Engaging Undergraduate Students in Your Research Program

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Engaging Undergraduate Students in Your Research
Program

• FCTL Faculty Development Conference
• December 12, 2005

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Undergraduate Research Programs at UCF

• Three general types of programs
• Faculty Mentor-Driven Programs
• Professionalization Programs
• Recruitment Programs

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Faculty Mentor-Driven Programs

• Research and Mentoring Program (RAMP/RAMP-UP)
• Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement
  Program
• Contract and Grant Opportunities
• REUs (Research Experiences for Undergraduates)
• The Burnett Honors College
• Student-Mentor Academic Research Teams (SMART)
• Honors in the Major (HIM)

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Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement
Program

• TRIO program funded out of the U.S. Department of
  Education.
• UCF is one of 156 institutions nationally
  selected to participate.
• The program is competitive 3.0 cumulative GPA
  required for consideration.
• Faculty committee makes admission decisions.
• The program supports 22 students annually.
• Grant support exceeds 75,000 per annum in both
  scholarship and administrative support.
• Program Goals
• Increase award of graduate degrees to students
  from under-represented segments of society.
• Prepare students for post-graduate coursework
  through engagement in research with a faculty
  mentor as well as participation in related
  activities.

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Contract and Grant Opportunities

• 300 students supported by UCF research faculty
  projects.
• Student support in excess of 200,000.
• UCFs Office of Research and Commercialization
  offers matching funds to principle investigators
  who include undergraduate students in their
  sponsored research.
• 100,000 per annum allocated for this effort.

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RAMP and RAMP-UP

• Research Mentoring Program (RAMP) uses a model
  similar to McNair.
• The program is an initiative of the Provosts
  Office with support from Student Government.
• Purposes of RAMP
• To assist in the retention and recruitment of
  minority students. 
• To provide greater opportunity for increased
  interaction outside the classroom between faculty
  and minority students. 
• To provide support and a nurturing environment
  that will translate into minority students
  feeling more secure and comfortable. 
• To provide students first-hand experiences with
  the research process. 
• To provide appropriate assistance to enhance
  academic achievement that will culminate in the
  successful completion of a college degree. 
• To educate students about graduate school and
  other post-baccalaureate opportunities.

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RAMP and RAMP-UP (cont)

• Acceptance into RAMP is competitive 3.0 GPA
  cumulative minimum for consideration.
• Faculty committee makes admission decisions.
• Currently, RAMP supports 75 students per annum.
• Support runs for 2 4 years beginning in the
  junior year and finishing with completion of
  the masters degree.
• University support exceeds 150,000 per year.

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Student-Mentor Academic Research Teams (SMART)

• SMART is designed to help students identify and
  work with faculty mentors in a research area of
  shared interest.
• SMART is available to all qualified UCF students
  admission to the Burnett Honors College is not
  required.
• SMART students are typically sophomores or
  first-semester juniors.
• Most assist faculty on existing projects.
• Others opt to develop their own independent
  research projects under the supervision of their
  faculty mentor.

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Student-Mentor Academic Research Teams (SMART)
(cont)

• The Burnett Honors College partners with UCF's
  Office of Research and Commercialization to
  sponsor up to ten SMART Awards per year.
• Awards are distributed on a competitive basis
  3.2 cumulative GPA minimum required for
  consideration.
• Awards decisions made by committee from the
  Burnett Honors College and from the Office of
  Research and Commercialization.
• SMART students and faculty received 1,000 awards
  each during the Fall and Spring semesters during
  the summer, the student award increases to
  2,000.

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Honors in the Major (HIM)

• HIM supports juniors and seniors who are intent
  on developing their own independent research
  project.
• HIM students work closely with a thesis advisor
  and a faculty thesis committee.
• The HIM program is open to all qualified UCF
  students.

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Honors in the Major (HIM) (cont)

• Program Requirements
• Students complete a two-semester sequence (i.e.,
  readings and thesis hours).
• Project culminates in a successful oral defense
  and binding of the HIM thesis which is then
  catalogued and archived in UCF's library.
•  
• Burnett Honors College partners with the other
  colleges and two area campuses, Cocoa and
  Daytona, in sponsoring HIM Scholarships.
• Scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis
  within each college/campus and are available to
  all students who are enrolled in HIM credit hours
  (either readings or thesis hours).

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Undergraduate Research Professionalization
Programs at UCF

• Both the RAMP/RAMP-UP and McNair Scholars
  Programs host workshops to groom program
  participants in the areas central to success in
  academic and industry research including
• Writing skills
• Presentation skills
• Research design
• GRE preparation
• Appropriate dress and proper etiquette
• Networking
• These workshops are available to the entire
  university community.
• At present, three additional programs are open to
  all UCF students
• Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence
  (SURE)
• Journal of Undergraduate Research
• Undergraduate Travel Award

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Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence
(SURE)

• SURE is a poster or display-based forum for UCF
  undergraduates to present their research and
  creative projects to the broader university
  community.
• SURE is open to students from across the
  university.
• SURE goals
• To serve as a resource for undergraduates not yet
  engaged in research and creative pursuits to
  learn how fellow students have developed their
  intellectual interests, current projects, and
  faculty connections.
• To demonstrate to students, faculty, staff,
  alumni, and the greater Central Florida community
  that student research builds upon and enriches
  the UCF undergraduate experience.

