Using Mentored Research and Class Projects to Build Undergraduate
Research Skills
Dr. Jase Moussa-Inaty
Zayed University, College of Education
The United Arab Emirates
Introduction
Though research engagement is a common practice at Zayed University- a federal institute in the United Arab Emirates,
there has been a recent push towards more research commitment at the undergraduate level. With five varying colleges
and over fifteen various programs to choose from, there is much room for research engagement at the undergraduate
level. Accordingly, Zayed University's Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (ZU-URSP) was formed with the sole
purpose of assisting in this goal.
Executive Overview
Rationale: The training of UAE citizens to conduct quality research studies and to pursue doctoral education leading to
careers in higher education are among the highest priorities of the UAE. Inspired by Zayed University’s “Destined to Lead”
plan to establish an undergraduate research initiative, this project is designed to provide the formal framework to build
student research capacity, to promote high quality student research and scholarly culture, and to prepare students for
graduate school and careers in research.
Objectives: The objective of this program is to support Zayed University’s Destined to Lead Project to meet the UAE goal
of building local research capacity.
ZU-URSP will:
provide Emiratis at ZU with the research training, scholarly opportunities and related
experiences to be successful in research careers and graduate education.
promote high quality undergraduate student research and scholarly culture.
increase the number of Emiratis prepared for, and entering graduate school.
build the capacity for Emirati citizens to conduct research on issues that are directly related to
the U.A.E.
Sample class projects that introduce students to research
life and the future.
5. Then write up a 2-page (minimal) report. Make sure to
include your reaction and response to what the elders
shared in this report. In other words, what did you learn
from this interview?
SAMPLE STUDENT WORK
:
Elder’s Project
The goal of this elder’s project is to try and understand
the perspectives of elders that you know. They could be
family members or friends of the family. The older the
person (60’s or older), the more their wisdom should be
captured in words for preservation for the future
generations. Their stories and advice will help us
conclude our studies of human life-span development.
1. Request to interview two elders in middle/late adulthood
(50’s and 60’s) with whom you can ask questions about their
life. You should let them know that their identity will be
kept confidential and that this is only for a class
assignment.
2. Ask them to share a story from their past that taught them
an important lesson in life. It could be story that was told
to them. It could be a story that really happened to them
or something they simply heard about. Be good listeners
and ask open-ended questions to help prompt their
memory (if needed).
3. Ask them what they think about the rapid changes that
have happened in the UAE during the past 40 years, and
how this has changed their lifestyle? Ask them to speak
about the positive and negative impacts on their lifestyle.
4. Ask them to offer advice/wisdom to a young person, such
as yourself, about how to manage the challenges of daily
Early Childhood Project
Zayed University Research Commitment
In class observation and
investigations
Tasks: Investigate sleeping patterns of 2 infants (0-2yrs.)
(observation)
1. Write a report of your observation. What did you see?
Based on the literature, what sleep patterns did you observe
and what changes would you make?
2. After writing your report/observation, prepare a brochure
for parents on how to help their children have better sleep
patterns. “Tips on getting our kids to sleep better”
Zayed University is committed to developing the research capacity of our undergraduate
students to meet one of the highlights of the UAE Government Strategy 2009, which aims for the,
“successful graduation of qualified nationals who are able to effectively compete for opportunities within the UAE job market
(see www.zu.ac.ae)
Program Model
Module 1 & 2: Scholars enroll in specific topic courses as outside electives. These courses can be taken during a full semester or as
intensive 10- week courses.
You might want to visit your textbook on sleep and also see
the handouts that were distributed. Try to also refer to at
least one current research study on sleep and include your
thoughts in your observation report.
Seminar presentation rubric
Seminar Presentation
Student seminar presentations: All candidates will team up
and prepare a seminar on a selected topic/chapter to be
presented in class. A rubric will be given to help you
understand how this task will be evaluated. This will involve
peer and teacher evaluation
Slideshows above courtesy of Dr. Maher Khelifa, Birgitta Feldges, and Dr. Chet Jablonski
There are several other opportunities for students to be engaged in undergraduate research.
Class projects provide excellent opportunities for first-hand experiences with basic research
methods for collecting such as interviewing, surveying and observation.
RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION DESIGN © 2012
www.PosterPresentations.com
What are some possible changes to your class
assignments?
Contact Information: Office of Research
Dr. Michael Allen (michael.allen@zu.ac.ae) and
Birgitta Anna Feldges (birgitta.feldges@zu.ac.ae)