Developing Programs to Support Student Success in Course-Based Research Experiences Using the Thriving Framework

Program Abstract: At the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Swenson College of Science and Engineering, we have recently initiated a five-year SAIL (Swenson Active and Innovative Learning) program. Funded by a donation from the Swenson Family Foundation, the goal of this program is to engage every first-year student in our ten departments in a research, design, or professional experience appropriate for their major without barriers to enrollment. We are supporting this goal with two approaches. First, we are supporting an “Imagination” phase to help faculty develop Course Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs), Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP), and other professional experiences in the first year curriculum. Second, we are using a Thriving framework to organize and assess the efficacy of our SAIL programs on student success. By examining the elements of our programs from the perspective of student thriving, others will be able to implement similar programming and improve student success in STEM.