Table 2.

Timelines between the Guided and Autonomous CURE format iterations

Guided		Autonomous
Week	Exercises	Week	Exercises
1–6	Skill-building	1–2	Research introduction and design
7	Research introduction and design	3–10	Research project experimentation
8–14	Research project experimentation	11–13	Troubleshooting
15	Discussion	14–15	Discussion

In the Guided Format, the first 6 weeks of the course were used to develop the methodological skills necessary to complete the novel research projects. In the Autonomous Format, the students began the authentic research project immediately, following one day of review of basic lab skills. At the end of the semester, the students used the excess time to troubleshoot their projects.