1. Promoting an Undergraduate Research Culture Kerry K. Karukstis 2007-2008 President, Council on Undergraduate Research Professor of Chemistry, Harvey Mudd College An Inside Higher Ed Audio Conference December 12, 2007 2:00 p.m. EST Copyright © 2007

2. Outline Establishing Reasons to Advance Undergraduate Research on Your Campus Seven Key Steps to Building an Undergraduate Research Culture on Your Campus Programs and Services of CUR to Assist in Promoting an Undergraduate Research Culture

3. Establishing Reasons to Advance Undergraduate Research on Your Campus

4. A Generally-Accepted Definition of Undergraduate Research Includes scholarship and creative activities Employs a “teacher-scholar model” for faculty members Insures that both student and faculty member have a vested interest in the research experience Undergraduate research is an inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate in collaboration with a faculty mentor that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline. Statement developed at a CUR Dialogues workshop in 1997: Wenzel, T. J., “What is Undergraduate Research?,” Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 1997, 17, 163.

5. Undergraduate Research – An Effective Pedagogical Tool Participation in undergraduate research has been demonstrated to achieve: Greater gains in learning – science/math/logic, problem solving, literature/language/context mastery, and personal initiative and communication skills Disciplinary learning beyond traditional classroom settings Increased connection to and retention within the major Stronger enrollment in graduate education and increased employment in major-related fields Greater participation in campus intellectual activities Integration into the culture and profession of discipline

6. Faculty Benefits of Undergraduate Research Participation Intellectual invigoration, increased enthusiasm, improved teaching Personal satisfaction working with undergraduates Advances in research program Effective means of staying current in one’s field

7. Institutional Benefits of Supporting Undergraduate Research Endeavors Enhances intellectual vitality of the institution Attracts talented individuals to join a faculty, improving the overall program Attracts engaged students External funding brings new equipment and facilities Leads to more innovative curricula, particularly collaborative and interdisciplinary courses and programs Increases opportunities for engagement in national discussions of trends in higher education and new research directions

8. Organizational Change Models There is ample evidence that, for organizations to initiate and sustain change, members must have a shared vision, use a systems approach that recognizes the interrelationships among participants, and learn as a team particularly through personal commitments made to each other.

9. Seven Key Steps to Building an Undergraduate Research Culture on Your Campus

10. Begin with your mission statement Start with a core group of committed individuals Start small Seek the advice and effective practices of others Build research into your curriculum Celebrate achievements and milestones Design effective assessment measures

11. Seven Key Steps to Building an Undergraduate Research Culture on Your Campus Begin with your mission statement Start with a core group of committed individuals Start small Seek the advice and effective practices of others Build research into your curriculum Celebrate achievements and milestones Design effective assessment measures

12. Crafting Change Agenda to Fit an Institution’s Culture Your institution’s mission statement articulates its guiding principles and shared aspirations An undergraduate research program must be crafted to mesh with an institution’s goals, vision, and practices Creation or enhancement of an undergraduate research culture on campus will require a rethinking of both the teaching and learning processes. A research culture does not happen spontaneously - sustainable change will require time for ideas to be shared openly and to gain momentum to flourish.

13. Seven Key Steps to Building an Undergraduate Research Culture on Your Campus Begin with your mission statement Start with a core group of committed individuals Start small Seek the advice and effective practices of others Build research into your curriculum Celebrate achievements and milestones Design effective assessment measures

14. Survey the Landscape for Undergraduate Research Champions Identify passionate advocates in key areas of the institution Offer a range of ways faculty members can participate in building a research culture Provide support for faculty members at all career stages Many different constituencies have key roles to play to help establish a campus-wide UR program. Over time, new leaders will be necessary to address the next set of issues.

