Development of the PeeR Investigators Mentoring Experiences in Research (PRIMER) program: a peer mentoring initiative to increase mentoring in CUREs

ABSTRACT

The PeeR Investigators Mentoring Experiences in Research (PRIMER) program was developed to enhance mentorship and support in Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) at our institution. This program leverages PRIMER’s prior research experience in computational biology courses to mentor students in our bioinformatics-focused CUREs. PRIMERs guide students through research projects and provide tailored support in technical research tasks and scientific writing. They also provide mentoring to students through the research process and help them navigate the next steps in seeking out additional research experiences. PRIMERs, who consist of current undergraduates and recent graduates of our program, undergo training on engaging students in research, peer mentoring, and providing constructive feedback on written assignments. This study reports on the first iteration of the PRIMER program, evaluating its design and impact on the professional development of PRIMERs through focus groups and its effectiveness within our CUREs through student surveys. Findings indicate that PRIMERs developed valuable transferable skills, particularly in scientific communication, providing feedback, and peer mentoring. Students involved in the CUREs aligned with the PRIMER program reported that PRIMERs played an integral role in enhancing their learning experience, offering research support, and fostering a positive research environment.

INTRODUCTION

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) increase student access to research, providing students with opportunities to participate in high-impact research experiences within a classroom (1). Students in CUREs develop transferable skills in research, communication, career readiness, and other scientific competencies, preparing them for future research careers (2). CUREs play a pivotal role in shaping students’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) identities and self-efficacy (3, 4). Mentoring of CURE students is a key element of this course model (5–7). However, due to various factors, including limited contact hours and large class sizes, CURE instructors may struggle to mentor students on par with faculty research mentors who mentor individual students in their labs (1, 8). Integrating additional mentors, such as postdoctoral associates, teaching assistants, and peer mentors, into CUREs and other research-based classrooms can increase the individual research and career mentoring students receive in these settings (9–12). Since students involved in CUREs typically have higher retention and completion rates in STEM degrees (13, 14), adding more mentors to CUREs could further enhance student engagement in research and offer them helpful perspectives on STEM careers.

Peer-mentoring programs are especially valuable because they allow undergraduate students to learn from peers who are closer to their academic level and who may have had similar experiences, especially in lab or clinical settings (15–17). These programs offer peer mentors professional development opportunities to develop and refine transferable skills relevant to a wide range of careers. At our institution, Learning Assistants (LAs) and Writing Assistants (WAs) are critical for facilitating active learning in classrooms (18, 19). The LA program provides pedagogical training to undergraduate students and integrates them into courses that they have successfully completed (20). LAs use their content expertise and pedagogical training to support an active learning environment, with an emphasis on helping students gain a better understanding of course content. The WA program focuses on improving individual students’ writing skills at their own level. To accomplish this, WAs are trained in writing, providing constructive feedback, and how to work closely with students in a mentoring role. WAs mentor students throughout the writing process and provide formative feedback on writing assignments, often helping students address higher-order concerns to produce improved versions for submission and aiming to level up their writing skills. Typically, WAs work closely with 10–12 students, while LAs may work with 25 students or more, with both positions being valuable assets to classrooms. While LAs and WAs make distinct contributions to student growth, having both types of peer assistants in the classroom is not always feasible, especially in writing-intensive CUREs like ours that meld research content with a strong focus on writing.

Fusing and expanding upon elements of both LA and WA programs that are complementary and beneficial to students in research courses, we developed the PeeR Investigators Mentoring Experiences in Research (PRIMER) program (Fig. 1). The PRIMER program is a novel peer-mentoring program that is currently designed for bioinformatics-focused CUREs at our institution. Leveraging their subject matter knowledge and scientific writing skills developed through previous research experiences in our bioinformatics-focused CUREs, PRIMERs share their expertise with current students while simultaneously refining their own mentoring, science communication, and research abilities, in a research and teaching setting.

Fig 1.

Roles associated with LA and WA. The LA and WA roles are merged to create our novel peer-mentoring program, PRIMER. At our institution, LAs serve approximately 25 or more students for each class, whereas WAs serve approximately 12 students; PRIMERs serve approximately 12 students per CURE.

