Nicola Simmons, Centre for Teaching Excellence & Jolyn Lee, undergraduate student, University of Waterloo
Levels of Research Skill Development
Background
21st century education must develop high level critical thinking, inquiry, and problemsolving skills (Varty, 2006). For many University of Waterloo students, such skills are
developed in alternating academic course terms and work term ‘placements’, or what
is referred to as co-operative education, or co-op. We focus on opportunities for
research skill development inherent in the co-op program. Heinemann (2005) advises
that co-op students “should function as ‘applied researchers’” (p. 7). Rowe and Ricks
(n.d.) surveyed Canadian graduate co-op programs but did not outline research skill
development; Hu, Kuh, & Gayles (2007) report on the increase in undergraduate
research skills development opportunities in US post-secondary institutions but do
not identify co-op programs as a site for such skill development. We present some
preliminary findings to address these areas.
Research Skills in Canadian Co-op
A web search was conducted to determine which, if any, of 86* Canadian co-op
programs explicitly state that undergraduates will develop research skills during their
co-op program. A three-tier rating system was created (see Table 1).
Little or no focus
Some focus
Significant focus
77 institutions
University of Alberta (Business), University of
Calgary (B. Com., Social Sciences), University
of Guelph, Malaspina University College,
University of New Brunswick
University of Toronto,
Scarborough Campus
*2 French sites were not included in the report
Table 1. Focus on research skills development in Canadian co-op program websites
Co-op Work Term Reports: Research Skill Development
Co-op students at the University of Waterloo (summer and fall 2009 terms) were
invited to submit work term reports for analysis of specific mention of development
of research skills. 29 students submitted work term reports to the study.
No evidence of research skill
development other than
report writing (6)
Report describing events
planned during work term (1)
Report outlining weaknesses
and strengths as writers (5)
Development of some
research skills
(information gathering and
synthesizing) (16)
Research paper analyzing
situations during co-op term
(1)
Research paper examining
challenges of specific
instances (4)
Research paper outlining
project in co-op term (11)
Development of research
skills during the work term
(analysis and synthesis of
empirical data) (7)
Research paper on two
studies’ data correlations (1)
Research paper on existing
study (1)
Research paper on study
about problems with a
tutorial (1)
Research paper assessing
program recruitment (3)
Acted as co-researcher on
significant study (1)
*Applied Health Science (1), Arts (5), Engineering (5), Environment (1), Mathematics (12), Science (5)
Table 2. Work term report evidence of undergraduate research skill development
Not surprisingly, where co-op students articulated research skill development as indicated
above, the work fell primarily within Levels 1 and 2 of this framework.
•Suggested by a supervisor (teacher-focused)(Willison & O’Regan, 2006)
•At a level I or II of Willison and O’Regan’s (2006) framework – a closed inquiry with at
least some structure and guidance
Level 1
Students research at the level of a closed inquiry and require a high degree of
structure and guidance
Level 2
Students research at the level of a closed inquiry and require some
structure/guidance
Level 3
Students research independently at the level of a closed inquiry
Level 4
Students research at the level of an open inquiry within structured guidelines
Level 5
Students research at the level of an open inquiry within self-determined guidelines
Table 3. Level of Inquiry (Willison & O’Regan, 2006)
Student Conceptions of Research Skill Development
Student Conceptions of Value of Research Skill Development
“You should be able to filter the information and draw conclusions from it. It’s more
than just gathering information. It’s gathering information and making use of it.”
“I’m not entirely convinced that doing research is important in undergrad. I just think in
undergrad, it should be about getting the skills to go in the workforce and do a good job.
If you’re still interested and you finish, you go to grad school and improve on what you
already learned.”
“The stuff you find on Google … you may find a lot of biased opinions or biased advice,
and if you don’t have proper research skills … you wouldn’t be able to see the bias…. one
of the important aspects of fundamental research is you have to filter out the bias.”
“It’s like knowing how to learn for yourself.”
Connecting Work Terms and Academic Research Skills
Stages of Research Skill Development
1. Students embark on inquiry and so determine a need for knowledge/understanding
2. Students find/generate needed information/data using appropriate methodology
3. Students critically evaluate information/data and the process to find/generate this
information/data
4. Students organize information collected/generated
5. Students synthesize and analyze and apply new knowledge
6. Students communicate knowledge and the processes used to generate it, with an
awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues (Willison & O’Regan, 2006)
Seldom do our students experience a process of skills development or fall into Healey and
Jenkins (2009) “research-oriented” (p. 7) quadrant, although the research assistant on this
study, Jolyn Lee, took the lead on several aspects, and wrote in her co-op term report:
My main responsibilities consisted of: transcribing audio tapes of interviews that were
previously recorded, performing web-based research, analysing work term reports to find
themes, drawing conclusions and suggesting recommendations for the issues, writing ethics
proposals, assisting with the writing of a research paper, presenting findings at conferences,
organizing data into Microsoft Word and Excel documents, analyzing literature to find
quotes to connect to research projects and linking qualitative and quantitative data.
Recommendations
Development of research skills as required for the 21st century economic an intellectual
context should be an explicit expectation in line with the University of Waterloo’s 6th
Decade Plan (2006).
Encourage students to make trans-disciplinary connections by articulating how co-op
placements have contributed to their personal growth and academic development
Attend to how skills developed during co-op work terms (as well as other experiences
outside of class) can be integrated into academic courses
Amend work term reports, particularly around giving students choice in format and
topics, allowing examples of workplace-specific writing in a portfolio format.
This would support learning integration across co-op and academic terms, resulting, we
believe, in co-op students graduating with a stronger, clearly articulated research skill set.
“Work reports are standard and jobs aren’t and they’re expected to mesh.”
“If you’re going to make the work term report a bridge between the study term and
work term, then it needs to be very flexible. It’s very inflexible
[If they’re connected] “you’ll see a lot of insight. You’ll start to see the mentality behind
the students and they’ll be more engaged, the work that they want to show that they
learned, how they want to show their skills. By giving them flexibility, you can get a lot of
things out of that and you might build a bridge.”
We are very grateful for a University of Waterloo WatCACE
grant in support of this work.
For an electronic copy of the complete paper please sign the sheet or
leave your business card (please write “co-op paper” on the back)
References
Healey, M.,& Jenkins, A. (2009). Developing undergraduate research and inquiry. York: HE Academy.
www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/publications/DevelopingUndergraduate
_Final.pdf
Heinemann, H. (2005). Is work-integrated education really “education”? Paper presented at the WACE
annual conference, June 13-17.
Hu, S., Kuh, G. D., Gayles, J. G. (2007). Engaging undergraduate students in research activities: Are
research universities doing a better job? Innovative Higher Education, 32, 167-177.
Rowe, P. M., & Ricks, F. (n.d.). Cooperative graduate programs. Accepted for publication in R. K. Coll & C.
Eames (Eds.), International handbook for cooperative education. Downloaded on March 23, 2008
from http://www.watcace.uwaterloo.ca/publications/Coop_Graduate_Programs_-_2.pdf
University of Waterloo (2006). 6th decade plan. Downloaded on March 18, 2008 from
http://www.secretariat.uwaterloo.ca/sixth_decade/theplan.html
Varty, J. (2006). Designing experiential education strategies for the 21st century. Paper presented at the
WACE annual conference, June 13-17.
Willison, J., & O’Regan, K. (2006). Research skill development framework. Adelaide, Australia: Centre for
Learning and Professional Development, University of Adelaide.