SURE III – Undergraduate Research Experience Surveys

The Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE)

Three surveys are described below — the Preflection, the SURE III, and the Follow Up. These surveys were created to study the effects of undergraduate research experiences (principally in the sciences). Formerly, the surveys were offered via online sites and the data were collected and reported by Professor Lopatto and Ms. Leslie Jaworski. Currently there is no centralized data collection. Interested partners are invited to download a copy of the surveys and use them. For questions regarding the future use of these surveys please contact Professor David Lopatto.

Preflection Survey

Students who are asked to complete the SURE survey at the end of their research experience may also be asked to complete the Preflection survey before they begin their experience. We use the awkward term “preflection” to signal to the student that this instrument is used “pre-experience” and that it is an occasion for a personal reflection on one’s attitudes. The success of an experience is based on the interaction between the person and the experience, and the Preflection survey helps us understand that interaction.

Download a copy of the Preflection Survey (PDF).

Download an annotated copy of the Preflection Survey (PDF).

SURE III Survey

The Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE) is a survey for undergraduates who have recently completed a summer undergraduate research experience. The SURE III Survey intends to collect quantitative data on the benefits of undergraduate research by duplicating and extending the first SURE (Lopatto, 2004, 2007).

Publication of the results of the SURE survey project include:

Lopatto, D. (2004). Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE): First Findings. Cell Biology Education, 3, 270-277.
Lopatto, D. (2007). Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning. CBE – Life Sciences Education, 6, 297-306.

Download a copy of the SURE III Survey (PDF).

Download an annotated copy of the SURE III Survey (PDF).

The SURE Survey Descriptive Statistics

Twenty-One Learning Benefits of Undergraduate Research

Follow-Up Survey

When the SURE (Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences) survey was created in 2003, we offered the opportunity for students to revisit the questions on the survey after a period of 6 to 9 months to capture any changes in their attitudes toward their experience. Data were collected on this “follow-up” survey for two years, and the findings were published as part of a book chapter:

Lopatto, D. (2008). Exploring the benefits of undergraduate research: The SURE survey. In R. Taraban & R.L. Blanton (Eds.), Creating Effective Undergraduate Research Programs in Science. NY: Teacher’s College Press (pp. 112-132).

In brief, the results showed that student opinions about their summer research experience sharpened with time, that students participated in a variety of dissemination activities, and that their behavior changed in the direction of greater independence and motivation.

It has been modified so that the student completing the survey need not have taken the SURE survey earlier. The follow-up need not be 6 to 9 months; the survey items can reasonably be evaluated after longer time periods.

Download a copy of the follow-up survey (PDF).

References

Lopatto, D. (2004). Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE): First findings. Cell Biology Education, 3, 270-277.

Lopatto, D. (2004). What undergraduate research can tell us about research on learning. Washington, DC: Project Kaleidoscope.

Lopatto, D. (2007). Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning. CBE – Life Sciences Education, 6, 297-306.

Lopatto, D. (2010) Science in Solution [PDF]. Tucson: The Research Corporation.