The PRIMER program is part of a larger program designed to increase access to meaningful research experiences for undergraduates, developing students’ skills, self-efficacy, and motivation to pursue biomedical research. PRIMERs fill an important role in enhancing mentorship of students in different CURE-like contexts within the program, including a one-week career development and research workshop, a semester-long computational biology CURE (CB-CURE, an upper-level, one-credit lab course that focuses on virus research), and a subsequent intensive one-semester Course-based Undergraduate Research Internship Experience (CURIE). Through these experiences, students perform bioinformatics-driven research projects at various levels of independence, engage in scientific writing, develop transferable skills, and partake in career-development training, with support from a teaching team including PRIMERs. PRIMERs are vital to increasing access to research for this approach as they take on important peer leadership roles.

Here, we present the design of the PRIMER program, including an overview of the PRIMER training curriculum. We hypothesized that PRIMERs play a key role in student learning within our CUREs and that the PRIMERs themselves will benefit and grow important career-readiness skills from the experience. We conducted an evaluation of the first complete pilot implementation of the PRIMER program in the CB-CURE and its extension, CURIE, at our institution during Fall 2024. We here assess the professional development of PRIMERs and the impact of the PRIMER experience, as well as students’ perspectives of PRIMERs in the CURIE classroom.

METHODS

Institutional context

Our institution is an urban, Hispanic-serving, research-intensive (R1) public institution with around 45,000 undergraduate students enrolled in Fall 2024. The research pathway presented here, including the PRIMER program, was designed within the Department of Biological Sciences, which has approximately 4,000 biology majors.

PRIMER selection

Current undergraduate students who are in good academic standing and recent graduates are eligible to become PRIMERs if they have acquired bioinformatics research experience by successfully completing the CB-CURE or equivalent. This experience is required to become a PRIMER for CB-CURE because it equips PRIMERs with content knowledge in bioinformatics and essential technical and research skills. The past performance in bioinformatics CUREs of applicants seeking to become PRIMERs is taken into consideration, where those selected must have demonstrated diligent research efforts on their CURE research project and earned a passing grade. More experienced PRIMERs can also support the more advanced, fast-paced CURIE. The CURIE PRIMERs must have completed a similar research internship to ensure they have more advanced insights into the research process and sufficient experience in scientific communication. PRIMERs' familiarity with course expectations and research helps establish them as experts when they mentor students in bioinformatics research. Additionally, most PRIMERs have completed the LA seminar at our institution or participated in a similar training. While not required, CB-CURE students who have demonstrated teaching experience as an LA, WA, or similar are desirable, and students who have expressed a strong interest in biomedical research, teaching, or scientific communication are also strongly encouraged to apply.

Each PRIMER works with approximately 12 undergraduate students within their assigned course, either CB-CURE or CURIE. For one section, PRIMERs work 8–10 h each week in CB-CURE, whereas PRIMERs work 12–15 h in CURIE (Table 1). If the PRIMER has yet to take the LA seminar and the training is being offered, then an additional 2 h can be allocated each week for the PRIMER to complete this training. Additionally, PRIMERs may assist with a one-week-long career development and bioinformatics research workshop, and these PRIMERs work 20 h during this workshop, where they facilitate active learning in the research sessions.

TABLE 1.

Weekly work hours for a PRIMER in one section of CB-CURE or one section of CURIE

Task	Hours per week for CB-CURE	Hours per week for CURIE
Contact hours in classroom	3	6
Office hour	1	1
Teaching team meeting	1-2	2-3
PRIMER training	1	1
Preparation/providing feedback	1-3	2-4
Total	8-10	12-15

In Fall 2024, six students participated in the PRIMER program, serving as PRIMERs for our bioinformatics-focused CUREs: three sections of the CB-CURE (in total 67 students) and one section of CURIE (17 students). Students enrolled in CB-CURE met for 3 h once per week, while those in CURIE met for twice as long (3 h twice per week). CURIE students were expected to spend an additional 4 h per week working on their research outside of class, including reading and writing. Each section of the CB-CURE lab was taught by a teaching assistant (TA) supported by PRIMERs, under supervision of faculty. CURIE, which was offered for the first time, was team taught by a faculty member, a postdoctoral scholar, a TA, and two PRIMERs. Once CURIE becomes established, the teaching team structure will reflect that of CB-CURE. The faculty member and postdoctoral scholar led the PRIMER training meetings (hereinafter both referred to as faculty mentors), while the faculty member led the general teaching team meetings covering course content and research practices. Here, we discuss the design of the PRIMER program, describing the role of its participants both inside and outside of the classroom.

