Undergraduate Research Lessons From the Past and
Opportunities for the
Future
Saint Anselm College
March 31, 2011
Acknowledgements
Lorna Jarvis, Professor of Psychology, Hope College
Curtis Gruenler, Professor of English, Hope College
Moses Lee, Dean for the Natural Sciences, Hope College
One Definition of
Undergraduate Research
Undergraduate Research is an
inquiry or investigation conducted
by an undergraduate that makes an
original intellectual or creative
contribution to the discipline.
T. J. Wenzel. What is Undergraduate Research?
Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly. 17:163,
1997.
Two Models of Undergraduate Research
College of Wooster
Hope College
Required of all students
Independent Study
For credit ≈ 9% of total
Part of standard teaching
load
• Not usually related to
faculty member’s
research
• Often not presented
outside institution or
published
• Not required by students
• Generally self-selected
• Volunteer, for credit, in
summer with stipend
• Not part of formal
teaching load
• Usually related to faculty
member’s research
• Often presented outside
institution and/or
published
•
•
•
•
Undergraduate Research at
Hope College
Hope College
Location:
Holland, Michigan
Founded:
1866
Type:
Four-year, Coeducational, Residential,
Undergraduate, Liberal Arts
Affiliation:
Reformed Church in America
Degrees:
B.A., B.M., B.S., B.S. in Nursing
Departments: 27 + 10 Interdepartmental Programs
Majors:
87
Students:
3,202
Faculty:
235 Full Time, 79 Part Time
ACT Average: 25
Tuition:
$26,350
STEM at Hope
Division of Natural and Applied
Sciences
•
•
•
•
•
Department of Biology
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Department of Computer Science
Department of Engineering
Department of Geological and Environmental
Sciences
• Department of Mathematics
• Department of Nursing
• Department of Physics
Undergraduate Research
Program in STEM Fields
About 75% of Hope STEM Majors Engage
in Independent Research While at Hope
Developing Undergraduate
Research in STEM Fields at Hope
• 1899 – First research active science faculty
member hired (Prof. Mast, Biology)
• 1902 – First faculty research laboratory
• 1947 – Profs. Van Zyl and Kleinheksel begin
UR program in chemistry
• 1958 – First NSF research grant – Effect of
Mammalian Hormones on Unicellular
Organisms
• 1964 – VanderWerf Hall of Physics and
Mathematics
Developing Undergraduate
Research in STEM Fields at Hope
• 1965 – First NSF Undergraduate
Research Participation grant
• 1973 – Peale Science Center
• 1987 – First NSF Research Experiences
for Undergraduates grant
• 2003 – Schaap Science Center
• 2009 – 29 Undergraduate co-authored
publications
NSF-REU Awards
Biology
1987-2006, 2008-2012
Chemistry
1988-2007, 2009-2012
Computer Science
1992-2010
Mathematics
1992-1996, 1998-2011
Physics & Engineering 1995-2010
Geology
2004-2007
2006-2010 Hope College STEM
Undergraduate Research Data
Summer Students
Non-Hope
Under-represented
Female
Academic Year
Students
Celebration
Presentations
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
163 183 138 153 177
31
23
77
152
21
29
85
121
27
16
51
130
29
28
62
115
50
30
73
113
117
110
97
98
111
2010 Summer STEM
Research Program
Undergraduate Research
beyond STEM at Hope
• Social Sciences:
– Psychology
– Political Science
– Sociology & Social
Work
– Economics,
Management &
Accounting
– Kinesiology
– Communications
– Education
• Humanities:
–
–
–
–
–
History
Religion
Philosophy
English
Modern & Classical
Languages
Research in the Humanities
and Social Sciences at Hope
• Expectation of publication in the Humanities
began with faculty hired in the late 1960s.
• Internal sources of support for faculty
scholarship began in the 1970s.
• Model of collaborative research with
undergraduate research began to migrate from
the natural sciences in the 1990s with internal
and external faculty grants targeted to
collaborative research with undergrads.
