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Undergraduate Research: Part of a LearnerCentered Curriculum

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encompasses all disciplines and is not just about learning the 'scientific method ... research programs are an amalgam of situational and behavioral factors ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Undergraduate Research: Part of a LearnerCentered Curriculum


1
Undergraduate Research Part of a
Learner-Centered Curriculum
  • Rochester Institute of Technology
  • September 23, 2005
  • Ike Shibley

2
Overview
  • Theory
  • Key Questions
  • Practical Matters
  • Institutional Issues
  • Making UR Visible

3
Undergraduate Research
  • Undergraduate research is really about teaching
    and learning. --Joyce Kinkead, 2003
  • Undergraduate Research
  • is more like an apprenticeship than any other
    aspect of higher education
  • encompasses all disciplines and is not just about
    learning the scientific method
  • quality and quantity of student-faculty
    interaction is positively correlated with
    numerous learning outcomes

Theory
4
Learner-centered Teaching
  • Teacher-centered dualistic view of knowledge
    (right/wrong), lecture format, competitive,
    curriculum linked to courses, grading based
    mostly on exams
  • Learner-centered constructivist philosophy,
    appeal to many learning styles, cooperative,
    curriculum entails entire college experience,
    multiple assessment measures

Theory
5
LEARNER CENTERED
TEACHER CENTERED
Barr and Tagg, 1995 Weimer, 2003
Theory
6
Pedagogical Literature
  • Think of a metaphor for your role in the learning
    process Is the metaphor context specific? Do you
    need different metaphors for different
    circumstances?
  • Learning theories can help faculty shape their
    view of how best to help students grow
  • Getting to know students as more than just
    receptacles of knowledge can change your
    relationship with each student

Theory
7
What the Best College Teachers Do
  • Display investment in students rather than power
  • Work to help students re-examine their thinking
  • Expect more from their students
  • Trust their students
  • Create a natural critical learning environment
  • Start with the students rather than discipline
  • Bain, 2004

Theory
8
Undergraduate Research Level of Commitment from
Students
  • KEY QUESTIONS
  • Does the experience count toward graduation
    credits?
  • How many credits?
  • Summer/semesters/both?
  • Hours per week?
  • Expectations about techniques, content knowledge,
    experience?

Key Questions
9
How Undergraduate Research Affects Students
  • Undergraduate research programs are an
    amalgam of situational and behavioral factors
    intended both to provide a window on the
    intellectual life of the scholar and to promote
    students active involvement in their own
    learning, increased and more meaningful
    interaction with faculty members, opportunities
    to apply course-related theory and skills in
    solving real problems, and a challenging
    intellectual activity.
  • --Pascarella Terenzini, 2005

10
How Undergraduate Research Affects Students
  • Evidence on the effectiveness of such
    programs, just beginning to emerge, suggests the
    mix of student-faculty contact and active
    learning is relatively potent with respect to
    persistence and degree completion.
  • --Pascarella Terenzini, 2005

11
Undergraduate Research Type of Project
  • KEY QUESTIONS
  • Part of a larger project or small independent
    project?
  • Library research (review/analysis), empirical
    study, creative?
  • Community-based?

Key Questions
12
Undergraduate Research Publishability
  • KEY QUESTIONS
  • To count as research does the project need to be
    targeted to eventual publication?
  • Is learning compromised if the project is not
    geared toward eventual publication?
  • Related questions involve student co-authors and
    scholarly productivity for the faculty member

Key Questions
13
Learning Contract/Syllabus
  • As a registrant in Chem 389 I agree to the
    following conditions of the course
  • I will read all texts and all research articles
    assigned.
  • I will work in the lab at least 3 hrs/week for
    each credit I am taking.
  • In the laboratory I will do all that is expected
    of me as listed on the syllabus.
  • I will adhere to all safety policies in the lab
    including having someone in the lab with me
    whenever I work on experiments.

Practical Matters
14
Learning Contract/Syllabus
  • After the semester ends I will still contribute
    to the work I have accomplished by assisting in
    the writing of any manuscripts that result from
    my data and by ready to proofread with care and
    precision the completed manuscript.
  • I will participate in lunchtime discussions of
    lab work and will be prepared to present my data
    to other members of the lab and to local and
    national conferences.
  • As much as possible I will try to make the lab a
    happy, fun environment for my fellow lab workers
    and myself.

Practical Matters
15
Learning Contract/Syllabus
  • Faculty Signature Line
  • As the faculty member teaching CHEM 389, I will
    be willing to assist with all of the above items.
    I will be available to discuss books and
    articles, will help in the lab in the design and
    implementation of experiments, assist with the
    writing of any abstracts or manuscripts, attend
    actively participate in lunch discussions, and
    work to make the lab a safe, happy, fun
    environment.

Practical Matters
16
WRITING
  • Three possible criteria for co-author
  • Ideas Was the student involved in designing the
    experiment, generating new experiments? Does
    asking insightful questions count if they help
    direct the research?
  • Experiments How involved was the student in
    doing each experiment? Overall project?
  • Writing How much did the student help to write
    the manuscript?

Practical Matters
17
WRITINGLEVEL OF CONTRIBUTION
  • Related to commitment on students part
  • How much do students need to contribute to merit
    authorship?
  • Does experiment count more than ideas or writing?
  • Do students need to participate in all three? Two
    of the three?
  • Should students be single authors if they have
    done the work primarily on their own?
  • How should an institution count the faculty
    members contribution to original scholarly work
    when publishing with undergraduates?

Practical Matters
18
Six Common Lab Management Mistakes
  • Micromanagement not delegating
  • Insensitivity student-centered NOT project
    centered
  • Overwork/Unrealistic Expectations all work and
    no play
  • Unstructured too much play and not enough work
  • Competitive pitting students against each other
  • Lots of Projects, No Paper this is the kiss
    of death
  • Kreeger, 1997

Practical Matters
19
Institutional Roadblocks Teaching, Research,
Service
  • How does undergraduate research get counted
    teaching, research, or service?
  • How much funding should be devoted to
    undergraduate research research supplies, travel
    to meetings, travel for research, wages?
  • Should faculty get credit-load for undergraduate
    research?
  • Do meeting presentations count for the faculty
    member if only the student attends?
  • Does attending an undergraduate conference count
    as research?

Institutional Issues
20
What does an undergraduate research institution
look like?
  • Students seek out UR mentors
  • Students routinely attend national meetings to
    present their work
  • Faculty advisors have multiple publications with
    undergraduate co-authors
  • Funds are ear-marked for UR for supplies,
    stipends, and summer salary
  • UR is talked about by students, faculty, and
    staff

Institutional Issues
21
Funding, Conferences, Resources
  • Handouts are provided with
  • partial list of funding sources NSF, NIH, CUR
  • partial list of conferences ACS, ASM, NCUR, APA
  • list of recommendations for further reading
    including articles and books

Making it Visible
22
Conclusions
  • UR links to many of the learning outcomes desired
    for college students
  • UR is now a nation-wide phenomena
  • More and more institutions recognize the value of
    UR

23
IKE SHIBLEY
  • Associate Professor of Chemistry and Science
    Program Coordinator
  • Penn State University, Berks Campus
  • PO Box 7009
  • Reading, PA 19610
  • Phone (610) 396-6185
  • Fax (610) 396-6024
  • Email ias1_at_psu.edu
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