Program design

The overarching aim of the PRIMER program is to provide additional and more tailored mentorship to students enrolled in bioinformatics-focused CUREs. PRIMERs thus become research peer-mentors, cultivating relationships with students to enhance scientific identities while promoting responsible conduct in research. To meet this aim, each PRIMER must (i) guide and mentor ~12 students throughout a research project; (ii) help their students improve their scientific literacy and scientific communication skills; and (iii) support their students’ development of technical research skills. To ensure PRIMERs are equipped with the necessary skills for success in their role, PRIMER training that focuses on enhancing their mentoring abilities, communication strategies, and understanding of key research practices is part of the program.

Mentoring

In our bioinformatics-focused research CUREs, PRIMERs are part of the teaching team and participate in class, where they play a crucial role in guiding students through bioinformatics research. The research in CB-CURE and CURIE focuses on studying infectious disease utilizing bioinformatics methodologies. Students’ research projects include computationally analyzing the evolutionary and structural context of viral protein families to identify regions that may serve as broadly neutralizing antiviral targets for coronaviruses or flaviviruses, in CB-CURE and CURIE, respectively. In CB-CURE, students work in small groups of four to conduct their research, with the PRIMER facilitating teamwork and promoting shared learning experiences. In contrast, CURIE students work independently, allowing opportunities for individualized problem-solving and one-on-one support from the PRIMER. This structure allows PRIMERs to engage with students at various levels, allowing them to hone their mentoring skills and develop experience in managing individual and group dynamics. Throughout this process, PRIMERs help students develop their projects by offering guidance as students make key decisions. For many students, PRIMERs provide a listening ear, allowing them to check their understanding, bounce ideas off someone, and explain their reasoning for decisions made in the research, such as selecting a particular protein for further study.

PRIMERs provide additional support to students by holding office hours, offering a dedicated time for students to ask questions and receive personalized guidance on their research. To support their development and ensure they have the necessary tools needed to be successful in their role, we held weekly PRIMER training meetings throughout the semester. TAs from both teaching teams (CB-CURE and CURIE) also participated in the weekly meetings and provided additional mentoring for PRIMERs in the classroom. For these meetings, we designed training modules that focus on key aspects of mentoring to equip PRIMERs with the skills necessary for their success in managing classrooms and building mentor-mentee relationships (Table 2).

TABLE 2.

List of learning module topics discussed within PRIMER training meetings

Module	Topic	Professional development benefits for PRIMERs
Mentoring	Engaging with students	PRIMERs learn to engage students and are equipped with essential skills for maintaining a productive and respectful classroom environment
Mentoring	Building peer mentoring relationships	PRIMERs understand the dynamics of mentoring and learn effective communication skills to foster supportive relationships with their mentees
Mentoring	Learning to praise	PRIMERs learn the skill of providing praise that motivates and reinforces students’ positive behaviors in research and writing
Mentoring	Structuring writing conferences	PRIMERs learn to structure meetings, address student concerns, and communicate feedback on writing in a constructive and supportive manner
Mentoring	Next steps in research	PRIMERs become more aware of research opportunities, including internships, post-baccalaureate programs, and Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs), and how to communicate these opportunities to their students
Science communication	Engaging in the scientific writing process	PRIMERs are trained to mentor and motivate students to write, developing student confidence in writing and independent thinking skills
Science communication	Providing feedback and commenting on student writing	PRIMERs are trained to provide feedback on student work with comments that are both constructive and manageable for their students. They learn to adhere to the hierarchy of concerns in writing, which enables them to offer thoughtful and targeted feedback on the student’s level
Science communication	Reproducibility in writing and note taking	PRIMERs learn the importance of reproducibility in scientific writing and note-taking, ensuring transparency and the ability to replicate research
Science communication	Addressing AI in writing	PRIMERs gain an understanding of why students may use AI tools in their writing, the potential for misuse when students rely too heavily on AI, and the implications for research misconduct in writing
Science communication	Managing references	PRIMERs learn the importance of accurate citation practices in scientific writing and to manage references using Zotero (21)
Science communication	Writing personal statements	PRIMERs learn to articulate individual academic and research goals, emphasizing the skills and insights gained through research experiences

Additionally, PRIMERs complete weekly written reflections on their classroom experiences, allowing them to critically evaluate their role in shaping student learning and group dynamics. These also provide an opportunity for faculty mentors to provide feedback on the PRIMER’s progress. In their reflections, PRIMERs can explore a range of topics related to their current experiences, including what went well, what did not go as planned, what surprised them, and any questions or concerns they may have about their role. In this way, reflections serve as a direct line of communication between PRIMERs and their faculty mentor, which fosters dialogue about their development and evolving attitudes as leaders in the classroom. Reflections also provide an opportunity for PRIMERs to share their thoughts on how activities and course structure can be adjusted to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in helping students grasp course content and conduct research. Through these reflective practices, PRIMERs not only assess their own development but also collaborate with the teaching team to ensure cohesion in student learning and research.