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Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence
(SURE) (cont)

• During its second year in 2005, more than 155
  students collaborated to produce 123
  presentations in six subject categories.
• An 18-member faculty panel judged entries and
  awarded scholarships to the top projects to
  date, in excess of 15,000.
• Countless other faculty served the event via
  their service as faculty mentors to students
  participating in the SURE.

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Journal of Undergraduate Research

• The University of Central Florida Undergraduate
  Research Journal is the newest of the family of
  research programs open to undergraduate students
  at UCF.
• The journal format is online only.
• Premiere edition launched April 2005
  (http//ejournal.ucf.edu/)
• Volume 1(1) includes eight articles and Volume
  1(2) will appear Spring 2006.
• Deadline for Volume 2 is May 1, 2006
• The goals of the journal are
• To encourage, recognize, and reward intellectual
  activity of undergraduate students beyond the
  classroom.
• To facilitate faculty and undergraduate student
  interactions through research and a mentored
  publication process.
• To offer a means of disseminating and bridging
  knowledge between the disciplines to achieve a
  stronger research basis for the University and
  community.
• In contrast to the skill set required to master
  SURE, the journal introduces students to the
  rigorous process of turning their analyses into
  published manuscripts.

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Undergraduate Travel Award

• Awards are made to support and encourage the
  presentation of undergraduate research at
  regional and national conferences.
• Awards are disbursed in amounts up to 400.
• A companion award for faculty is also available
  to support faculty who wish to accompany their
  undergraduate student(s) to present at a
  national/regional conference.

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Recruitment Programs at UCF

• RAMP/RAMP-UP
• McNair Scholars Program
• Summer Research Academy

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Summer Research Academy (SRA)Overview

• SRA initial goals
• Introduce transfer students to the nature of
  university research.
• Introduce transfer students to research
  opportunities available on campus.
• Offer unique opportunity for students to meet
  with UCF research faculty and students
  individually and in small groups.

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Summer Research Academy (SRA)Overview (cont)

• Program held annually for two days in June.
• Admission is competitive
• For SRA 2004 and 2005, minimum GPA was 3.0.
• Minimum GPA will be increased to 3.3 for 2006.
• Activities include
• Workshops
• Visits to research facilities/sites
• interactive sessions with research faculty and
  UCF students engaged in research
• introduction to available research funding
  opportunities

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Summer Research Academy (SRA)Event Profile 2005

• For 2005 program, over 180 applications received,
  130 admitted to program.
• Average GPA of SRA participants was 3.6.
• 2/3rds of SRA participants came from regional
  community colleges.
• 1/3rd came from a combination of other Florida
  community colleges, other Florida colleges and
  universities, as well as some out-of-state
  institutions.
• 93 UCF faculty participated in SRA-related events
  in 2005.
• Pre- and post-tests of SRA participants were
  conducted
• Gauged participants initial understanding of the
  research process
• Assessed the extent to which the SRA had affected
  participants understanding of research and their
  future plans

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Summer Research Academy (SRA)Event Profile 2005
(cont)

• Noted trends
• Pretest results indicate that most students have
  a flawed notion of research and the universitys
  role in creating knowledge.
• Post-test results revealed
• SRA enhanced students understanding of the
  concept of research in their major (73 of
  respondents).
• Students left SRA with a better understanding of
  the roles undergraduates can play in research
  (81 of respondents).
• 82 of respondents left SRA with new research
  goals.
• Efforts underway to
• Track SRA participants to monitor their progress.
• Revamp program to focus more on participants
  understanding of research and the work of the
  research university.
• Pilot a twin program targeting rising sophomores.

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Summer Research Academy (SRA)2006 Program

• Dates 23-24 June
• Format workshops and visits to research
  facilities/sites
• Participants 100 transfer students 100
  rising sophomores

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Next Steps How can I get involved?

• Contact us
• Information updates available at
• http//www.undergraduatestudies.ucf.edu/research/
  home.html
• Talk with your faculty colleagues
• Participate in the Summer Research Academy
• Facilitate a workshop
• Host a site visit
• Join the Undergraduate Research Council faculty
  committee that meets monthly to design policy
  related to undergraduate research initiatives and
  programs.

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Undergraduate Research Contact Information

• RAMP/RAMP-UP, McNair Scholars Program
• Joseph M. Green
• jmgreen_at_mail.ucf.edu
• 407-823-1815
• SMART, Honors in the Major
• Kelly Astro
• kastro_at_mail.ucf.edu
• 407-823-6346
• Journal of Undergraduate Research
• Susan Fallows
• sfallows_at_mail.ucf.edu
• 407-823-3712

• Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence and
  the Summer Research Academy
• Richard Harrison
• rharriso_at_mail.ucf.edu
• 407-823-5880
• Bernadette Jungblut
• bjungblu_at_mail.ucf.edu
• 407-823-3290
• Mary Price
• mfprice_at_mail.ucf.edu
• 407-823-4195

Undergraduate Travel Awards Jana
Jasinski jjasinsk_at_mail.ucf.edu 407-823-6568