1. Delivering Impact via Student Research: Sharing Best Practice
Asiya Khan, Richard Pemberton, Priska Schoenborn, Suki Honey and Andy Edward- Jones
University of Plymouth, School of Engineering & Educational Development
20th April 2018
PRTI funded project

2. Project Background & Motivation
Healey and Jenkins (2009, p. 3) and Walkington et al (2008) argue that learning through research and inquiry should be experienced by all undergraduate students in all higher education institutions.
Walkington (2015) summarise that “the dissemination of research is an integral part of the research cycle/process and allows students to develop graduate attributes”.
This project builds on previous work by Gresty et al (2012) that led to the launch of Plymouth Student Scientist in line the University’s strategy on RiT.
Asiya

3. Project Aims This investigative research study aims to:
collect evidence of success (converting undergraduate projects into peer-reviewed journal papers) both internally and externally.
redefine undergraduate projects to develop staff-student collaborations that enable final year projects to be converted into peer-reviewed research papers .
identify areas of good practice that can encourage cultural change.
Asiya

4. Research Methods
A pilot questionnaire developed and administered at the VCs conference (participants: 10)
Online questionnaire sent to around 90 participants both internal and external identified from Plymouth Student Scientist and BCUR (responses: 28)
Ran two focus groups with 5 members of staff internally
Asiya

5. Questionnaire
Questions around undergraduate activity that led to publications
How the topics were chosen
Any measureable impact
Were they REFable
Approach to authorship
Richard

6. Response from pilot study
Participant responses = 10
Subject areas
Medicine and Dentistry (2)
Arts, Design and Architecture (4)
Tourism
Law, Criminology and Government
Engineering
Biological and Marine Sciences
Richard

7. If there have been publications arising from undergraduate research (with) which you initiated/were involved, where was the research published?
Tourism
Engineering
Medicine & Dentistry
Art, Design & Architecture
Biological & Marine Sciences
Conference 1
Journal
Magazine
Book Chapter
Internal Magazine/Journal
Other (Exhibitions & Social Media) 3
Richard

8. How the topics were chosen

9. Measurable impact
Richard

10. Response from online questionnaire
Participant responses = 28 (internal = 20 external = 8)
Subject areas:
Psychology (4)
Chemistry (4)
Marine Biology (3)
Geography (2)
Biological Sciences (2)
Music, Sociology and Politics
Materials Engineering
Nutrition
Animal Welfare
Medical Sciences
Sociolinguistics
Higher Education
Ocean optics & remote sensing
Undergraduate Research
Mathematics
Research methods, Ecotourism Impacts of climate change
Navigation
AI, data analysis, cloud computing, imaging
Asiya

11. If there have been publications arising from undergraduate research (with) which you initiated/were involved, where was the research published?
Asiya

12. Percentage conversion
Most respondents ~ 5%
Exception Marine Biology ~20%
Majority were 1-2* exception Marine Biology where some papers were high impact
Asiya

13. How the topics were chosen
Asiya

14. Measurable impact
Asiya

15. Response from focus group Process
Discovery-based learning approach is used in Marine Biology.
Overarching project themes suggested mainly by staff in their research areas
Timely undergraduate projects are particularly successful
More emphasis is put on collecting higher quality data and output as a paper
A higher level of staff co-ordination is required
Staff engaged in this process are motivated by improving student learning experience and personal CPD
Richard

16. Response from focus group Constraints
Almost all the papers are written by staff in collaboration with the student
Time is the biggest constraint – conversion of student projects into publishable work is done in personal time
No budget for conference attendance for students
Most of the converted projects were covered by personal grant funding
Richard

17. Project Aims - revisit This investigative research study aims to:
Undergraduate projects definition:
Key research themes
Output as a paper
High quality data
identify areas of good practice that can encourage cultural change:
Staff coordination
Staff buy-in
Opportunity for sharing of ideas between staff
Richard

18. Way forward Staff are keen to develop inter-disciplinary projects
Opportunity for sharing ideas with staff e.g. workshops, focus groups, etc.
A central database where cross-disciplinary projects can be advertised
Training opportunities for staff
Case studies of student experiences
Disseminate via journal paper & workshop
Richard

19. References
Gresty, K. and Edwards-Jones, A. (2012). Experiencing research- informed teaching from the student perspective: insights from developing an undergraduate e-journal. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43:
Healey (2005:194) Linking research and teaching: disciplinary spaces, in: R.
Healey and Jenkins (2009: 3) Healey, M. & Jenkins, A. (2009) Developing undergraduate research and inquiry. Higher Education Academy. Available from: tions/DevelopingUndergraduate_Final.pdf
Walkington, H. (2015). Students as researcher: Supporting undergraduate research in the disciplines in higher education, Report HEA. Available from: 0as%20researchers_1.pdf

20. Acknowledgments
Project collaborators: Priska Schoenborn, Suki Honey and Andy Edward-Jones PRTI funding Thank you!