Focus on Collaborative Research
• Distinguished from collaborative performance
in the arts
• Distinguished from other kinds of independent
research that are more traditional (especially in
the Humanities)
• Definition: students and faculty working on the
same or closely related projects leading to
original results publicly presented by students
Summer Undergraduate Research in
the Humanities and Social Sciences
• Summer 2009: 26
students working
with 21 different
faculty
• Summer 2010: 35
students working
with 18 different
faculty (about 6%
of majors and 15%
of faculty)
Social Science and Humanities
2010 Hope College Celebration of
Undergraduate Research
• Social Sciences participants
– 112 students presented 50 projects involving
34 faculty
– Approximately 10% of declared majors
• Humanities participants
– 26 students presented projects involving 15
faculty
– Approximately 5% of declared majors
Social Sciences Celebration Participation
The Role of the Institution in
Supporting Undergraduate
Research
Institutional Contributions
1. Commitment to undergraduate
research
2. Hire research active faculty
3. Expect research program involving
undergraduates
4. Space for research
Institutional Contributions
5. Significant start up funds for new
faculty
6. Internal competitive grants
7. Reasonable teaching expectations
8. Funds for faculty and student travel
Institutional Contributions
9. Regulatory expenses (radiation and
chemical safety, animal use, human
subjects)
10. Modest departmental research budgets
11. Equipment
Institutional Contributions
12. Access to literature
13. Half price summer
housing for students
14. Celebration of
Undergraduate
Research and
Creative Performance
15. Office of Sponsored
Research
Institutional Contributions Specific
to the Humanities and Social Sciences
1. Encourage
collaborative
research
2. Internal competitive
grants designated
for collaborative
research with
students
3. Faculty workshop
on collaborative
research across the
disciplines
Institutional Contributions Specific to
the Humanities and Social Sciences
4.
5.
6.
Provide work spaces for humanities and social
science students
Summer luncheons for collaborative research
teams
Divisional celebration of undergraduate research
The Role of Faculty
Members in Supporting
Undergraduate Research
Faculty Contributions
1. Have active research programs
2. Present and publish regularly
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•
Undergraduates as authors and coauthors
Take students to meetings to present
Faculty Contributions
3. Write and submit grant proposals
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Research proposals
Student research program proposals
Pedagogy/student scholarship
proposals
Equipment proposals
Sources of Funding for STEM
Undergraduate Research
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NSF
NIH
Research Corporation
Howard Hughes
Medical Institute
• Beckman Foundation
• Merck Foundation
• Sherman-Fairchild
Foundation
• NASA
• Homeland Security
• American Heart
Association
• Campbell Foundation
• Kresge Foundation
• Dreyfus Foundation
• Petroleum Research
Fund
Sources of Funding for Social
Sciences and Humanities
Undergraduate Research
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Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Mellon Foundation
Templeton Foundation
U.S. Department of Education
Lilly Endowment
DeVos Foundation
Great Lakes Colleges Association
Faculty Contributions
4. Enthusiasm for
undergraduate research
•
•
•
•
Like working with and
mentoring undergraduates
Understand undergraduate
research capabilities
Sometimes willing to have
reduced productivity in order to
involve undergraduates in
research
Sometimes willing to work with
summer undergraduate
research students without pay
Faculty Contributions
5. Maintain a research community
•
•
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Hire people who want to involve
undergraduates in research
Seminars, symposia, discussions
Introduce students to STEM world
outside of Hope
Social activities
6. Integrate research
and teaching
Faculty Contributions of Particular
Importance in the Humanities and
Social Sciences
1. Maintain a collegial research
community, especially across
disciplines
2. Choose research topics more amenable
to collaboration with undergraduates
3. Creativity in developing models of
collaboration, tailoring them to
students
Benefits and Costs of
Undergraduate Research
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•
Institutional Benefits
Institutional Costs
Faculty Benefits
Faculty Costs
Assessing Student Benefits
Benefits to Institution of
Undergraduate Research
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Improves student learning
Builds collegiality
Recruitment of engaged students
Academic reputation
Grants bring financial resources
Invigorates curriculum
Opportunities for engagement at national level
Loyal alumni
Potential Costs to Institution of
Undergraduate Research
• Institutional contributions cost money
• Faculty time on undergraduate research
could be used in other ways
• May lead to undergraduate research race
with peer institutions
Benefits to Faculty of
