JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Summer research programs increase the participation and retention of undergraduate students in research. In addition to getting exposure to research and learning research skills, students also gain confidence as scientists and develop a researcher identity and intention to pursue a career in STEM. Common barriers to students’ persistence in research include experiencing feelings of exclusion and a lack of belonging, difficulties developing a strong research identity, perceptions of racial and social stigma directed toward them, and perceived gaps in research skills, which is particularly strong among trainees from groups traditionally underrepresented in research. To address these known barriers, research exposure programs for undergraduate students can include a curriculum of academic skill development and components that promote student self-efficacy, identity, and a sense of belonging in research.

Objective:

The goal of this study was to report the findings of delivering academic enrichment sessions to undergraduate students from groups underrepresented in AI research and test the hypothesis that a guided academic enrichment curriculum promotes self-perceived research skills, researcher identity, and professional skills.

Methods:

The Human BioMolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP) is a consortium composed of diverse research teams funded by the Common Fund at the National Institutes of Health. HuBMAP offers 10-wek summer research experience that in 2023 included an academic enrichment curriculum to support intern self-efficacy, researcher identity development, and peer-to-peer learning. At the end of the internship, students were invited to participate in an online survey and assess their academic and research abilities before the internship (referred to as the before questions) and after the internship (referred to as the after questions). The 22 summer 2023 interns were predominantly female, racial and ethnic minorities sophomores coming from non-research-intensive institutions.

Results:

All 22 interns received an invitation to participate in an evaluation survey, and 14 provided responses. A paired t-test showed a significant increase (t(13)=5.87, p<.001) in self-assessed research self-efficacy and identify.

Conclusions:

An academic enrichment curriculum, delivered remotely as part of the HuBMAP 2023 summer internship program, was successful in increasing students’ self-reported research abilities, including their confidence and communication skills, their self-efficacy in research, and their abilities to set research career goals. We recommend that summer internship programs incorporate an academic enrichment curriculum with small group peer-learning, in addition to laboratory-based experience, in order to facilitate increased student engagement, self-efficacy, and a sense of belonging in the research community. Clinical Trial: n/a