Science written communication

At the end of CB-CURE, students submit a revised individual mini-research paper completed through short weekly writing assignments and feedback provided by the PRIMERs, and each group presents their findings through an in-class poster presentation. At the end of CURIE, students submit a full-length manuscript completed with two drafts and peer review and present their research at an on-campus research symposium. To support students in the task of delivering a research paper and presentation at the end of the semester, PRIMERs help guide students through the writing process. They offer feedback on drafts, mentor students on effective writing strategies, and address misconceptions in their writing, including scientific writing conventions or content-related errors. In PRIMER meetings, we cover several science communication and writing modules to help PRIMERs develop skills on evaluating and providing feedback on student written assignments and for structuring meetings to discuss their feedback to students (Table 2). Furthermore, PRIMER feedback to students is reviewed and discussed in these meetings to ensure the feedback is consistent, clear, accurate, and constructive for the individual student and/or student groups.

Technical skills

During the weekly course meetings, PRIMERs provide technical expertise by helping students navigate various computer interfaces and troubleshoot computational errors or software issues. By doing so, PRIMERs cultivate a positive work environment for students, building rapport, offering encouragement, and helping students stay engaged, focused, and confident in their research while building self-efficacy. While we cover topics related to mentoring and science communication during weekly PRIMER meetings, we also have a separate content-focused teaching team meeting each week with instructional leads to ensure PRIMERs remain current with course structure and content. Both PRIMERs and TAs participated in these meetings (1.5 h per week for CB-CURE and 2 h per week for CURIE). In these meetings, we review course content and concepts essential for completing weekly research activities. PRIMERs have access to course materials and research protocols before the meetings, so they can prepare for upcoming classes and contribute to discussions in the meetings.

Since PRIMERs guide students through research in our CUREs, all PRIMERs are required to complete responsible conduct in research (RCR) training provided by our institution. This training, combined with discussions during teaching team meetings, ensures PRIMERs can guide students in maintaining ethical standards in research. By providing PRIMERs with the necessary training and supporting them with resources from the teaching team, we equip them to have RCR conversations with students on the importance of these principles at every stage of their research. This approach aligns with that advocated by Olimpo et al. (22) to introduce RCR within the context of CUREs (22).

Program evaluation

To evaluate the program, we conducted focus groups using a semi-structured interview protocol with open-ended questions aimed at gaining insights into the PRIMER experience. Two focus groups were held at the end of the semester: the first focus group included the two PRIMERs from CURIE, and the second group included three PRIMERs from CB-CURE. Focus group participants were asked to reflect on and share their experiences over the course of the semester. Focus group sessions were recorded and transcribed. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes and patterns that emerged (23–25). Thematic analysis involved reviewing transcripts and coding key phrases. During the first phase of coding, a theory-neutral coder engaged in “open” coding (26). This process was guided by the participants’ responses to our open-ended evaluation questions, and constant comparison was used to categorize these responses into qualitatively similar categories. Distinct content categories related to PRIMER experiences in the PRIMER program were then identified within the data set, and definitions were recorded for each category. Codes were then organized into groups to develop themes within the data. Because of small sample sizes within the two focus groups and the risk of identifiable information being inferred, we combine the data from our qualitative analysis, and we report on the emerged themes. The focus group interviews, coding of responses, and thematic analysis were performed independently by AG, as a researcher with no prior interactions with PRIMERs.

Additionally, we gathered data on the impact of PRIMERs on their experience and overall course experience in CURIE. Sixteen students completed a post-survey questionnaire at the end of the semester, which included nine five-point Likert scale questions, one four-point Likert scale question, and one open-ended question on the implementation of the PRIMER program. For the Likert scale questions, we report student response ratings. To visually represent student responses for the open-ended question, we created a word cloud using the package wordcloud in R package version 2.6 (27, 28). To highlight the overall theme of support from PRIMERs, punctuation, numbers, and stop words (e.g., “the”) were removed. We did not evaluate the impact of the PRIMER program within CB-CURE.

