Title: Undergraduate Research: Part of a LearnerCentered Curriculum
1Undergraduate Research Part of a
Learner-Centered Curriculum
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- September 23, 2005
- Ike Shibley
2Overview
- Theory
- Key Questions
- Practical Matters
- Institutional Issues
- Making UR Visible
3Undergraduate 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
4Learner-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
5LEARNER CENTERED
TEACHER CENTERED
Barr and Tagg, 1995 Weimer, 2003
Theory
6Pedagogical 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
7What 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
8Undergraduate 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
9How 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
10How 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
11Undergraduate 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
12Undergraduate 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
13Learning 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
14Learning 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
15Learning 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
16WRITING
- 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
17WRITINGLEVEL 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
18Six 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
19Institutional 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
20What 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
21Funding, 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
22Conclusions
- 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
23IKE 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