A Study of Mechanical Engineering Students’ Learning Outcomes During Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Pierrakos
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Engineering Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Evaluation Studies ◽  
Research Participation ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Great Opportunity ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Undergraduate Research Experiences

Undergraduate research experiences, which are highly promoted and supported by NSF and other agencies, present a great opportunity for our students to learn essential problem solving skills. The National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program is one of the largest initiatives supporting active research participation by undergraduate students in all of the areas of research funded by NSF. The REU program, with more than 600 sites around the world, presently funds over 1000 active awards, totaling over $327 million. From these active REU awards, 384 (38% of the total active awards) are related to engineering (determined by having ‘engineering’ as a keyword in the title and abstract) and account for about $170 million, about half of the total amount of awards to date. In spite of such widespread support and belief in the value of undergraduate research, limited well-grounded research and evaluation studies exist [1]. Most of the existing literature reveals the predominance of program descriptions, explanation of models, and evaluation efforts, rather than studies grounded on research. Only recently have research and evaluation studies focused on assessing the benefits of undergraduate research [1–8]. Some of these benefits are (a) retention for underrepresented groups, (b) increased interest in the discipline, (c) gaining critical thinking skills, (d) increased self-confidence, and (e) clarification of career goals. Moreover, most of these studies on undergraduate research have focused on the sciences, whereas undergraduate research experiences in engineering have been understudied.

scholarly journals A Framework for Implementing Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs) in Freshman Biology Labs

2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 448-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arundhati Bakshi ◽  
Lorelei E. Patrick ◽  
E. William Wischusen
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Research University ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Implementation Barriers ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Undergraduate Research Experiences ◽  
Widespread Implementation ◽  
Flexible Framework ◽  
Large Research

There have been many calls to make research experiences available to more undergraduate students. One way to do this is to provide course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), but providing these on a scale large enough to accommodate many students can be a daunting undertaking. Indeed, other researchers have identified time to develop materials and course size as significant barriers to widespread implementation of CUREs. Based on our own experiences implementing CUREs at a large research university, we present a flexible framework that we have adapted to multiple research projects, share class materials and rubrics we have developed, and suggest logistical strategies to lower these implementation barriers.

scholarly journals MUREs - a new member of the URE-CURE family of research opportunities for undergrads

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly E. Bates ◽  
Shanna Lowes ◽  
Sarah L. West
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Research Opportunities ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research Experiences ◽  
Stem Students ◽  
Experiential Research

Undergraduate research experiences are important for the development of scientific identity, appreciation of authentic research, and to improve persistence towards science careers. We identified a gap in experiential research opportunities for undergraduate Biology students who were seeking a formal yet small-scale research experience that was unique to their own interests and career aspirations. These opportunities may be especially worthwhile for STEM students aspiring to non-research scientific careers (i.e., medicine, dentistry, forensics, communication) and underrepresented STEM students. Here, we reflect on the use of small-scale, individualized undergraduate research experiences that are based on established methods (MURE). These experiences have helped to fill this gap and create problem-centred learning opportunities for undergraduate students that are as unique as the students themselves.

Integrating Research Experiences Into Public Health Curricula: Effects on Undergraduate Students’ Knowledge of Neighborhood Inequalities, Perception of Research, and Motivation to Talk About Health Issues

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-118
Author(s):  
Kara Zografos ◽  
Emanuel Alcala ◽  
John Capitman ◽  
Leepao Khang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Comparison Group ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Undergraduate Research Experiences ◽  
The Impact

Undergraduate research is defined as an inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student in collaboration with a faculty member that makes an intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline. This study assessed the impact of integrating undergraduate research experiences into public health curricula on students’ knowledge of neighborhood inequalities, perception of research, and motivation to talk about health issues. The sample consisted of 132 undergraduate students from two groups (intervention and comparison). The intervention group ( n = 71) conducted a structured social observation in various zip codes to characterize assets and liabilities of the local built environment. Self-reported questionnaires assessing the key study variables were administered to the students at baseline and at postintervention. Compared with those in the comparison group, improvements were noted in knowledge among those in the intervention group from pretest to posttest. Participants in the intervention group were also more motivated to talk about health issues compared with those in the comparison group. Perception of research among those in the intervention group also improved over time when participants were divided into two research confidence level groups (confident and nonconfident). The evaluation of this intervention demonstrates the positive impact integrating undergraduate research experiences can have on a sample of students.

