Home page (draft)

[This will eventually replace “About URS,” correct?]

For about 150 students who are new to campus, the Undergraduate Research Scholars (URS) program is a two-semester class. (Draft another sentence about the other things we do in the program.)

Students in URS learn research or creative practice skills in a field of interest to them and develop an interdisciplinary perspective on research and creative practices. URS is for students interested in improving critical thinking skills, communication skills, and growing as an informed, well-rounded scholar.

The course, INTER-LS 250: “Undergraduate Research Experience,” has two parts:

• Partnerships between Mentors and Scholars. Scholars are matched with a Mentor from the UW–Madison faculty or staff for a two-semester research or creative practice project. Mentors give Scholars hands-on experience and skill development in a particular field.[HB will add some language about what Scholars give Mentors/make this tone more reciprocal]
• Wednesday seminar (5:30 to 6:30 pm). Scholars join a weekly seminar led by URS Fellows. Seminars are small classes where Scholars talk about a variety of topics related to the implications of research and creative practice in the world.

[HB will see if we can work with Susan McMillan to update this data and maybe provide some new program outcomes.] URS course evaluations and exit interviews show that students find their experience in URS to be a major influence in shaping their educational and career paths. This helps them succeed in the crucial transition to college. [add some language about community building and learning to discuss topics beyond areas of expertise in a rigorous way] Compared to their peers, URS students declare their majors earlier, finish their degrees at a higher rate, and graduate with higher GPAs. For these and similar reasons, URS is recognized as a high-impact educational experience.

[Let’s include some images somewhere here! We’ve got some great ones.]