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Undergraduate research has emerged as a high-impact approach that can be used to enhance student engagement and to enrich student learning experiences. It is observed in the literature that undergraduate research can have an impact on student retention, and possibly attract women and ethnic minorities to science-related disciplines while playing an important role in the determination of career paths for participating students. While there are multiple studies on the impact of undergraduate research in social sciences and sciences, there is limited literature in the engineering disciplines. The limited volume of literature may be attributed to multiple reasons such as a significant emphasis on mathematics and science in the first two years of engineering curriculum, a strict sequential degree path, and a lack of flexibility in the program requirements. Engineering students often report difficulty in relating the theoretical content of the first few semesters to actual engineering applications. This study proposes the introduction of undergraduate research as a possible means of overcoming these student perceptions by introducing students to well-defined research projects at an early stage of their undergraduate degree program. The primary focus of this study is to understand student perceptions about the efficacy of undergraduate research in the engineering and engineering technology disciplines. Survey results from twenty six students involved in undergraduate research as part of the requirements for a scholarship program are presented and evaluated. Subjective evaluations from a few faculty members involved in mentoring some of these undergraduate researchers are also discussed. Although both students and faculty mentors agree that undergraduate research can be a highly valuable experience, it is commonly acknowledged that there are quite a few factors that are crucial in making the experience meaningful.
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Evaluate-UR: Helping Students to Acquire the Knowledge and Skills Needed for Success in the Workplace
Abstract: The EvaluateUR Method supports the assessment of undergraduate research programs in different educational settings, from independent undergraduate research ("EvaluateUR") to classroom-based research ("EvaluateUR-CURE") and robotics design competitions ("Evaluate Compete"). The method provides statistically reliable assessments of student growth in a wide variety of outcome categories identified as essential to success in the workplace. It differs from traditional approaches to assessing student outcomes because it is integrated directly into the research experience. A unique feature of the method is its emphasis on metacognition. Thus, it also serves as a learning tool for students, helping them to become more aware of their academic and professional strengths and weaknesses while supporting their efforts to identify strategies for expanding their knowledge and improving their metacognitive skills.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1932929
- PAR ID:
- 10439058
- Editor(s):
- Kazarinoff, Peter
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of advanced technological education
- Volume:
- 2
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2832-9635
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 100-107
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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