CURE - Purdue Program

The CURE – Purdue program trains instructors to incorporate novel research into existing or new courses to create course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs). The leading barrier to instructors developing a new CURE is time. CURE – Purdue offers a professional development program through which instructors from any discipline will have dedicated time and support for designing a CURE.

The CURE – Purdue program is comprised of four components:  

1. a mid-summer program in a flipped format with asynchronous preparatory work and a two-day in-person workshop,  
2. one-on-one consultation support following the summer program,
3. peer support via the community of practice virtual meetings during the 2023-24 academic year, and  
4. continued mentoring and access to resources during the implementation and assessment of their CURE.  

CUREs provide a larger number of students with access to valuable experiential learning opportunities in which they will learn and use the practices of their disciplines and be a part of the discovery of new knowledge! 

How to apply to the 2023-2024 CURE – Purdue program 

Application review will begin on March 1st and will continue until all slots are full. We anticipate accepting up to 30 instructors. To apply, please complete this brief Qualtrics form to submit your application. Please note the following: 

• Instructors from all disciplines on the PWL campus are invited to apply for the CURE – Purdue program.  
• A funding stipend ($2000 total) is provided to participants at two milestone time points: $1,000 for the completion of the summer professional development workshop and submission of a detailed course plan and $1,000 following the implementation of their CURE course/module, participation in community of practice meetings, and completion of reflections and surveys).
• Teams of Instructors are welcome to apply as follows: 
  • Each instructor in a team is eligible for a stipend if the course count meets or exceeds the instructor count. (For example, if three instructors want to collaborate to turn at least three courses into CUREs, then all three instructors are eligible for funding.) Each instructor should submit their own application identifying the course where they are the lead instructor. 
  • Only the lead instructor is eligible for the stipend if the team is working on one course.

• To preview the application content before starting the Qualtrics form, please see this sample.

CURE – Purdue targets courses enrolling undergraduate and professional students. If the count of interested fellows exceeds available funding, we may prioritize applicants that: 

• Collectively diversify the population of targeted students enrolled (e.g., across disciplines). 
• Collectively diversify the variety of research experiences available to students. 
• Target students earlier in their academic career. 
• Enroll larger numbers of students. 
• Have departmental support to sustain reoffering the CURE over years. 

Colleges may also expand participation with a limited number of instructor fellowships through the full financial support of additional instructors and faculty mentors. Interested units should contact Amy Childress (childres@purdue.edu) for additional details, availability, and the corresponding MOU.