Undergraduate Research
• Personal satisfaction –
working with and mentoring
undergraduates
• Long term friendships
• Assistance with research
program
• Intellectual collaboration
• Opportunity for in-depth
teaching
• Fun
Potential Costs to Faculty of
Undergraduate Research
• Reduced research productivity
• High work load - increasing demands for
research opportunities
• No “time off” from teaching
• Competition with other goals - teach well,
continue scholarship, enjoy a personal life, and
obtain tenure and promotion
• Importance of administration’s and faculty
tenure and promotion committee’s
understanding of impact of supervising
undergraduate research on faculty
Assessing Undergraduate
Research
• A key aspect of institutionalizing
undergraduate research
• Identify what information is needed and
relevant
• Design appropriate assessments to obtain
that information
SURE
Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences
• Assessed the learning benefits of summer
undergraduate research experiences on student
learning
• Students participating in a summer
undergraduate research program at four different
institutions completed surveys measuring the
impact of the program on their learning
• Worked with David Lopatto, Grinnell College
• Funded by HHMI and NSF
Some Results from SURE
Gains in:
• Understanding the research process in the field
• Understanding how scientists work on real
problems
• Learning laboratory techniques
• Tolerance for obstacles faced in the research
process
• Learning to work independently
• Ability to read and understand primary literature
• Self confidence
• Clarification of career path
• Skill in effective oral presentation
SURE
Comparing STEM students versus
other disciplines
STEM
Weekly contact
hours
Mentor
availability
Design of
Project
High
Other
Disciplines
Lower
High
Lower
Assigned by
instructor
Worked with
instructor to
design project
SURE
Comparing STEM students versus
other disciplines
Program
structure
Style of
interaction
Work setting
STEM
Other
Disciplines
Detailed
schedule with
deadlines
Learning by
example
Rough schedule
to achieve goals
19.5% worked
alone
58% worked
alone
Self-organized
Benefits of Undergraduate Research from
Elaine Seymour’s Qualitative Study
• Career clarification
• Increased understanding of the process of
science
• Improved communication ability
• Improved ability to access and read the
literature
• Opportunities for networking
• Gains in independence and responsibility
Additional Benefits of
Undergraduate Research
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Understanding the relevance of classes
Increased retention in major
Increased expectation of earning Ph.D.
Increased enrollment in graduate school
Improved employment opportunities
Leadership development
Opportunities for the Future
1. Increasing research possibilities in
the humanities and social sciences
2. Increasing interdisciplinary
research
3. Increasing the diversity of
undergraduate research students
4. Moving undergraduate research
into courses
Expanding Undergraduate Research in the
Social Sciences and Humanities at Hope
• Shared understanding of goals and
expectations in each discipline
• Refining and expanding models
of collaboration
• Expanding the summer program
• Interest in collaborative research increasingly
seen as desirable in hiring
• More intentional mentoring of faculty
interested in collaborative research
Increasing interdisciplinary research
• Develop culture of interdisciplinary activities
• Model for students interdisciplinary approach
to solving problems
• Promote interdisciplinary teaching
• Add to body of knowledge in interdisciplinary
areas
• Seed long term collaborations
Interdisciplinary Research
Grants
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Two or more faculty from at
least two departments
New or established research
team
Research plan
Plan for incorporating research
into teaching
Plans for continuation of team
including future funding
18 Awards over 4 years
Faculty in 11 Departments
Examples
•
Physiological Changes Related to
Perceiving Racism (Biology and
Psychology)
•
Antifungal Compounds in Seeds of Pioneer
Plants (Biology and Chemistry)
•
Testing of a New State-Trait Hopelessness
Scale (Nursing and Mathematics)
•
The Psychological Profile of Young
Athletes with Overuse Injuries (Psychology
and Kinesiology)
Increasing the Diversity of
Undergraduate Research Students
1. Hughes Science Education Scholars
program for future teachers
2. NSF Community Colleges
Undergraduate Research Collaborative
3. NSF S-STEM program includes a
summer of research for each
scholarship recipient
4. Project REACH (Research Experiences
Across Cultures at Hope) for high
school students and teachers
Moving Undergraduate Research
into Courses
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Assessment of research like activities in
courses – CURE
A Research Course Involving
Professional Level Research – The
Phage Course
CURE
Classroom Undergraduate Research
Experiences
To learn how courses that provide “research
like experiences” compare to the intensive
summer research experience some
undergraduate students have.
