What We Know and What We Need to Know About Undergraduate Research

• In Event: 45.094 - Sheraton Roundtable Session Seven - Grand Centre
  In Roundtable Session: 45.094-1 - Novel Topics in Higher Education Measurement

Abstract

In order to assess what we know and what we need to know about the high-impact practice of undergraduate research, we both conducted a systematic review of literature that assessed the impact of undergraduate research and interviewed faculty and administrators actively engaged in the national dialog about undergraduate research. A commonality in analyses of the literature and interviews is the need for more rigorous research about the impact of undergraduate research. It is apparent to those mentoring students in undergraduate research or who have participated in research as an undergraduate themselves, that this practice can have tremendous benefits for students and mentors. However, the majority of research relies on indirect measures or correlations between outcomes and participation in undergraduate research.

Authors

• Heather Haeger, California State University - Monterey Bay

• John E Banks, California State University - Monterey Bay

• Camille Smith, California State University - Monterey Bay

• Monique Armstrong-Land, California State University - Monterey Bay