Peer Mentoring of Undergraduate Research in Community Colleges: A "Transplantable" Model for Workshops

Community colleges (CCs) face many unique challenges: They enroll almost half of all college students (American Association of Community Colleges, 2010), and their enrollment numbers are growing rapidly. Returning veterans find CCs attractive because they provide accessible education that is helpful for their career plans. CC faculty members strive to engage more students in active inquiry even though their teaching responsibilities are demanding, equipment is expensive, budgets are tight, and space for dedicated labs may be rare or absent. Many CC students are working, attending part-time, and perhaps also raising families. Access to research experiences is often less than what faculty would like for their students, and the classroom may be the only place available where students can be engaged in inquiry. CC students may move on to four-year colleges just when they are ready to engage in full-scale undergraduate research.