CS 399 – Early Researcher Experience Program

Syllabus

The goal of the Early Undergraduate Research Experience Program (EREP / UR2PhD) is to ease undergraduate students with no prior research experience into their first research experience, preparing them to seek out research opportunities afterwards (see Staying involved with research). Students work in teams on a research project, each team supported for the term by a graduate student mentor. Both undergraduate students and graduate mentors take a weekly virtual, synchronous training course from the Computing Research Association (CRA) — research methods for the students, mentor training for the mentors, and both attend the mandatory in-person weekly CS 399 course meetup.

The course components and the corresponding grade breakdown (for undergraduate students) are as follows.

1. CRA Training Course (60%)

CRA runs two parallel training courses for this program: a research methods course for the undergraduate students, and a mentor training course for the graduate mentors.

Undergraduate students — research methods course

The research methods course covers the foundations of research with the goal of supporting students in completing their pre-identified research project. Participants develop and apply practical research skills, like reading and interpreting research papers, conducting literature reviews, and analyzing and presenting data. Students hone their research comprehension and communication skills, develop an understanding of research ethics, and build their confidence in their identity as a researcher. All concepts and skills are taught in the context of students' projects.

Students are expected to actively participate in the same CRA course session as the rest of their research team. They should attend all course sessions with camera on, arrive on time, participate in discussion when prompted, and complete course assignments in a timely fashion. Students are allowed no more than 2 unexcused absences throughout the CRA course. Grading is done by the CRA course instructors and communicated to the EREP / UR2PhD program coordinators at the University of Waterloo.

Graduate mentors — mentor training course

The mentor training course covers mentorship best practices and supports each mentor in building a personalized mentorship philosophy, applied to the team they are mentoring this term.

Mentors attend one hour per week with camera on, missing no more than 2 sessions, and complete the course assignments and evaluation activities. This course is run and assessed by CRA, and completing it is what earns the mentor stipend.

2. Research Project (20%)

Active involvement in a research project, through engagement with your research group, graduate student mentor, and faculty advisor (if applicable), is extremely important. Active involvement means consistently showing up to research team meetings, meeting task deadlines, and communicating effectively with team members, graduate mentors and faculty advisors. At the end of the term, students are rated by the graduate student mentor and faculty advisor on the level of their research involvement and contribution, which can be Outstanding (20% + 5% bonus), Meets Expectations (20%), or Does Not Meet Expectations (10%).

3. CS 399 Meetups (20%)

Undergraduate students and graduate mentors are expected to attend the weekly in-person CS 399 meetups, which are meant to provide a welcoming peer support environment where all students and mentors in the program can learn from each other. Meetups may involve social and ice-breaker activities, project presentations from individual teams, panel discussions about graduate school and research as a career, and similar. This component of the course is graded by attendance, which is in person.

The meetup schedule is subject to change — check back for updates.

Staying involved with research

CS 399 is meant to be a first research experience, not the last one. After the term, the usual next steps are:

• Talk to your graduate mentor and faculty advisor about continuing the project into the next term.
• Apply for an Undergraduate Research Assistantship (URA), which pays for part-time research work during a study term.
• Watch the school’s research opportunities page for other openings and deadlines.

Assessment

Students are evaluated on the quality of their participation in the CRA course, the research project, and the CS 399 meetups.

Projects

Active projects for Fall 2026. Subject to change until team formation. For the full set of projects offered this cycle, see the call for undergraduate students.

Land Acknowledgement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is co-ordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

Policies

Communication Protocol

Students are expected to attend class. Special consideration can be made for a few exceptions (e.g., academic travel, illness, and family emergencies). However, students must discuss their anticipated absence with the coordinators beforehand. If you are ill, please stay home and email the coordinators.

Academic Integrity

In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. See uwaterloo.ca/academic-integrity for more information.

Grievance

A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of their university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant, who will provide further assistance.

Discipline

A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity (check uwaterloo.ca/academic-integrity) to avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for their actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about the rules for group work and collaboration, should seek guidance from the course coordinators, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. For information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline. For typical penalties, see the Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Appeals

A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 (Student Petitions and Grievances), other than a petition, or Policy 71 (Student Discipline) may be appealed if there are grounds. A student who believes they have grounds for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals.

Note for Students with Disabilities

AccessAbility Services, located in Needles Hall, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with AccessAbility Services at the beginning of each academic term.

Links

• Call for undergraduate students — full project list
• EREP / UR2PhD program page (Waterloo WiCS)
• Call for graduate mentors
• CRA UR2PhD
• Undergraduate Research Assistantship (URA)
• AccessAbility Services
• Campus Wellness