Retaining students by embedding librarians into undergraduate research experiences

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey A. Knapp ◽  
Nicholas J. Rowland ◽  
Eric P. Charles
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Student Retention ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
College Curriculum ◽  
Institutional Goals ◽  
Undergraduate Research Experiences

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify an important area for librarians to positively impact student retention. Design/methodology/approach – This programmatic and conceptual piece describes how embedding librarians into the growing enterprise of undergraduate research experiences (UREs) lays a framework for a context in which libraries and librarians directly contribute to the retention of undergraduate students. Findings – Librarians are capable of directly contributing to the retention of students. While their efforts, it is contended, contribute routinely and to the actual retention of students, it is difficult for their efforts to register in the assessment of retention used by administrators. This discrepancy can be solved if librarians play a more explicit (and quantifiable) role in retaining students. Research limitations/implications – UREs are a growing, but generally untapped trend for librarians; however, because UREs generally correlate with academic success and student retention, they offer librarians a useful entry point to contribute to the academic mission of colleges and universities, and in a measurable way. Practical implications – Embedded librarianship poses a number of hurdles for its practitioners; however, it also has the potential for libraries and librarians to become more explicitly connected to overall institutional goals and strengthen their positions in the academy more broadly. Social implications – Improving the scientific literacy of undergraduate students and aiding them on their path toward graduation is meaningfully enhanced through the embedding of librarians into the college curriculum. Originality/value – Systematically embedding librarians into UREs is not strongly represented in the literature.

scholarly journals Using Inter-institutional Collaboration to Generate Publishable Findings through Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences

2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (7) ◽  
pp. 451-457
Author(s):  
Tanner Smith ◽  
E. Dale Broder ◽  
Robin M. Tinghitella ◽  
Spencer J. Ingley
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
High Impact ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Class Time ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Undergraduate Research Experiences ◽  
Integrated Research ◽  
Local Institution

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are high-impact practices that allow students to conduct research during class time. Benefits of a CURE can be maximized when integrated into a faculty member’s ongoing research. However, this can be particularly challenging for field biologists, especially when field sites are not situated near their university. Indeed, few existing CUREs are field based. One solution is to partner with a collaborator near the field site. We describe a semester-long CURE in an animal behavior class that involved collaboration among three institutions: researchers from two “distant” institutions have ongoing research at the “local” institution where the CURE took place. This model uses remote conferencing and strategic collaboration to meet all stakeholders’ needs. Undergraduate students engaged as active participants in collaborative inquiry-based work, learned in a cooperative context, and even participated in the publication process. The local principal investigator and their institution generated a high-impact course that integrated research and teaching. Likewise, the distant principal investigators were able to collect more extensive and longer-term field-based data than otherwise possible, and they gained valuable input from the local researchers that contributed to future projects. Remote collaborations open the door to international collaboration with smaller institutions, promoting greater inclusion in science.

Enhanced Mentored Undergraduate Research Experiences: Successful Strategies Used in Two Laboratories at Auburn University

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Marisha Speights Atkins ◽  
Lauren H. Allison ◽  
Mary J. Sandage
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Research Experiences ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Auburn University ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Undergraduate Research Experiences ◽  
Barriers To Implementation ◽  
Faculty Mentors

Purpose There is a growing trend toward the provision of undergraduate research experiences as a high impact educational practice that promotes the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This tutorial aims to provide mentoring pathways and resources to faculty mentors who may be unaware of the benefits of undergraduate student participation in research or faculty researchers who are interested in developing meaningful mentored undergraduate research experiences (MUREs). Faculty and student perspectives shared from two research labs at Auburn University illustrate an applied framework for implementation of MUREs. The observed benefits and potential barriers related to the development of MUREs in these laboratories as well as specific recommendations for a structured mentoring approach to optimize student training and research deliverables are described. Conclusions Key elements for developing successful MUREs include relationship building between the mentor and the student, identifying the benefits for both the students and mentor, and persevering beyond barriers to implementation. The utilization of practical guides, theoretical approaches, and collaborative efforts yielded benefits for both students and mentoring faculty in two research labs at Auburn University. Practical guides for obtaining funding for MUREs and accompanying supplemental materials (a lab manual template and manuscript-writing guide) that have supported success in our labs are provided. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14044067

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document