Layered-Learning Program for Undergraduate (UG) Researchers

About this opportunity

The Layered-Learning Program for UG Researchers program is a new initiative designed to support collaboration between undergraduate students and faculty, research staff, postdocs and/or graduate students. The Program’s main objectives are three-fold including:

1. Providing undergraduate students with the opportunity to have a high impact, high value undergraduate research experience utilizing a cohort model.
2. Providing faculty with the opportunity to expand their research program, pursue new opportunities, and to potentially increase research outcomes (new grants, papers, etc.).
3. Serving as a scalable way to offer more undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue research experiences.

The intent of this Program is to provide a tiered layered-learning model for undergraduate research. This Program is intended to support any type of research or creative activities at IU including wet or dry laboratory work, field work, community-engaged research, studio creative work, etc.

The first tier is comprised of lead faculty PI (either 1, or a team up to three faculty co-PIs), who will be a tenured/tenure eligible faculty and/or research center/institute director responsible for the Layered-Learning Program's design and execution.

The second tier will include additional faculty, research staff, postdocs and/or graduate students who will serve as additional layered mentors.

The third tier will be undergraduate students who learn together in cohorts of 3-10 students to be provided hands-on research or creative experiences, including wet or dry laboratory work, field work, community-engaged research, studio creative work. The students may perform basic, applied, or developmental research or creative work with the intent to create, innovate, problem solve and disseminate and/or exhibit. Students may be recruited and divided into smaller teams to suit individual research or creative activity projects, but there should be community building activities for the entire cohort. However, all groups should be comprised of at least 3 students.

Successful proposals will outline plans to engage students from a wide array of disciplines to enhance learning and workforce readiness for students, as well as support research productivity. Awards will be conferred no later than April 1, 2025 to ensure recipients can recruit students and award undergraduate fellowships in time for the start of the semester.

• Timeframe: the proposed project duration should be up to 9-12 months (fall and spring semesters) with the potential for added summer funding if agreed outcomes are met within the first 9 months.
• In no more than 3 pages define the research and/or creative activity on which the groups will work. Include a proposal title and names of key personnel.
• Describe the proposed layered-learning Program and its rationale, and the roles and responsibilities of all three tiers.
• Undergraduates are expected to devote at least 8-10 hours per week in support of the research project and must have schedules that allow them to attend training, research, and cohort-building activities.
• Specifically state proposed Outcomes for:
  • First tier: PI or co-PIs (e.g., grant application, publications, gather data, lab assistance, etc.)
  • Second tier: faculty, research staff, postdocs and/or graduate students (mentoring experience, teambuilding, project management skills, etc.)
  • Third tier undergraduate research students (publications, presentations, awards, etc.)
• Funds cannot be used for course releases or faculty salary or supplements.