Boot camps were shown as an effective educational strategy to improve learners' clinical skills, knowledge, and confidence. Focus on pretest/posttest research designs limits the strength of these findings.

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This study undertakes an unusual approach to the course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) by engaging students in an ongoing research project that is embedded across two years of required coursework, including four geology courses and a capstone summer field experience. The authors describe the curriculum, note the importance of scaffolding and feedback, and assess out-comes in a rural population of students from an economically depressed area relative to a non-CURE comparison group using a mixed-methods approach. The results show the multisemester CURE students preferred fieldwork, routine data collection, and other hands-on skills consistent with a broad interest in college as workforce preparation. The authors highlight the importance of contextual factors as a motivation for pursuing research, including the nature of the academic discipline and student demographics.