2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In the fall of 2024, a digital platform for managing undergraduate research opportunities for academic credit was implemented at a medium-sized, private university in the Midwestern United States. The platform enabled faculty members to post research position announcements, allowed undergraduate students to apply for available positions, and provided a structured process through which faculty could review applicants and select students for enrollment in research credit courses.

The primary objective of this initiative was to enhance transparency in access to research experiences by ensuring that all students were aware of available opportunities. By formalizing what had previously been an informal, network-dependent process, the platform sought to “unveil a hidden door” to undergraduate research participation. Additionally, it has the potential to connect students and faculty on research projects across departmental and college bounds to create multidisciplinary teams. To promote participation for all, the College of Engineering mandated the use of the platform for all faculty and students; registration overrides were not granted outside the system. In contrast, the College of Science permitted voluntary adoption for faculty to post projects.

This study leverages a policy difference as a natural experiment to evaluate the impact of the research-matching platform on undergraduate research participation. Results show that the College of Engineering, where platform use was required, experienced a 57.5% increase in the number of students conducting research for academic credit compared to the previous two academic years. Statistically significant increases were observed across student groups, including men, women, first-generation and continuing-generation students, as well as underrepresented minority and majority students. In contrast, the College of Science, where platform usage was optional for faculty, did not increase undergraduate research participation following the matching system’s introduction. Additionally, formal posting of research opportunities through the platform has not initially generated greater multidisciplinary collaboration across colleges but it has the potential to do so in the long term.