Academics are a strong component of the F-L.E.A.R.N. program. All accepted students will take two classes together, one in the Fall semester and one in the Spring semester.
First Year in College (FTIC)
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
SLS 3521 – Introduction to Research I
(1 credit)
SLS 4522- Introduction to Research II
(1 credit)
In SLS 3521, students will learn how to navigate the UCF community, available resources, and the UCF laboratory environment. They will gain the skills necessary this first semester to excel in their academic lives at UCF and become accustom to the research process.
In SLS 4522, students will expand their research skills and will develop a research proposal while exploring their specific research interests.
3
A main component of SLS 4522 is the participation in a weekly 3-hour research apprenticeship. Through this experience, students will work with a Graduate Research Mentor in their (or a similar) discipline. The level of involvement in the project may vary depending on the field; however, the experience of actually doing research as a freshman is rare.
Examples of activities done in past research apprenticeships include: designing a computer-controlled flying robot, running PCR on DNA strands to find particular patterns, and studying the environmental changes due to catastrophic weather events like hurricanes.
