Bringing Research to the Classroom: A Case Study of Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) in A Food Economy Class

Na Zuo, Lijiao Hu and Satheesh Aradhyula

Applied Economics Teaching Resources (AETR), 2026, vol. 8, issue 4

Abstract: This paper discusses the Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) model and the development, implementation, and assessment of the CURE projects in a food economy course over four years, offered by the Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics at the University of Arizona. CURE involves whole classes of students in addressing a research question or problem that is of interest to stakeholders outside the classroom. Compared to traditional Undergraduate Research Experiences (URE), such as supervised independent studies or undergraduate research assistants in faculty projects, CURE makes scientific research more inclusive and presents a way to scale up the number of undergraduate students who engage in authentic research. The CURE project design closely followed the backward design principle and the five elements of the CURE framework: multiple scientific practices, collaboration, iteration, discovery, and broader impact. With the CURE model, students indicated increased research motivation, science identity, and communication and technical skills as social scientists compared to other course projects.

Keywords: Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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