Education Commons^™

Supporting Undergraduate Research For Globally Distributed Students And Mentors, Emily Faulconer, Brent Terwilliger, Robert Deters

Publications

Undergraduate research is widely viewed as a high-impact practice. However, participation in undergraduate research among students completing degree programs exclusively online may be impeded due to barriers such as access limitations, time poverty, and adequate institutional support. Through an NSF I-USE project (#2021221), we formed a framework of support, including a research independent study course and a mentoring program, where we deliberately separated and defined the roles of research supervisor and research mentor. In this session, we will discuss interview data on the experiences of faculty and students in both the credit-bearing active research as well as the non-credit-bearing research …

Bridging Communities Of Practice: Cross-Institutional Collaboration For Undergraduate Digital Scholars, R.C. Miessler, Clinton K. Baugess, Kevin Moore, Courtney Paddick, Carrie Pirmann

All Musselman Library Staff Works

At Bucknell University and Gettysburg College, an increasing focus on supporting creative undergraduate research as intensive, high-impact experiences has resulted in both institutions implementing library-led digital scholarship fellowships for their students. Gettysburg’s Digital Scholarship Summer Fellowship began in 2016, and Bucknell’s Digital Scholarship Summer Research Fellowship in 2017.1 While academic libraries have emerged as leaders on college campuses for digital humanities (DH) services, the programs at Gettysburg and Bucknell are distinctive in their structured curricula, a focus on independent student research, and the development of a local community of practice. Each program situates undergraduate research in the field of digital …

Research Assignment: Quest Symposium, Collin College

Quest Student and Faculty Resources

An introductory exercise to raise awareness of undergraduate research at Collin and other universities.

Research Assignment: Criminal Justice, Collin College

Quest Student and Faculty Resources

This assignment helps students to remain objective while exploring competing perspectives in peer-reviewed journals.

Assessment In Undergraduate Research, Jill Singer, Daniel Weiler, Bridget Zimmerman, Sean Fox, Elizabeth L. Ambos

Earth Sciences Faculty Publications

This chapter focuses on assessment as an integral element of the continued success and sustainability of undergraduate research (UR) and describes the EvaluateUR method, a proven approach to assessing the skills and competencies of UR students, which also contributes directly to student learning. The chapter concludes with brief remarks on the assessment of course-based UR and two projects now in progress that are adapting the EvaluateUR method to these assessments.

Building Undergraduate Research In A Fully Online Engineering Program, Robert Deters, Brent Terwilliger, Emily Faulconer, Kelly A. George

Publications

This paper describes the creation and implementation of the support network of the Research Scholars Program at the Worldwide campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Funded by an NSF IUSE grant, the purpose of this new program is to increase the opportunity for online engineering and engineering technology students to participate in undergraduate research. Studies have shown that participation in research can have an important impact on students, though online students are likely underrepresented in undergraduate research. The Research Scholars Program uses existing support systems of the campus while also building new components. These new components developed for this project are …

Undergraduate And Graduate Summer Fellowship Call For Proposals, Center For Undergraduate Research

General University of Maine Publications

Call for undergraduate students to apply for a Summer CUGR Research and Creative Activities Fellowship or MSGC Graduate Fellowship and Undergraduate Research Experience.

Embracing New Opportunities In And Beyond First-Year Honors Composition, Teagan Decker, Scott Hicks

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Authors describe course-embedded research experiences at a diverse, rural, regional university. Emphasizing the capacity for conventional teaching and learning in first-year honors composition, these experiences provide relationshiprich education through faculty and peer mentorships. Positing that first-year honors composition is undervalued as a means for establishing programmatic foundations that resonate with students throughout their honors experience, the authors reinforce its importance as a place for disciplinary research and thus for opportunities in mentoring. By addressing an urgent need for mentoring underrepresented students, the authors consider how a research-based first-year honors composition course might help such students make meaningful disciplinary connections. A …

Ouachita's Beaumont And Fisher Only Arkansas Dietetics Students To Present At Posters On The Hill, Madison Cresswell

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University’s Jorie Beaumont and Cannon Fisher were the only nutrition & dietetics students selected to present their research at Posters on the Hill, an event where state legislators learn about current undergraduate research. They were among the 60 researchers who were selected from hundreds of applicants to participate in the virtual event, which was held April 27-28, 2021.