We obtained Institutional Review Board approval for survey questions, interview protocols, and informed consent from Florida International University (#22-0532) to conduct this study. All participants provided their informed consent prior to participation.

RESULTS

This study aimed to explore the experiences of PRIMERs within our bioinformatics-focused CUREs. Thematic analysis of focus group data revealed five key themes: defining the role of a PRIMER, motivation, transferable skills developed, confidence, and program insights (Table 3). Each theme highlights the complexities and benefits of the PRIMER role, providing insights into how these mentors contribute to student learning and their own professional development.

TABLE 3.

Themes identified in the thematic analysis of qualitative data from PRIMER focus groups

Theme	Theme description	Categories	Example PRIMER response
Theme 1: defining the role of a PRIMER	PRIMERs define the role of PRIMERs and the goals of the PRIMER program	PRIMER roles	“We help students in the classroom, we answer questions, we facilitate communication, but outside of the classroom we're there for them for office hours and in helping with their writing, so we provide feedback to their writing as well”
		Comparison to other programs	“I feel like the comparison to a writing assistant, and an LA combined is apt, if you don't have anything else to compare it to, but I feel like again, it feels like we're doing a lot more, because we're stepping to like a leadership role rather than like a combined LA/WA”
		Preconceived notions of PRIMER program before joining	“The expectation was that I was just going to read the writing, you know, provide feedback and be done. But you really kind of get way more involved with that. They'll ask you questions in office hours. They'll email you, so it was a lot more than I thought it was going to be, but in a good way”
		Perception of how students view PRIMERs	“I’d say at first the students were kind of approaching me like in LA. They just wanted me to give an answer to a question and move on. They kind of weren't understanding what a PRIMER necessarily was, but as the semester progressed and we kind of got more of those office hour interactions, those group meetings, they were understanding that I was playing a role and not just like answering questions for them, but helping them think for themselves and providing feedback in their writing and stuff, as well”
Theme 2: motivation	PRIMERs discuss initial motivation to sign up for the program and the motivating factors that kept them engaged throughout the semester. Motivations can be internal or external.	Interest in helping students	“I see that this is a really good opportunity, and I really like to interact with students, so that's why I joined”
		Career development	“This is something that I can put… on my CV, and like my resume. And I can talk about the skills that I've gained, like feedback and like communication skills”
		Application of knowledge	“I wanted to expand on my knowledge of not just like bioinformatics, but how to communicate that to students [and] I wanted to be able to understand the content well enough that I could break it down in any way possible, so the student can understand...”
		Interest in scientific writing	“I wanted to help, not just in the classroom, but when I found out it was also through writing. I love scientific writing, so that was a big motivator for me to kind of get into this role”
		Continuation in PRIMER program	“I really got to know my students and I'm going to leave this semester having students that are going to email me for stuff about their career and like things beyond the classroom, which is something that I found really important, and I'm glad I built that up throughout the semester”
Theme 3: transferable skills developed	PRIMERs discuss skills gained through their participation in the PRIMER program.	Communication skills	“I feel like now I'm better at you know communicating and kind of teaching, and now I know how to give pretty good feedback”
		Evaluation and feedback skills	“With the scientific writing critiques, it was kind of like I knew how to write, but I didn't know how to give that critique to someone in a way that they would understand”
		Leadership skills	“I feel I was able to kind of be that person in the classroom that people kind of came to and step into that role and be able to answer those questions, or, if I didn't know the answer, get the answer for the students. So just building up being a leader in a professional or academic setting is something I definitely got from this semester”
		Research skills	“Personally, all the transferable skills that we've developed as PRIMERs, not just with content, but with data analysis, experimental design, a scientific writing critique...Those are all really key and I feel like, that's something that I did not have a very strong foundation before becoming a PRIMER”
Theme 4: Confidence	PRIMERs highlight growth that contributes to increases in confidence or suggest a greater sense of confidence in their roles, skills, and abilities.	Confidence in writing	“I really learned [how to give a critique] and build that up this semester, and I feel a lot more confident in that, like being able to not just write, but tell someone what to fix on their writing”
		Confidence in mentoring	“I felt more like a mentor then than I had before, because we got to sit with them and find out why they're having issues and have them solve their issues on their own, or maybe give our own small input, and they came to their own conclusions”
		Confidence in bioinformatics knowledge	“Being a PRIMER, I feel a lot more confident in actually working with the programs, explaining how the programs work, explaining what the data from the programs means, and all of that kind of built up throughout the semester as I answered more student questions, as I gave them writing feedback, and just interacting myself... running the script beforehand to make sure it's working. I had more hands-on experience with the programs, and just the content in general”
Theme 5: program insights	PRIMERs provide feedback regarding successes within the PRIMER program	Teaching team meeting support	“The teaching team meetings were really supportive because I could ask questions beforehand about content that I maybe wasn’t so sure about. They helped me feel more prepared going into the classroom”
		PRIMER meeting support	“We had a few weeks dedicated solely to feedback. We looked at our own work, we looked at students' work and broke down how to give feedback. I feel these are incredibly important to being a PRIMER”
		Faculty support	“I knew [my faculty mentor] was very available if we needed it, and the support system was there. I felt like I could reach out to anyone if I had questions”
	PRIMERs provide feedback regarding limitations within the PRIMER program	Time constraints	“The 1 hour meeting wasn’t enough to cover everything. There were times when we were running against the clock, and we couldn’t dive as deep into the material as we needed to”
		Program clarity	“The biggest obstacle for me was not really knowing what a PRIMER was. I had seen them in action but didn’t fully understand the role until I started”
		Not fully understanding the student feedback process	“The first time I went through student writing, I was kind of nervous. I knew I had to give positive feedback, but I wasn’t sure what to focus on. It would have been helpful to have a more formalized rubric to guide me”