• We identified courses that included
classroom activities or assignments in which
students conducted research in which no one
knew the outcome.
• We compared the students’ learning gains in
these high research-like courses to low
research-like courses.
A New Level of Classroom
Research - Phage Project
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Sponsored by HHMI
Part of the Science Education Alliance (SEA)
Initially 12 institutions
Isolate bacteriophages from environment
Characterize phages
Have DNA of one phage per institution
sequenced
• Do bioinformatics study of the phage DNA
• Recently published
Action Steps
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Consider costs and benefits of undergraduate
research
Build a culture of undergraduate research
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Takes time but never too late to start
Can begin with a few faculty and students
Consider various models
Build assessment into program early
Join undergraduate research networks - CUR
Obtain administrative support
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Financial
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Infrastructure
Internal Grants
Non-financial
Obtain external resources
Have fun
Thank You
Questions?
PURE
• Pedagogical uses of Research Experiences
• Use the findings from CURE to implement
changes in existing courses
• Create a community of scholars of teaching
• Mentoring
• Thirteen different instructors have
participated
Resources
• Council on Undergraduate Research
– CUR Quarterly
• National Conference on Undergraduate Research
• NSF Research Experiences of Undergraduates
Program
• Books
Books
• Science in Solution: The Impact of
Undergraduate Research on Student Learning –
D. Lopatto
• Undergraduate Research in the Sciences:
Engaging Students in Real Science – S. Laursen,
A-B. Hunter, E. Seymour, H. Thiry, and G.
Melton
• Creating Effective Undergraduate Research
Programs in Science: The Transformation
from Student to Scientist – R. Taraban and R.
Blanton
Books
• Broadening Participation in Undergraduate
Research: Fostering Excellence and Enhancing
the Impact – Edited by M Boyd and J. Wesemann
• Transformative Research at Predominately
Undergraduate Institutions – Edited by K.
Karukstis and N. Hensel
• Building Excellence: The Rewards and
Challenges of Integrating Research into the
Undergraduate Curriculum – Edited by C.
Dulmus and K. Sowers
• Advancing Undergraduate Research: Marketing,
Communications and Fundraising – J. Kinkead
Examples of Assessment of
Interdisciplinary Team Development
Q. What did you learn about
communicating across
disciplines? Were there any
difficulties in communicating?
How did you overcome them?
A. Most faculty responded that the
primary issue with
communication across disciplines
was the use of jargon. Thus a lot
of time was needed to define
concepts and terms. The
communication process was
facilitated by the willingness of
the collaborators to state that
they just did not understand.
Hope College STEM Publications
from WEB of Science (1970-2009)
250
Number
200
150
100
50
0
70-74
75-79
80-84
85-89
90-94
95-99
Five Year Period
00-04
05-09
Hope College Funding from the
National Science Foundation (1955-2010)
Million of Dollars
10
8
6
4
2
0
55-60 61-65 66-70 71-75 76-80 81-85 86-90 91-95 95-00 01-05 06-10
Five Year Period