As the leading voice in undergraduate research, the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) recognizes the critical need for comprehensive, adaptable guidelines that set the standard for excellence in this field. In 2012, CUR published its first edition of the Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research (COEUR), which contained twelve characteristics that describe a roadmap of best practices. In 2015, COEUR served as a guideline for the establishment of the campus-wide Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishments (AURA). The 23 campuses that have received this highly sought-after award to date, crafted exemplary undergraduate research programs with sustained metrics of their impact. COEUR has been a critical guide in the success of undergraduate research and a foundation to follow for many institutions globally.
After ten years, a working group of leaders was appointed by then-CUR President Ruth Palmer to evaluate COEUR and update it for the next era. This team of four, Lourdes Echegoyen, Winny Dong, Buffie Longmire-Avital, and Jeanne Mekolichick, with support from one of the original authors Linda Blockus, took the next two years to review, research, seek input, and update these characteristics to then put forward COEUR 2.0.
“As an original author of COEUR, I am delighted that we have updated the document. A lot has changed over the past 12 years, and as the national voice on the practice of undergraduate research, CUR continues to be a proactive leader. This document provides a blueprint for creating and sustaining campus environments where undergraduate research can flourish,” Stated Linda Blockus, Director of Undergraduate Research at the University of Missouri.
In COEUR 2.0, the authors have made several updates. The number of characteristics has been streamlined from 12 to 11, with the Strategic Planning characteristic now incorporated into the Campus Mission and Culture. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and access have now been strongly emphasized throughout the work, along with highlighting the power of integrating research, scholarly work, and creative inquiry with other high-impact practices, such as community engagement, study abroad, internship, and work-based learning. In addition, separate chapters on these topics have been added to provide the best approaches for research ethics training. Overall, COEUR 2.0 maintains the best practices that support and sustain highly effective undergraduate research environments.
As described by Winny Dong, one of the 2.0 editors, Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, “Working on COEUR 2.0 has been a true pleasure. Not only did it allow me to reacquaint myself with the essential tenets of COEUR, but it also allowed me to envision what those tenets might look like in light of what we have learned about serving students over the past 12 years. I am especially happy to see that inclusive practices have been threaded throughout all of the characteristics in COEUR 2.0 and that a broader set of voices have been included (community colleges, transfer students, non-traditional students, etc.) I hope that others will find that these characteristics of excellence in undergraduate research can help them assess where they are in their journey to provide meaningful undergraduate research for students and be inspired to continue on that journey of reflection and improvement.”
As a user of COEUR and second edition editor, Buffie Longmire-Avital, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Black Lumen Project at Elon University, explains, “My faculty career to this point has been at Elon University, an institution that openly embraced COEUR to develop our undergraduate research program. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with and reflect on the document that has been both directly and indirectly influential to my career as an undergraduate research mentor. COEUR 2.0 centers access, equity, and inclusion in a way that captures not only the diversity that we have in higher education, but also the growing diversity we will have. COEUR 2.0 builds off the conversations, trainings, and efforts CUR and undergraduate research programs have been challenged to engage with. In this version, undergraduate research is an equity driving vehicle not simply a possibility or hope of what it could be. The attention to voices, experiences, and nuanced contexts hopefully not only makes COEUR 2.0 more relatable but provides multiple pathways to excellence in undergraduate research that is accessible to a variety of programs and institutions.”
In CUR’s experience, successful programs exhibit many of the characteristics enumerated in this document. A sneak peek of these 11 characteristics was showcased in June 2024 at CUR’s Annual ConnectUR conference in College Park, MD. The editors were able to host a working plenary to showcase case studies and walk attendees through the COEUR assessment.
“It has been such a wonderful experience working alongside a talented group of URSCI experts to update this important resource guiding our community. Following the positive impact of the first edition, I expect COEUR 2.0 to make an equally important impact in guiding URSCI offices, support, faculty, and programming,” says Jeanne Mekolichick, second edition editor, Professor of Sociology and Associate Provost for Research, Faculty Success & Strategic Initiatives at Radford University. “I’m particularly excited to have DEI infused throughout as these values are foundational to CUR and their treatment in this edition will help folks operationalize at their institutions. I am equally excited to articulate and highlight the connection between the benefits of URSCI and career readiness. Leveraging URSCI for career success has not historically been top of mind for faculty and students. Infusing the URSCI-career readiness connections in COEUR is a valuable next step in providing resources and direction for faculty and programs.”
Maria T. Iacullo-Bird, CUR 2024-2025 President, Assistant Provost for Research at Pace University, explained, “The newly revised Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research (COEUR 2.0) provides a masterful pedagogical update that exemplifies CUR’s long-standing intellectual leadership for the undergraduate research community.”
COEUR 2.0 is published electronically in individual chapters for easy consumption and as a full ePub on our website at www.CUR.org/COEUR2 on August 20, 2024.
Founded in 1978, the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) focuses on providing high-quality and collaborative undergraduate research, scholarly, and creative activity. Among the many activities and networking opportunities that CUR provides, the organization also offers support for the professional growth of faculty and administrators through expert-designed institutes, conferences, and a wide-range of volunteer positions. The CUR community, made up of nearly 700 institutions and 13,000 individuals, continues to provide a platform for discussion and other resources related to mentoring, connecting, and creating relationships centered around undergraduate research. CUR’s advocacy efforts are also a large portion of its work as they strive to strengthen support for undergraduate research. Its continued growth in connections with representatives, private foundations, government agencies, and campuses world-wide provides value to its members and gives voice to undergraduate research. CUR is committed to inclusivity and diversity in all of its activities and our community.
CUR focuses on giving a voice to undergraduate research with learning through doing. It provides connections to a multitude of campuses and government agencies, all while promoting networking and professional growth to its community.
