2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) that attract undergraduate students into various research fields. REUs are a beneficial experience for students, allowing them to engage in advanced topics they usually wouldn’t see in the classroom. However, these programs, especially when delivered over the summer, have a very short time frame to develop undergraduates from novices to advanced in the research field, particularly when the field involves cutting-edge and developing knowledge. On top of these constraints, many participants are novices to the research practice itself. This work addresses the need to supervise and guide novices in research and domain fields, while allowing them to have the autonomy and freedom to explore and enjoy the research process. Thus, Agile-REU (A-REU) was developed. A-REU uses a Scrum-inspired mentorship framework to harness faculty and graduate students to guide undergraduates through the research process. A REU redefines traditional Scrum roles and processes to fit a summer intensive REU's unique temporal, spatial, and cognitive demands. This work harnesses the framework of Scrum, synchronous and asynchronous communication practices, and the existing REU structure to improve the student mentorship experience at REUs.
This A-REU was deployed to a singular mentorship team at the REU Site: XYZ at XYZ University. This pilot evaluation of the approach involved 3 REU participants, a graduate student researcher, and a faculty mentor. Researchers received a one-hour Scrum orientation and a concise introduction to their project topic. Students participated in one-week Sprints (Monday-Friday) in which they set goals for their progress each week. Students met with the graduate student 3 times a week and the faculty mentor at least once a week to provide updates on their progress. In addition to REU activities that allowed them to share their progress with the other REU participants, the A-REU students participated in Scrum-inspired reflection sessions at the end of the week. The outcomes of this pilot program were positive, with all students successfully completing some level of research in the REU. This pilot study communicates the initial framework, an evaluation of the success of the A-REU process, and suggestions for changes for future adaptation of the process.