Theme 1: defining the role of a PRIMER

At the start of the semester, PRIMERs were unsure of their roles in the classroom and viewed their role as a combination of LAs and WAs with a focus strictly on content and feedback, respectively (Table 3). Their perception evolved as they began working with students and providing basic support to facilitate critical thinking and creative problem-solving, guiding them through the research process, and troubleshooting research issues. One participant noted that PRIMERs are “much more” than learning and writing assistants, describing their role in the classroom as “helping students... by answering questions [and] facilitating communication,” while “outside of the classroom we're there for them for office hours and helping with their writing… It’s not just content knowledge, it’s understanding how to do the bioinformatics and how to disseminate that information.”

When asked to reflect on how they thought the students viewed them, PRIMERs mentioned that students seemed to be similarly unsure of the PRIMER’s role. As they became more confident in their leadership and mentor roles in the classroom, PRIMERs perceived that their students gradually recognized them as mentors who were there to support them and offer academic and professional guidance. PRIMERs noted that student engagement increased after they began giving written feedback, and they emphasized the importance of providing written feedback that students could reference later, as well as verbal feedback in one-on-one meetings where they could clarify and expand on their comments to students.

Theme 2: motivation

Motivational factors for joining and continuing in the PRIMER program varied, with PRIMERs citing both internal and external drivers (Table 3). One PRIMER was initially motivated to sign up for the program after having the opportunity to witness another student in the PRIMER role, stating, “I had a singular PRIMER [in a course], and I thought that it was very interesting. I had talked to him about his experience there, and he explained it to me.” Others were motivated by a desire to develop professional skills, particularly in communication, mentoring, and leadership, which they could leverage in application materials for future career opportunities in academia, research, medicine, among other fields. Moreover, many PRIMERs expressed a desire to deepen their understanding of course content and bioinformatics research.

As PRIMERs became more involved with the program and students, their initial motivations changed. They aimed to build more meaningful relationships with students, with a focus on supporting both academic and personal growth beyond just course material. PRIMERs shared that the experience was "rewarding." For example, one participant reflected, "I found that being a PRIMER was very rewarding because I was more involved in the writing aspect and had more direct interactions with students than I would have as just a regular Learning Assistant.” Another participant shared: "When students are struggling, being there for them and helping them through challenges… was really fulfilling.” This focus on fostering deeper connections and supporting students was a defining aspect of the PRIMER program.

