evaluation data. The literature foundations for the study include undergraduate research experiences and graduate education, learning contexts, and key sustainability education competencies. Findings suggest that the program impacted the desire of participants to attend graduate school and aided in their development of clarity around future sustainability-related career paths. Research concentrates on a group of undergraduates in a STEM-related sustainable energy program as part of an important approach which can be applicable to other programs in differing fields and contexts. Understanding learner motivations with respect to designated competencies and skills is a positive step in creating education systems supportive of equitable and sustainable societies. Expanded use of the MCRS Framework into a logic model for integrated problem solving and evaluating performance outcomes can provide direction for informed planning and decision making toward improved policies, programs, and projects now and into the future.

In Memoriam: Stephen Malkin

In Memoriam: Stephen Malkin

Expect the unexpected: private‐sector careers

Expect the unexpected: private‐sector careers

Demanding Respect: A Case Study About Black Female Sexuality in Popular Culture Focusing on Beyoncé Knowles

As our cultural values and political environments shift over time, we must always be unearthing new perspectives and constantly study how our recent past can inform our future. When Lea Trageser began studying women and gender studies, she realized that even present-day superstars and phenomena can be used to better understand age-old concepts like feminism and sexuality. “I was finally able to merge three of my passions,” says Lea Trageser, remarking on her inspiration to research black female sexuality. Through the lens of popular culture, Trageser conducted a case study of Beyonce Knowles and her journey to controlling her sexuality. As a long-time Beyonce fan with interests in female sexuality and popular culture, Trageser says once she found out that it was possible to delve into those aspects together, she pursued it. Trageser will graduate in May 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in human development and minor in women’s and gender studies. She plans to attend graduate school to study sex therapy. Her research is both theoretically unique and familiar, as she applies traditional feminist theory combined with a colorful analysis of the career and sexuality of Beyonce Knowles. She breaks down the history of black female sexuality in popular culture, drawing comparisons between artists of different races and illustrating how black females can take charge of their sexuality. Much of her analysis discusses an individualized perspective of how women can personally control their sexuality and how they are sexualized through their artistic expression. “If someone else is in charge, then it’s not their power so it’s hard to respect them,” said Trageser, elaborating on the importance of a woman taking control of her own sexualization and her own sexual expression. Her research focuses on black feminist themes such as queer theory and intersectionality, but what is unique about her work she says, is the idea of reclamation. Beyonce, through the production and release of her 2013 self-titled album, reclaimed her sexuality when she created and distributed the entire album on her own terms, firing her father as a manager, releasing the album without announcing it, and filling it with explicitly sexual lyrics and accompanying music videos. While Beyonce has been largely criticized for her work on the album, Trageser said that her work actually commanded respect from her peers and her fans by taking control of her sexual expression and the presentation of her music. For Trageser, the topic of owning one’s sexuality and controlling one’s own sexualization transcends discussions of Beyonce Knowles or Madonna; these are struggles that can be applied to all women. “You can apply this to almost any popular culture industry. Acting, modeling, anything where women are objectified and sexualized,” she said, further pointing out the topic’s applicability to social movements like the Slut Walk and other sexual assault prevention and awareness campaigns. While Trageser hopes to continue studying sexuality as she moves on from Virginia Tech, she says that she will likely continue to apply what she’s learned about popular culture in her studies, especially since popular culture so often in uences issues of female sexuality.

고급 학문목적 한국어 학습자의 교실 내 한국어 불안 수준 및 요인 연구 : 국내 대학원에 재학 중인 중국인 유학생을 대상으로

Yang, Myung-hee & Kim, Bo-hyeon. 2017. “A Study on Korean Language Anxiety in the Classrooms of Advanced-level Korean Language Learners for Academic purposes: With Chinese Students in Graduate School in Korea”. The Sociolinguistic Journal of Korea 25(1). 119~141. The aim of this study is to examine the level of and the factors for Korean language anxiety in the classrooms of advanced-level Korean language learners for academic purposes. To this end, 60 Chinese students attending graduate school participated in the survey with the questionnaires: i.e., PRCA and FLCAS. The results suggest as follows. First, the Korean language anxiety level in the classrooms of the Chinese students is likely to be high. Also, it is not because of the participants’ traits, but because of the classroom environment. Second, there are 5 factors for Korean language anxiety in the classrooms; communication anxiety with native speakers, communication anxiety, fears of negative evaluation and failing in class, Korean proficiency anxiety, and negative attitudes toward class. Especially, the forth factor suggests that Korean learners needs an educational intervention of Korean, even after they enter undergraduate or graduate institutions. Third, there is a negative correlation between Korean language anxiety in the classroom and a residence period in Korea. That is, it is necessary to give them as many opportunities as possible for being exposed to Korean by a Korean educational intervention.

Between Teaching and Researching Communities: The Narratives of Social Studies Teachers Returning to Their Schools after Attending Graduate School

Between Teaching and Researching Communities: The Narratives of Social Studies Teachers Returning to Their Schools after Attending Graduate School

Some Factors to Consider Before Attending Graduate School: Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Unconscious Motivators

Some Factors to Consider Before Attending Graduate School: Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Unconscious Motivators

Evaluation of the Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Research Sciences Program

To develop and evaluate an applied research methods curriculum for undergraduates on the causes and consequences of childhood obesity. The Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Research Sciences Program (TOPRS) has been developed by a multidisciplinary team from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Purdue University, and California State University, Fresno. Students learn about the causes, consequences and correlates of obesity from an ecological framework from cell to society. The class format is a “flipped” version with students viewing 10 minute microlectures and class time spent in interactive discussions and activities focusing on research design and methodologies. Each micro-lecture is presented by national experts in nutritional sciences, animal science, child development, early care and education, community health, and public health. A pilot study included 53 undergraduate students at two institutions. Pre-and-post changes in nutrition related knowledge, confidence in research skills, and interest in attending graduate school were measured. A significant change in knowledge was found in the following areas: breastfeeding and pediatric nutrition, changing food environment and media, culturally relevant interventions focused on increasing healthy eating, childcare & feeding practices, family mealtimes and nutrition, and diabetes. Additionally, at the end of the course students were more confident in their research skills and also more likely to consider attending graduate or professional school. The innovative curriculum was effective at increasing nutrition related knowledge, research skills, and interest in graduate school. The curriculum represents a model for integrative, interdisciplinary program development and will be available for dissemination.