S4e6 : What Is The Value Of Undergraduate Research?, Ron Lisnet, Melissa Maginnis

The Maine Question

Thousands of University of Maine undergraduates engage in research and creative activities that prepare them for careers and support the university and public.

They uncover knowledge, technology and products for a growing, modern economy. Their work, which molds them into problem-solving citizens, exemplifies UMaine’s role as the state’s public research university.

The annual UMaine Student Symposium, the culminating event for Maine Impact Week, showcases much of that work. This year’s event will be held virtually April 16.

Three undergraduates who will present at the 2021 symposium share their stories on this episode of “The Maine Question.” Melissa Maginnis, an associate …

Microbiomes For All, Theodore R. Muth, Avrom J. Caplan

Publications and Research

Microbiome research projects are often interdisciplinary, involving fields such as microbiology, genetics, ecology, evolution, bioinformatics, and statistics. These research projects can be an excellent fit for undergraduate courses ranging from introductory biology labs to upper-level capstone courses. Microbiome research projects can attract the interest of students majoring in health and medical sciences, environmental sciences, and agriculture, and there are meaningful ties to real-world issues relating to human health, climate change, and environmental sustainability and resilience in pristine, fragile ecosystems to bustling urban centers. In this review, we will discuss the potential of microbiome research integrated into classes using a number …

Learning Places: Place-Based Learning In An Interdisciplinary Approach To Undergraduate Research, Jason Montgomery

Publications and Research

High-impact educational practices outlined by the Association of American Colleges and Universities give faculty a toolkit of specific practices that current research identifies as having particular effectiveness in student engagement and learning in the 21st century. Included in this list of effective practices is undergraduate research. While this high-impact educational practice is most often associated with the sciences, it has wider applicability to undergraduate learning where the methods of research can integrate synergistic strategies that further enhance student engagement and learning: place-based learning and interdisciplinary teaching. In this chapter, these two compelling approaches to higher education are presented as …

Bingo! Engaging History Of Science Students With Primary Sources, Leigh Rupinski

Scholarly Papers and Articles

This case study examines the process of creating an interactive and engaging lesson plan for the History of Science course, HSC 201: The Scientific Revolution. History of Science students tend to be undergraduates majoring in science or medical related fields, rather than the humanities, who need to fulfill an intensive writing or general education requirement. For most, if not all of them, this session would be the first time they experienced hands-on interaction with historical resources. Accordingly, the archivist sought to create a less traditional lesson plan that would foster a sense of fun and interest in the materials.

The Impact Of Undergraduate Research And Student Characteristics On Student Success Metrics At An Urban, Minority Serving, Commuter, Public Institution, Sheila I. Baron, Pamela Brown, Tammie Cumming, Michelle Mengeling

Publications and Research

Challenges to establishing and maintaining undergraduate research programs include how to demonstrate impact as evidence for future funding, establish eligibility criteria when resources are limited, and assess new components. To address these challenges, undergraduate researcher GPA, credit accumulation and time to graduation were evaluated longitudinally, at an urban, public, minority and Hispanic serving, commuter college. Students who participated in undergraduate research and matched peers were also compared. Evaluation revealed that all groups benefited from participation in undergraduate research, whether they had full- or part-time status, were STEM or non-STEM majors, or participated in single or multiple semesters of research. Addition …

2020 Spring Humanities Symposium: Vulnerability And Security, Messiah College

Humanities Symposium

Keynote Address: Anthony Ray Hinton

February 17-21, 2020

Ouachita’S Department Of Biological Sciences Promotes Undergraduate Research Through Ar-Cure Workshop, Rachel Moreno, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University’s Department of Biological Sciences recently hosted its third AR-CURE Synthetic Biology Workshop to share its innovative course-based research project with institutions seeking to conduct semester-long undergraduate research. The 2019 workshop, held June 16-19 on Ouachita’s campus, was attended by 30 faculty members representing institutions in 17 states.