Theme 3: transferable skills developed

The PRIMER program provided opportunities for participants to develop a range of transferable skills, which they identified as being valuable for their future academic and career goals (Table 3). PRIMERs emphasized the importance of developing effective communication skills, especially in giving feedback to students. They learned how to engage with students in ways that went beyond traditional academic support. One PRIMER explained how this experience was directly applicable to their future career goals: ”A lot of doctors become mentor figures eventually. I feel that this experience will help me in that role, and if I become a professor… I’ll already have a head start.” In developing their ability to give feedback that was clear, actionable, and well-received, PRIMERs reported improvements in both their written and verbal feedback and learning how to balance positive reinforcement with constructive criticism. One participant shared, ”I was a very shy student… This program helped me step up in promoting scientific communication, answering questions, and giving feedback, which built up my confidence.” Feedback techniques were also cited as critical to developing relationships with students and “integral to how [PRIMERs] communicated with the students and how [they] helped them.” Additionally, PRIMERs developed problem-solving skills by helping students navigate challenges. This required PRIMERs to think on their feet and guide students through their difficulties. As one participant noted: “I wanted to expand not just my bioinformatics knowledge, but also how to communicate that knowledge effectively. I needed to break it down in different ways so students could understand.”

Theme 4: confidence

As the semester progressed, PRIMERs reported an increase in overall confidence in their mentoring abilities, bioinformatics knowledge, and writing skills (Table 3). Specifically, PRIMERs referenced the support of the teaching team as a key factor in fostering confidence in their roles as peer mentors, and they mentioned that “knowing that [they] could reach out to the teaching team anytime via email or in person to ask any questions was enough for [them] to feel confident.” Moreover, PRIMERs described epiphanies about their own research abilities as they engaged with course content, troubleshooted issues, and provided explanations to students, which may have reinforced their self-assurance as scientists. One participant described this experience, saying, “I was able to read more lines of code and really get used to troubleshooting... I feel like every step builds the confidence.” The balance between structured guidance and self-directed classroom experience may have helped PRIMERs build their confidence and independence, as many found the role rewarding, especially in their leadership and mentoring responsibilities.

Theme 5: program insights

PRIMERs shared both positive feedback and suggestions for improvement regarding the PRIMER program (Table 3). They highlighted the value of teaching team meetings, which provided opportunities to review material, ask questions, and collaborate with teaching team leads to address student needs. Teaching team meetings were described as “effective” and “beneficial for [their] growth” because these meetings allowed for PRIMERs to review and ask questions about content and course structure. PRIMER training meetings were also well-received, offering structured opportunities for reflection and improving feedback skills. Faculty support was frequently referenced as an essential resource.

However, PRIMERs also identified limitations (Table 3). Time constraints were a recurring issue, with PRIMERs feeling that the length of scheduled meetings was insufficient to cover all necessary content, particularly when discussions ran over, or content felt rushed. PRIMERs also found that tight deadlines for providing feedback were also challenging, especially when balancing multiple commitments. While PRIMERs received training on giving feedback, some PRIMERs felt they lacked initial guidance on how to review student work effectively, suggesting that a formalized rubric or checklist could improve their confidence and consistency in providing feedback. Additionally, some PRIMERs expressed there was a general lack of clarity about the PRIMER role before joining, which we plan to address in more structured recruitment and introductory sessions for future PRIMERs.

Student perceptions of PRIMERs

Survey responses show largely positive impacts from the PRIMER program across various aspects of CURIE, with students strongly agreeing that PRIMERs made key components of CURIE easier (Fig. 2). Of the 16 CURIE students, all but two strongly agreed that PRIMERs had acted as a mentor to them. Every student either agreed or strongly agreed that PRIMERs made it easier to execute the research project, work within the research team network, and understand bioinformatics. All but one agreed that PRIMERs helped them complete internship activities, and all but two agreed that feedback they received on their writing helped improve their writing skills. Furthermore, all but one participant agreed that having PRIMERs in other classes could benefit their learning. One participant felt there was no difference between LAs in other classes and PRIMERs, whereas eight disagreed; seven were neutral.

Fig 2.

Distribution of responses to questions about the impact of PRIMERs on students' understanding and experiences in CURIE. Each bar represents the percentage of students who selected each response option (from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree") on a five-point Likert scale for one of eight questions related to the PRIMER program, while the numbers inside the bars indicate the count of participants who chose that response. The research team network was defined as ”individuals (e.g., your classmates, PRIMERs, TAs, etc.) who helped and assisted you with your research. You may have reciprocated by helping your classmates with their research, which makes you an integral member of the research team network.”

