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1. Faculty Development for Research Inclusion: Virtual Research Experiences for Undergraduates

   Morreale, P.; Villa, E.; Gates, A.; Hug, S. (July 2022, Proceedings of the 2021 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition (ASEE ’21))

   This paper presents an innovative approach, applicable to all research-based fields, that identifies and broadly engages future computer science researchers. The Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI) piloted a national virtual Research Experience for Undergraduates (vREU) during the summer of 2020. Funded by an NSF grant, the goal of the program was to ensure that students, in particular those with financial need, had opportunities to engage in research and gain critical skills while advancing their knowledge and financial resources to complete their undergraduate degrees and possibly move to advanced studies. The vREU pilot provided undergraduate research experiences for 51 students and 21 faculty drawn from 14 colleges and universities. The Affinity Research Group (ARG) model, based on a cooperative learning model, was used to guide faculty mentors throughout the eight-week vREU. ARG is a CAHSI signature practice with a focus on deliberate, structured faculty and student research, technical, communication, and professional skills development. At weekly meetings, faculty were provided resources and discussed a specific skill to support students’ research experience and development, which faculty put into immediate practice with their students. Evaluation findings include no statistical difference in student development between the face-to-face and virtual models with faculty and the benefit of training as an opportunity for faculty professional growth and impact. This faculty development model allows for rapid dissemination of the ARG model through practice and application with weekly faculty cohort meetings, coaching, and reflection. 

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2. Improving Undergraduate Research Mentoring Practices: Faculty Development to Support Non-Traditional Students in Computing Research

   https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE58773.2023.10343056  

   Hug, Sarah; Morreale, Patricia; Thiry, Heather (October 2023, 2023 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE))

   Utilizing the Affinity Research Group (ARG) model, the Computing Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institutions (CAHSI) has provided training for faculty and student research experiences for decades. ARG, a CAHSI signature practice, focuses on deliberate, structured faculty and student research, with accompanying technical, communication, and professional skills development. In the latest iterations that have spanned the pandemic and its recovery, CAHSI has iterated on a virtual training and support network for faculty and students interested in broadening the participation of Hispanic undergraduate students in computer science to increase the number of Hispanics who move on to graduate studies in the field. This work-in-progress paper analyzes shifting support structures during a multi-year effort to promote undergraduate research development using the Affinity Research Group (ARG) model. As CAHSI grows to include research-intensive universities that have recently reached the 25% Hispanic enrollment threshold, the faculty mentor training has evolved to emphasize a growth mindset and asset-based frameworks for working with undergraduate students in research, particularly important in computing departments where graduate students are more commonly engaged in research. The paper describes areas of need as the populations of faculty and students shift. It addresses the questions: R1) How do faculty engaged in the LREU shift perspectives regarding a) student selection for research, b) pedagogical purposes of research for student development, and c) their ability to implement ARG? R2) To what extent do designed elements of the LREU professional development inform faculty practice and faculty perspectives regarding undergraduate research? 

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3. Recruiting and Developing Faculty Mentors to Improve STEM Retention and Success

   Joiner, David; Morreale; Patricia; Hug, Sarah; Swinton, Derrick; Qi, Feng; Spaccarotella, Kim; Rosen, Dina; Amador, Nancy (November 2025, 2025 IEEE Frontiers in Education (FIE( Conference Proceedings)

   This research-to-practice full paper describes a cohort-based undergraduate research program designed to improve STEM retention through structured mentoring and community building. Drawing on the Affinity Research Group (ARG) model, the program fosters faculty-student research collaboration and integrates faculty mentorship training, student-led peer mentoring, and structured interventions, such as research skills workshops and networking events. Each year, faculty from biology, chemistry, computer science, environmental science, and mathematics lead small-group research projects with recruited students who may participate for up to three years. Faculty and students receive ARG training to promote consistent mentoring practices. A credit-bearing, major-specific first-year orientation course supports recruitment and reinforces students’ scientific identity. Faculty also engage in professional development workshops to strengthen student-centered mentoring approaches. Data collection includes surveys, interviews, retention tracking, and weekly journaling to assess STEM identity, belonging, and skill development. External evaluators reviewed the faculty focus groups to assess mentoring effectiveness. Initial findings show strong faculty engagement with the ARG model, with many adopting adaptive mentoring strategies that enhance student support. Students report increased confidence and belonging within their disciplines. However, cross-disciplinary collaboration remains limited, highlighting the need for more intentional networking within the cohort. Students also emphasized the value of peer collaboration alongside faculty mentorship. These results suggest that undergraduate research can serve as a powerful tool for building community and supporting persistence in STEM. Ongoing efforts will focus on expanding networking opportunities, strengthening peer collaboration, and evaluating long-term impacts on student retention. 

