Embedding undergraduate research experiences within the curriculum: a cross-disciplinary study of the key characteristics guiding implementation

Undergraduate research experiences provide students with opportunities to engage in high-impact experiential learning. Although prevalent in the sciences, there are now extensive banks of case studies demonstrating the use of undergraduate research as an educationally enriching activity across many disciplines. This study investigated the diversity of undergraduate research opportunities available across a wide range of disciplines at a large, research-intensive, Australian university. Through extensive interviews, 68 undergraduate research programmes across 26 discipline-based schools were characterised. A typology of undergraduate research models is proposed, revealing key characteristics underlying the ways in which research experiences are embedded in undergraduate curricula across a diverse range of disciplinary contexts. This provides guidance to academics, administrators and policymakers seeking to improve student access to undergraduate research experiences.