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Enhancing the student learning experience through undergraduate research dissemination – a framework for staff and students
Helen Walkington and Martin Luck
In association with: Jay Brodeu, Tara Kajaks, Paula Myatt, Rachel Spronken-Smith, Brad Wuetherick and An Verburgh
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Outline
• The importance of UGR
• Research ‘in its entirety’– Dissemination and completing the loop
• Framework
• Examples
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What is undergraduate research?
• Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR):– An inquiry or investigation conducted by an
undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline.
• Brew and Boud (1995):– Research and inquiry can be an investigation
into the “commonly known”, “commonly unknown” and “totally unknown”
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Research development framework [Willison and O’Regan 2006]
Level 5 open enquiry with self determined guidanceLevel 4 open enquiry within structured guidanceLevel 3 closed enquiry working independentlyLevel 2 closed enquiry some structure / guidanceLevel 1 closed enquiry, high degree of structure and guidance
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High impact practices [Kuh, 2008]
• First year seminars and experiences, • common intellectual experiences, • learning communities, • writing-intensive courses, • collaborative assignments and projects, • undergraduate research, • diversity/global learning, • service learning, • internships, • capstone courses/projects
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Justice et al 2007 Inquiry cycle
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• The Research Cycle
• Mind the gap!
“Dissemination of results is an essential and integral part of the research process”
Boyer Commission, 1998: 24
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Benefits of communication
• Communication is universally listed as a graduate attribute and is highly regarded as a generic skill (de la Harpe & David, 2011)
• Communication is also a key part of understanding disciplinary “ways of thinking and practising” (Hounsell & McCune, 2002).
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Student autonomy axis
• framework
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Exposure axis
• framework
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The framework - examples of progressive application
• Year 1 module: – Poster session
• Year 2 module: – Journal Clubs - presenting a research
paper to the rest of the class
• Year 3: – Seminar presentation on final year project
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The framework – further examples
• Departmental seminar presentation– Students develop confidence in front of faculty
• Bite-sized pre-lectures– 5 minute mini-presentations on key topics,
preceding each lecture or practical class
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Co-authorship e.g. a public wiki developed by a class
• Year 1 Architecture students. • Tutor-mediated student publishing to a public blog and
photo-sharing space (Flickr)
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Undergraduate research journals
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BCUR
• BCUR
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Posters in Parliament
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The framework for students
• The STEM student journey
Year 3
Year 1
Year 2
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The framework for staff
• Critical to the success of research dissemination (particularly in the broader senses of ‘public-ness’) is institutional commitment to dissemination– Course and curriculum development/delivery– Conferences (departmental, institutional, national)– Journals (departmental/disciplinary, institutional,
national)– Connections to communities (academic and
public)– Direct link between research and teaching
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Conclusion
• CLOSE THE RESEARCH LOOP through ‘dissemination’
• If we are committed to embedding undergraduate research we must also commit to embedding the teaching of dissemination skills in our curricula.
• We have provided a framework for staff and students to support the structuring of research dissemination experiences for students to build confidence and capabilities.
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Acknowledgements