Improving Undergraduate Student Engagement In A Hybrid Research Course, Genevieve B. Elrod

Peer Reviewed Articles

Undergraduate nursing students have traditionally struggled to appreciate and understand research. Traditional teaching and learning methods in the research classroom are not meeting the needs of current students (McCurry & Martins, 2010), and innovations must be sought to overcome students' resistance to research. Efforts to improve the early research utilization skills and attitudes of students is critical if we are to hope for the grounding of their future practice in evidence.

To engage students in one hybrid research course, the faculty member created an innovative “March Madness” assignment that assists students in applying their learning. This article details …

2019 Spring Humanities Symposium: For The Common Good, Messiah College

Humanities Symposium

Keynote address: Marian Wright Edelman

February 18-22, 2019

Undergraduate Research For Online Students, Emily K. Faulconer, Amy B. Gruss

Publications

Since the term “high impact educational prac-tices” (HIPs) was coined in 2008, it comes up often in SoTL research and professional devel-opment. Undergraduate research is one of the commonly listed HIPs. The profes sional and personal benefits to studentsP are numerous, including increased perAsistence, self-confi-dence, career preparation, enhanced mentori©ng relationships, development of transferable skills, networking opportunities, and balancing of intellectual independence and collaboration skills (Council on Undergraduate Research, 2017; Lopatto, 2006, 2010; Madan & Teitge, 2013).

Pivoting Toward The Future: Fifty Years Of Summer Research Fellowship Success Catalyzes Institutional Change, Patricia Marten Dibartolo, Kathryn M. Aloisio, Margaret Lamb, Minh Ly, Cate Rowen

The Office of Institutional Research

For 50 years, Smith College’s Summer Research Fellowship (SURF) has provided undergraduate women scientists the opportunity for an immersive experience to conduct independent research under the mentorship of science faculty and staff. This article highlights summative assessment data on SURF program outcomes as well as the institutional planning and responses that followed from careful consideration of SURF’s success and challenges. SURF participation was associated with a full range of student benefits, including a higher overall college gradepoint average, greater advanced research participation, and increased likelihood of completing an advanced degree. Evidence of these powerful and lasting student impacts associated with …

Engaging Undergraduates In Comparative Psychology: A Case Study, Lauren Highfill, Deirdre Yeater

Psychology Faculty Publications

With many comparative psychologists teaching at small colleges and universities where resources are limited, maintaining a traditional animal laboratory housing rats or pigeons is not realistic for many of these researchers. One way to overcome this lack of overhead costs and extensive lab space, is to forge collaborations with local zoos and aquariums. Zoo and aquarium research projects provide a way to examine a wide range of species, which is an important tenet within the field of comparative psychology. Furthermore, many undergraduates are innately attracted to the prospect of working with exotic animals. Here, we propose utilizing visitor behavior research …

Opportunities For Undergraduate Research In Nuclear Physics, S. F. Hicks, T. D. Nguyen, D. T. Jackson, S. G. Block, S. T. Byrd, M. T. Nickel, J. R. Vanhoy, Erin E. Peters, Anthony Paul Ramirez, Marcus T. Mcellistrem, Sharmistha Mukhopadhyay, Steven W. Yates

Chemistry Faculty Publications

University of Dallas (UD) physics majors are offered a variety of undergraduate research opportunities in nuclear physics through an established program at the University of Kentucky Accelerator Laboratory (UKAL). The 7-MV Model CN Van de Graaff accelerator and the neutron production and detection facilities located there are used by UD students to investigate how neutrons scatter from materials that are important in nuclear energy production and for our basic understanding of how neutrons interact with matter. Recent student projects include modeling of the laboratory using the neutron transport code MCNP to investigate the effectiveness of laboratory shielding, testing the long-term …