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4. Strengthening CS Research Capacity of Undergraduate Hispanic Students Through the Local REU Model

   https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE61694.2024.10893575  

   Gates, Ann Q; Kim, Sanga; Thiry, Heather; Hug, Sarah; Villa, Elsa Q (October 2024, IEEE)

   This Innovative Practice paper describes the Local Research Experiences for Undergraduates (LREU) program that was established by the Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions (CAHSI) at Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) in 2021 to increase the number of students, particularly students from underrepresented populations, who enter graduate programs in computer science. Since its first offering in Spring 2022, the LREU program has involved 182 faculty and 253 students. The LREU program funds undergraduate research experiences at the students’ home institutions with an emphasis on first-generation students and those with financial needs. The motivation for the program is to address the low number of domestic students, particularly Hispanics and other minoritized populations, who seek and complete graduate degrees. Research shows that participation in research activities predicts college outcomes such as GPA, retention, and persistence. Even though these studies inform us of the importance of REU programs, many programmatic efforts are summer experiences and, while students may receive support, faculty mentors rarely receive coaching or professional development efforts. What distinguishes the LREU program is the focus on the deliberative development of students’ professional and research skills; faculty coaching on the Affinity Research Group model; and the learning community established to share experiences and practices and to learn from each other. Students, who are matched with faculty mentors based on their areas of interest, work with their mentor to co-create a research plan. Students keep a research journal in which they record what they have learned and identify areas for their growth and development as researchers. The LREU provides an opportunity for the LREU participants to cultivate a growth mindset through deliberate practice and reflection from personal, professional, social, and academic perspectives. The paper discusses the multi-institutional perspectives that help CAHSI understand the types of challenges faced in undergraduate research programs, how faculty mentors communicate and make decisions, and how mentors resolve challenges, allowing the research community to better understand students’ and faculty experiences. In addition, the paper reports on research and evaluation results that documented mentors’ growth in their knowledge of effective research mentoring practices and students’ learning gains in research and other skills. The paper also describes the impact of the learning community, e.g., how it supports developing strategies for interaction with and mentoring students from underrepresented populations. 

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5. A multi-tiered mentoring community approach to research experiences for local students from disadvantaged and underrepresented minority backgrounds

   https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1366063  

   McKean, Thomas; Bates, LaShall; Bates, Gary; Wiersma-Mosley, Jacquelyn D; Wickramasinghe, S Ranil (June 2024, Frontiers in Education)

   A research and mentoring program was developed to provide local first-generation students, students returning to school after a professional experience, and underrepresented minority students resources and relationships to guide them toward a STEM degree from a four-year university. A multi-tiered mentoring community was formed including direct mentoring from graduate students and faculty advisors, peer mentoring among undergraduate students from different colleges and universities, and high school students to increase the accessibility of research opportunities for this demographic. Local students were recruited from Northwest Arkansas Community College and Upward Bound to combine community college and high school students in a novel manner. The programs were integrated whenever possible to emphasize peer mentoring, including mentoring lunches, research meetings, presentation sessions, conference presentations, and professional development mentoring sessions. ResultsOn the post-program survey, students indicated the community formed in the program supported their STEM identity development, provided them with quality relationships, and developed skills valuable to completion of a STEM degree. This identity development was further evidenced by the students presenting their work at a conference and obtaining additional research positions after the summer program ended. The post-program scores and continued efforts of different demographics of students to pursue STEM highlight the versatility of the multi-tiered mentoring community model to serve students from different ages, backgrounds, and demographics. 

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