Students reported that feedback on writing was helpful for learning and that PRIMERs were helpful for their learning (Fig. 3A and B). The individual feedback on writing was provided by PRIMERs and discussed with students in one-on-one meetings inside the classroom, while the rest of the teaching team provided general feedback to the whole class. One of the main goals of the PRIMER program is to be able to promote the growth of scientific writing skills even as the number of students in CUREs grows. Based on our personal observations within CURIE, we notice improvements in writing skills from the first writing assignments to the final research paper. Lastly, most students indicated that the level of PRIMER assistance was an appropriate amount (Fig. 3C).

Fig 3.

Distribution of responses regarding PRIMER assistance and mentoring. (A) Helpfulness of PRIMER assistance/mentoring for participants’ learning in this course; (B) helpfulness of writing feedback for participants’ learning in this course; (C) amount of PRIMER assistance/mentoring participants would have liked in this course. For (A) and (B), the responses were categorized into five levels: “not helpful at all,” “somewhat helpful,” “neutral,” “helpful,” and “very helpful.” For (C), the responses were categorized into four levels: “much less,” “the same,” “slightly more,” and “much more.” The numbers within each slice of each pie chart indicate the count of participants who chose that response.

Altogether, these responses suggest that the PRIMER program is on a successful trajectory toward creating a research- and writing-focused near-peer mentor for bioinformatics-driven research-oriented courses. In the open-ended response question, asking students to describe their experience with PRIMERs, 14 students provided overwhelmingly positive feedback, one provided both negative and positive feedback, and one did not answer the question. The 14 positive responses show that students describe PRIMERs as “helpful” and attribute feedback from PRIMERs to their research successes, often using the word “great” to describe their experience (Fig. 4).

Fig 4.

The 14 positive student responses to “please describe your experience with PRIMERs in the internship” visualized as a word cloud.

DISCUSSION

Overall, PRIMERs expressed positive experiences throughout the semester, viewing their roles as instrumental in supporting student learning and helping students become more independent researchers. Many PRIMERs felt the program was a unique professional development opportunity, enabling them to develop both technical skills, such as scientific and data science knowledge, and interpersonal skills, such as communication and leadership. They viewed their experiences in mentoring and providing writing feedback as directly applicable to their future roles in biomedical or other careers. The PRIMER program thus shaped their future professional trajectories by preparing them for the collaborative and communicative demands of their future careers.

Our evaluation also shows that PRIMERs gained transferable skills that extend beyond their specific roles in our CUREs. PRIMERs reported becoming incrementally more confident in their scientific communication and mentoring abilities as they gained experience in guiding students through research tasks and built a rapport with them. This shift in confidence allowed PRIMERs to become better leaders within the classroom and mentors to their students.

At the beginning of the semester, students likely viewed PRIMERs as LAs and were unsure of how the PRIMER role differed. PRIMERs indicate that as students became more involved in their research projects, their perspectives evolved. Post-survey student data support that they generally viewed the PRIMER program as an asset to their learning and a crucial component of their research experience, with PRIMERS providing invaluable academic and personal support. We assume students who participate in the CB-CURE may have similar views of the program’s impact, especially since both programs share the common goal of enhancing the research experience. It is understandable that PRIMERs reported some uncertainty about their role at the start of the semester, as the PRIMER role is a novel position integrated into our bioinformatics-focused CUREs. By improving and clarifying our recruitment strategies, we aim to expand the description of the PRIMER role in future recruitment efforts. As the PRIMER program grows, we hope more students experience working with a PRIMER in their class and gain insights into what the PRIMER program entails.

The evaluation of the PRIMER program pilot implementation shows that PRIMERs and students in our bioinformatics-focused CUREs benefit from the program, supporting our initial hypothesis. Specifically, our findings from this preliminary investigation indicate that PRIMERs played a key role in enhancing student learning within CUREs while also gaining essential career-readiness skills. Overall, PRIMERs praised their experience, and we have carefully considered their suggestions for improvement. We plan to incorporate these insights into future iterations of the PRIMER program. Currently, PRIMERs are compensated through salary. In addition, we are exploring other strategies to incentivize and document this experience (e.g., course credit, leadership internship within the degree plan). As we continue to develop the program, we plan to collect more data on the perception of PRIMERs as mentors in both CB-CURE and the CURIE classroom to identify which aspects of CUREs and PRIMER training contribute to the development of PRIMERs as effective mentors.