15. Seven Key Steps to Building an Undergraduate Research Culture on Your Campus Begin with your mission statement Start with a core group of committed individuals Start small Seek the advice and effective practices of others Build research into your curriculum Celebrate achievements and milestones Design effective assessment measures

16. Select a Few Key Parallel Initiatives to Set the Stage Include: A “high visibility” activity –To generate support and to show the community where the UR initiative can take the campus in the future A curricular connection –To integrate research into the curriculum and to support the teacher-scholar model for faculty A focus on a key element of infrastructure –To provide an environment where UR can be sustained and excel A mechanism to expand the program –To enable more undergraduate research activity to occur to enhance student learning outcomes

17. Seven Key Steps to Building an Undergraduate Research Culture on Your Campus Begin with your mission statement Start with a core group of committed individuals Start small Seek the advice and effective practices of others Build research into your curriculum Celebrate achievements and milestones Design effective assessment measures

18. New Ways of Thinking Require Engagement with New Ideas Create the time and space needed for crucial institution-wide conversations Foster dialog and the exchange of ideas with teams that cross departments, rank, and level of research involvement Invite external speakers to campus to challenge current practices Encourage attendance at conferences and visits to other institutions to examine other’s best practices and innovations

19. Seven Key Steps to Building an Undergraduate Research Culture on Your Campus Begin with your mission statement Start with a core group of committed individuals Start small Seek the advice and effective practices of others Build research into your curriculum Celebrate achievements and milestones Design effective assessment measures

20. Establishing a Research- Supportive Curriculum At the level of an individual faculty member: –Construct a laboratory experiment or classroom exercise to guide students in the development of a spirit of inquiry and sound experimental design. –Encourage intellectual inquiry by placing students in a central position in the educational process –Infuse pedagogies that mimic the research process (inquiry- or problem-based learning, cooperative learning, learning communities, active learning) –Expose students to the design of experiments and the analysis and interpretation of data. –Integrate information literacy skill development throughout courses

21. Establishing a Research- Supportive Curriculum At the department level: –Include a component in courses throughout a major program (‘vertical integration”) that seeks to enhance a research skill such as oral or written communication skills At the institutional level: –Agree on core classes that emphasize valued research strategies (e.g., interdisciplinary perspectives or active learning) –Provide institutional infrastructure that facilitates the development of research-supportive curricula –Develop administrative perspectives that encourage a research culture

22. Facilities and Resources that Promote a Research- Supportive Curriculum Design of spaces to support active learning, encourage gathering of colleagues, and permit presentations in a variety of formats Efforts to make research visible Use of research-grade instrumentation in intermediate instructional laboratories Placement of major instrumentation in resource rooms for maximum availability

23. Engagement in Collaborative Curriculum Design to Foster Undergraduate Inquiry and Research Benefits to the Curriculum The multiple perspectives and collective academic experience of faculty yield rich ideas for changing courses and the classroom environment. The collective approach provides an opportunity to design a cohesive and consistent program rather than just a collection of courses. The Power of Numbers Students sense the importance and value of a particular pedagogical approach when it is applied in many different settings. The combination of faculty and administrative action creates a powerful environment for change. Why is a collaborative approach desirable?

24. The Impact on Individual Faculty Faculty who act as individuals and attempt to introduce productive changes are often discouraged by student resistance, particularly when students view their role as receivers of information. Individual faculty who encounter difficulties in changing their courses feel unsupported and isolated. On most campuses there are generally few mechanisms or opportunities to communicate with colleagues the value of productive curricular innovations. Engagement in Collaborative Curriculum Design to Foster Undergraduate Inquiry and Research Why is a collaborative approach desirable?

25. Seven Key Steps to Building an Undergraduate Research Culture on Your Campus Begin with your mission statement Start with a core group of committed individuals Start small Seek the advice and effective practices of others Build research into your curriculum Celebrate achievements and milestones Design effective assessment measures

26. Celebrations and Recognitions are Powerful Motivators Create a sense of community by taking every opportunity to reinforce progress Recognize milestones along the journey as a valuable means of re-energizing the campus Reward those who take risks despite the outcome Celebrate accomplishment and achievements

27. Seven Key Steps to Building an Undergraduate Research Culture on Your Campus Begin with your mission statement Start with a core group of committed individuals Start small Seek the advice and effective practices of others Build research into your curriculum Celebrate achievements and milestones Design effective assessment measures

