Scaffolding Undergraduate Research in Integrative Health Science

A pilot interdisciplinary program in integrative health sciences (IHS) is purposely designed to incorporate undergraduate research at each level, building upon the previous level as students progress through the program. Curricular goals and assessments for this program are scaffolded so that students learn to do research without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated. Goals for information literacy, disciplinary writing, inquiry and analysis, and communication are also embedded within the undergraduate research experiences throughout the IHS curriculum. By the time students reach their capstone research projects in their third and fourth years, they are prepared to develop and conduct their own independent projects because of their extensive previous research experiences. The stepwise approach guides students toward greater independence and higher expectations, culminating in the production of high-quality independent undergraduate research. The IHS major is currently approved as an advising track within the Integrative Science major with plans to formalize the track as a concentration in 2017.