Incorporation And Evaluation Of Authentic Research Experiences Into The Curriculum Through Development Of A Theory Of Action, Pamela Brown, Tammie Cumming, Joan D. Pasley

Publications and Research

A theory of action outlining undergraduate research program inputs and desired outcomes was developed and used to guide implementation of Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) sections and to create assessment tools to measure attainment of program goals in both apprentice-model undergraduate research and CURE. Student survey results for these two research programs were compared and suggest that many aspects of the academic goals such as designing an experiment, using equipment, collecting and analyzing data, and collaborating with others were achieved in both groups. Regarding the relationship with mentors, both groups reported receiving academic advisement in course selection and career options. …

Three Ouachita Science Students Present Research At Regional Conference, Katie Smith, Ouachita News Bureau

Press Releases

Three students from Ouachita Baptist University’s J.D. Patterson School of Natural Sciences presented research at the Midsouth Computational and Bioinformatics Society (MCBIOS) conference March 23-25 in Little Rock. Logan Clay, a sophomore biology and psychology double major from Benton, Ark.; Jake Edmondson, a junior biomedical studies from Benton, Ark.; and Nolan Games, a junior biology and computer science major from North Little Rock, Ark., each made poster presentations at the conference. Games also was selected to give an oral presentation.

The MCBIOS is a regional meeting where research faculty, graduate and undergraduate students from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas …

Honors Research Symposium Program Spring 2017, University Honors Program, Georgia Southern University

University Honors Research Symposium Programs

No abstract provided.

2017 Minnesota Undergraduate Scholars Posters At St. Paul Abstract Booklet, Minnesota Undergraduate Scholars

Posters at St. Paul

Abstract booklet from the fourth Minnesota Undergraduate Scholars Posters at St. Paul event.

The multi-disciplinary poster presentation was held on March 2, 2017 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the State Capitol rotunda. Participating campuses included: Bemidji State University, Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota State University, Moorhead, Rochester Community and Technical College, Southwest Minnesota State University, St. Cloud State University, and Winona State University.

2017 Spring Humanities Symposium: Slavery And Justice, Messiah College

Humanities Symposium

Keynote address: Kelly Brown Douglas

Media Exposure On Student Work: Spotlight On Undergraduate Research, Dominic Klyve

Mathematics Faculty Scholarship

This paper describes efforts by the author to engage and motivate students in undergraduate research by giving them a large audience and engaging the media in disseminating their work. I provide an introduction to public relations from the point of view of a mathematics professor, and describe some lessons I’ve learned in my own attempts to engage newsprint, radio, and television sources in stories about undergraduate research in mathematics. After describing some partially successful early attempts, the paper discusses a recent event in which undergraduate research in mathematics became, briefly, a “hot news item” in Central Washington. The paper concludes …

A Multiple Case Narrative Examining The Experiences Of Alumni Of A Minority Research And Training Program, Gretchen Burton

Faculty Publications

The implementation of minority research and training (MRT) programs at the post secondary level has risen to close the educational achievement gap and build undergraduate pathways to generate a highly skilled and diverse STEM pool. Although the numbers of advanced science related degrees have slowly increased over the past decade, partially due to the utilization of MRT programs, this increase has not been adequate to establish an impactful representation in either academic or industry research careers. Numerous studies identify various support interventions influencing positive outcomes among MRT participants achieving graduate degrees. However, majority of the studies utilize quantitative or a …

Promoting Undergraduate Research Through Integrative Learning, Elise C. Lewis

Faculty Publications

Educators in higher education often seek innovative pedagogies to include in their classrooms. This article describes an integrative learning experience and details the planning, implementation, considerations, and benefits of creating a major-specific undergraduate research day. The event created an opportunity for students to gain confidence and practice discussing their work during research poster presentations. The event also allowed them to integrate classroom activities and extracurricular experiences to make meaningful connections. Identifying the steps, considerations, and outcomes may inform educators considering implementing this technique. The description of the undergraduate research day is applicable across disciplines and is relevant to faculty and …