28. Initiate an Assessment Program Start small –Design small-scale assessment projects that bring quick and effective results to build enthusiasm Start with successes –Encourage faculty to focus initially on the strongest aspects of their programs Know why you are assessing –Make goal identification a collaborative effort Minimize the burden of assessment –Seek resources and support to make the assessment process manageable

29. Promote an Assessment Culture Focus on teaching and learning rather than assessment –Frame assessment as a tool for bringing about better teaching and learning Make assessment relevant –Use assessment to answer the questions in which faculty and administrators are most interested Emphasize the transformative potential of assessment –Use assessment to enable goals to be achieved

30. Undergraduate Research that is: Faculty-driven Student-centered, and Institutionally-supported Provides the combination of factors necessary for: pedagogical effectiveness, enhanced learning outcomes, research productivity, and research program sustainability A Confluence of Essential Components

31. Programs and Services of CUR to Assist in Promoting an Undergraduate Research Culture

32. Council on Undergraduate Research A national organization of individual (≈ 3000) and institutional members (≈ 550) representing all disciplines and over 900 institutions of all types Seven disciplinary divisions: Biology, Chemistry, Geo- sciences, Mathematics & Computer Science, Physics & Astronomy, Psychology, Social Sciences Two multidisciplinary divisions: At-Large and Under- graduate Research Program Directors National office in Washington, D.C. with Executive Officer Dr. Nancy Hensel and 24 councilors per division The mission of the Council on Undergraduate Research is to support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship.

33. CUR’s Focus : Faculty Development To promote and support undergraduate student- faculty collaborative research and scholarship MEETINGS National Conference CUR Dialogues Institutes Posters on the Hill CCLI Regional Workshops SERVICES Consulting Service Mentor Network CUR Fellows Awards CUR Listserve Washington Partners PUBLICATIONS CUR Quarterly “How To” Series Specialized Volumes

34. Upcoming Events for CUR INSTITUTES Initiating and Sustaining Undergraduate Research Programs February 15-17, 2008, University of Arizona Beginning a Research Program in the Natural Sciences at a Predominantly Undergraduate Institution June 6-8, 2008, Davidson College Mentorship, Collaboration and Undergraduate Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities July 18-20, 2008, Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin Proposal Writing Institute July 20-24, 2008, Baldwin-Wallace College

35. CUR NSF-CCLI Regional Workshops Mid-Atlantic Region September 28-30, 2007 - Penn State Delaware County, Media (PA) Southeast Region October 26-28, 2007 - Spelman College, Atlanta (GA) South Central Region January 18-20, 2008 – University of Texas, El Paso (TX) West Region February 15-17, 2008 – University of California, Northridge (CA) Northwest Region February 29 – March 2, 2008 – Lewis & Clark College (OR) Northeast Region September 26-28, 2008 – Buffalo State College (NY) Great Lakes Region October 10-12, 2008 – Hope College (MI) Central Region October 24-26, 2008 – Truman State University (MO)

36. 12th CUR National Conference “Frontiers and Challenges in Undergraduate Research” Hosted by the College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, MN June 21-24, 2008 Conference sub-themes include: –Undergraduate research and scholarship in Arts and Humanities –Assessment of research outcomes –Beyond the academy: Real-world applications of research results –Early involvement in research –Research in a global environment –Undergraduate research in the interface of disciplines

37. References Abraham, Neal B.. Facilities and Resources that Promote a Research-Supportive Curriculum. In: Kerry K. Karukstis and Timothy E. Elgren, eds. Developing and Sustaining a Research-Supportive Curriculum: A Compendium of Successful Practices. Washington, D.C.: Council on Undergraduate Research; 2007, Chapter 27. Crowe, M. and Brakke, D., Assessing the impact of undergraduate research experiences: a review of the literature. Available at http://www.aacu.org/meetings/undergraduate_research/documents/crowebrakkeannobib507.pdf http://www.aacu.org/meetings/undergraduate_research/documents/crowebrakkeannobib507.pdf Eckel, P., Green, M., & Hill, B. (2001). Riding the Waves of Change. American Council on Education. Hakim, T. M. How to Develop and Administer Institutional Undergraduate Research Programs. Washington, D.C.: Council on Undergraduate Research; 2000. K. K. