Authentic Research, Real Gains: Evaluation of the University of Florida Research and Extension Experiences for Circularity and Digitalization Skill Development of Undergraduates

Abstract

This study examines the University of Florida Circularity and Digitalization Skills Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (Florida’s CD-Skills REEU) to answer: Is the program successful, and what features or mechanisms make it so? We conducted a qualitative outcomes-focused program evaluation with embedded process evaluation elements using semi-structured group interview and a nested codebook (five themes, twenty subcodes) interpreted through a theory-as-lens framework. Participants characterized CD-Skills as a qualitatively different experience anchored in authentic, end-to-end project ownership that built hands-on competence, confidence, and researcher/“ag person” identity; a layered mentoring ecology (faculty/principal investigators (PIs), graduate near-peers, program leaders) that provided modeling, feedback, belonging, and pathway clarity; coherent learning activities linking labs, field visits, and weekly sessions; growth in systems thinking and circularity/sustainability orientation with a shift from early problem-immersion fatigue to solution-focused agency and interest in outreach; and operational guardrails (role clarity, early orientation, predictable scheduling) that protected research time. Negative cases (e.g., underprepared site visits, last-minute changes) revealed predictable failure modes and concrete fixes (pre-brief/debrief routines, host checklists, scheduling discipline, backup protocols). Implications include protecting student-designed projects, codifying mentor roles and cadence, aligning weekly sessions to ongoing lab/site work, balancing problem and solution phases, and formalizing onboarding and logistics. This study contributes to a practice-informed model for designing and evaluating intensive undergraduate research experience in agriculture and food systems. Limitations include reliance on self-report and a short horizon; future work should add common rubrics for student artifacts and brief longitudinal follow-ups.