Opening the Lab Door: Scaffolding Undergraduate Qualitative Research at Small Colleges and Universities

• In Event: Methods: Innovative, Experiential, and Student-Centered Approaches to Teaching Undergraduate Research Methods in the Social Sciences

Abstract

Small and regional universities increasingly aim to provide community-engaged research experiences for undergraduates, yet faculty often face significant constraints related to heavy teaching loads, uneven student preparation, and minimal research infrastructure. This presentation offers a practical, replicable model for running an undergraduate Qualitative Research Lab in resource-limited settings that supports community-based projects and scaffolds faculty research agendas.

The teaching practice centers on a structured, scalable laboratory pipeline that can be implemented within a single course, across a multi-semester research stream, or with part-time research assistants and work-study students. The model includes: 1) project design and expectation-setting for varied student skill levels; 2) training manuals and routines that standardize archival data collection, interviewing, fieldnotes, transcription, and analytic memo writing; 3) a data-quality workflow built on shared protocols, transparency, and accountability; and 4) deliverables tailored to project needs, such as academic presentations, community talks, or digital exhibits. The session emphasizes implementation strategies that instructors can readily adapt to their own institutional contexts.

The presentation draws on three lab-based projects that illustrate methodological and ethical decision-making across settings: an oral history partnership with a regional arts institution; a community-based study with a rural nonprofit on outmigration and disrupted services; and an ongoing faculty research project on neighborhood change in Nashville’s historic Germantown community. These examples demonstrate how a qualitative research lab can create multiple “on-ramps” for undergraduate participation—supporting faculty-led, collaborative, and student-generated research while fostering sustained engagement and skill development.

Attendees will leave with an adaptable toolkit, including a blueprint outlining roles, stages, and weekly rhythms; sample training-manual components; and examples of student-generated deliverables. The session provides concrete, ready-to-use materials for faculty who want to expand undergraduate research capacity in qualitative and community-engaged work.

Author

• Katherine Everhart, The University of Virginia's College at Wise