High Impact Practices (HIPs)

OneSearch results for undergraduate research and high-impact

The article reports on Web surveys that were conducted to examine the benefits of undergraduate research opportunities (URO). Respondents to the first survey were around 4500 undergraduates and 3600 faculty, graduate student, and postdoctoral mentors who participated during 2002 or 2003 in UROs funded by any of eight NSF programs. Response from about 3300 individuals who were undergraduates in the initial survey was taken in the follow-up survey two years later. It was found that UROs increase understanding, confidence, and awareness. About 88% of the respondents to the NSF follow up survey reported that their understanding of how to conduct a research project increased a fair amount or a great deal, while 83% said their confidence in their research skills increased.

Piedmont Virginia Community College has developed an award-winning curriculum model in which all students enrolled in the A.S. in Physical & Natural Science degree conduct a semester-long, faculty-mentored research project as a graduation requirement. The two-credit research course serves as a capstone project in which students design and conduct authentic scientific research. One science faculty member carries teaching credit for the course and leads combined meetings on proposal writing, data analysis, poster construction, presentation skills and abstract writing. Additional full-time science faculty mentor 1-3 students per semester in their discipline. Students present their findings at an end-of-semester poster session open to the wider college community. Since the program’s formal implementation in 2009, our students have successfully presented their findings at national meetings, collaborated with community and university partners, made new contributions to science, and transferred to 4-yr institutions as science majors. The mini workshop will lead participants in a discussion of the benefits and challenges of this model and of implementing mentored research at undergraduate institutions where faculty time, student preparation, funding and space may be limiting.

In the context of rapidly growing numbers of university students reporting that they have experienced mental health problems, this paper argues that doing research as an undergraduate can contribute to student well-being. Although the benefits of undergraduate research are well documented, underlying reasons for its efficacy on positive student outcomes require investigation. This paper uses Self-Determination theory, which has empirically shown that fulfilling one’s need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness fosters well-being. Using authenticity as a conceptual lens to understand undergraduate research experiences, and a novel connection to Self-Determination theory, the theoretical proposition that authenticity within undergraduate research contributes to well-being is elaborated. The paper suggests that authenticity within undergraduate research experiences offers a way to stimulate well-being among our students, which hinges on effective curriculum design and mentoring. Two case studies, drawn from Medicine and Geography, explore the way in which curriculum design coupled with mentoring pedagogy can enhance authenticity in research, student motivation, and, therefore, well-being. The paper reveals how authentic research-based learning can form an entitlement for all students through an embedded curriculum-based approach. The paper advocates for research-based learning to begin early in the undergraduate curriculum, in order to establish a sense of belonging for students and healthy learner-centred pedagogy. In addition to the framework for authenticity adopted, this paper reveals the importance of attention to the quality of learning spaces (novelty, professionalism, inclusivity) and the practice-based elements of mentoring for effective relationships between learners and teachers to ensure the well-being of all involved.

This pilot study assessed how using electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) as a meta-high impact practice (meta-HIP) might influence student learning through reflective practice. Eleven undergraduates participating in a summer research program reflected weekly on their research experiences through building and using ePortfolios, and attended three focus groups. The researchers assessed the students' level of engagement as a result of their weekly posts and studied how they used ePortfolios to enhance their learning. Results suggest that the students utilized their ePortfolios to communicate their enjoyment for their research projects as well as their increased knowledge and skills; make their learning more visible; track their achievements, which resulted in enhanced motivation; and demonstrate their pride in intellectual and personal growth. The students also appreciated the feedback they received on their reflections. As drawbacks, the participants believed that building an ePortfolio could be challenging in regards to designing the aesthetics, developing the appropriate content, securing the time for development, and using the website for the long-term. Consequently, the researchers found that a student learning community formed as a result of using ePortfolios as a meta-HIP. Nevertheless, for ePortfolio implementation to be successful, challenges pertaining to faculty adoption, resources, training, and scaling need to be addressed.

The article discusses the effects of undergraduate research experience on student learning, attitude, and career choice. Educators claim that the documented undergraduate research proved to be a high-impact educational practice in liberal education. To gain better perspective on the subject, an online survey focusing on the student's experience in undergraduate research has been conducted, centralizing on communication, data analysis, and other components. It presents the process, analysis, and findings of the survey, as well as the benefits of the undergraduate and interdisciplinary research experiences.

In this retrospective, we review two seminal papers on undergraduate research (UR) written by David Lopatto (Lopatto 2003; 2010) and discuss the importance of these articles with regard to demonstrating the benefits of UR and the qualities that make it a high-impact experience for students (Kuh 2008). We then outline how Lopatto’s papers established a foundation for more recent work on UR mentoring, including the Ten Salient Practices (Shanahan et al. 2015; Walkington et al. 2018) for UR mentorship (see Table 1 for a brief explanation). We explain how this framework can be used to deliver high-quality mentorship to help achieve the goals of UR and how it is poised to increase student accessibility to mentored research in diverse settings. We conclude by acknowledging the contributions of Lopatto’s seminal work in guiding mentoring practice within the context of current and future challenges and opportunities in UR.