Getting Started in UR

Faculty

1. Submit your Undergraduate Research Opportunity with CURS. This helps students find you and learn about your area of study. This is required for students to enroll in a CURS course with you. You will need to sign in with your AU credentials.
2. Develop a syllabus explaining your plans for the term, expectations, required training modules, readings, etc. See our Syllabus Templates to get started.
3. Interview students to see if they are a good fit for the research topic, time, schedule, and other expectations. See our tips for selecting UR students. CURS can assist in screening students for you prior to interviewing.
4. Select a student(s) and ask them to join your project. You will be assigned a CURS 0 credit course in the course schedule and you will need to complete attendance verification for students and end of semester grades. Be sure to give research students a syllabus, list of ethics/safety trainings required, and any reading materials they need to be prepared. 
5. Course registration & join the CURS Community. You will be added as the instructor of record and will be required to submit a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade to the Registrar for any CURS 0 credit course. If the course is a departmental course (e.g., Psychology, Biology 4990) or Honors thesis course (e.g., HONR 2999) you will need to submit attendance verification and a letter grade at the end of each term. Once you are listed as the instructor of record for a UR course, you will attain access to the CURS Community D2L page which provides information on mentoring, ethics trainings for students, discussion boards, upcoming events, and more.

Students

1. Review research opportunities in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Portal (UROP) and select up to 4-5 projects that interest you. Do your homework by reading about the topics of study, looking at faculty profiles, and websites.
2. Make an appointment with CURS. Come to CURS for advising about your interests and potential mentors, fitting research into your schedule, and what to expect. Make an appointment through Navigate
3. Request interviews with each potential mentor. Email potential mentors (see the email template button below). Ask: a) Are you taking students in the coming semester? If not, then thank them for their time and move on to next mentor. If so, b) ask about requirements to get started (courses, gpa, academic standing, trainings, skills) and c) if you could have an interview.
4. Prepare for meeting with a potential mentor. You will most likely interview with the faculty mentor and you can prepare with these Sample Questions. If you are offered a position, write a thank you/acceptance letter and confirm the expectations.
5. Enroll in a UR course & join the CURS Community. Congrats! It's time to enroll! All students engaging in research need to be enrolled in a course to verify their experience and keep a record on their transcript. This is a graded course (either S/U or letter grade). Students need to enroll in a 2990, 3990 or 4990 permission-only course or an Honors Program thesis course. Thus, options for UR experiences are

i. Departmental 2990, 3990, 4990 course (e.g., SOCI 4990, BIOL 2990). Sign up with your department.

OR

ii. CURS 2990, 3990, 4990 course (0 credit) Request to sign up for a CURS course.

OR

iii. Honors thesis course. SIgn up through Honors Program.