Using Peer Coaches to Support Integrating Research into the Curriculum: Impacts on Students, Coaches, and Faculty

Undergraduate retention, graduation, and postgraduation success are greater when students engage in undergraduate research. This article describes a grassroots, facultyinitiated effort to increase the number of students who received research experiences at a large, urban institution. Peer course coaches, students who had previously taken a course or with specific skills, helped faculty from all disciplines embed research in their undergraduate curriculum. The effectiveness of this program model for students (e.g., enhanced learning, new skills), coaches (e.g., leadership development), and faculty (overall experience) was evaluated. Data suggested program success from all participants. Everyone benefited from this model: faculty maximized student engagement, coaches received leadership experience, and undergraduates had experiences that will positively impact their lives and livelihoods.