...research to some of our most fundamental educational objectives by providing a personalized education, exemplifying engaged pedagogy, and promoting students' intellectual independence and maturation. Barrett Seaman's recent account of undergraduate residential life cites undergraduate research experiences as one of the ways that students make close personal connections with faculty mentors (2005).

These relationships are particularly important at a time when undergraduates are seemingly more disengaged in their education and rarely interact with faculty members outside of the classroom. These connections with faculty, across all academic disciplines and at a wide range of institutions, can be particularly meaningful to students deemed "at risk," including first-generation college students and minorities. For the past twenty-six years, the Council on Undergraduate Research has been a steady advocate and resource for institutions and faculty members seeking to implement research with undergraduates and create supportive environments in which these activities can flourish. Since 1989, Project Kaleidoscope has also brought together faculty and administrators to strengthen the learning and undergraduate research environments for mathematics and science.

Curricular and Institutional Transformation

We often cite the transformative effect research experiences can have on our undergraduate students, but the movement to provide more of these opportunities across all disciplines has led to significant transformations of curricula and institutions as well. Curricula that incorporate discovery-based and active learning have been designed to better prepare students for the independence required for a successful research experience (Karukstis and Elgren, forthcoming). Such curricular changes promote greater exposure to the primary literature; create opportunities to articulate and test hypotheses and intellectual models; and encourage students to contextualize and communicate objectives, approaches, analyses, and conclusions. These changes infuse research and research-like experiences into the curriculum.

Faculty members also stand to benefit from these curricular reforms. The curriculum is the purview of the faculty and should be a direct expression of what faculty value in education. It is also one of the ways that faculty gain some control over time, which many regularly cite as their...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



More articles from Peer Review
Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity at the University of Wiscon..., December 22, 2006
Community-based research as scientific and civic pedagogy.(Practice)(T..., December 22, 2006
Creative scholarship through undergraduate research.(Practice)(Xavier ..., December 22, 2006
Taking the measure of the creative campus.(Analysis), March 22, 2006
Passionate play.(Practice)(Burch Fellowship at North Carolina Universi..., March 22, 2006

Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.

Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication name or publication date.

About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company analysis or best practices in managing your organization, Goliath can help you meet your business needs.

Our extensive business information databases empower business professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible, authoritative information they need to support their business goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting, company research or defining management best practices - Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.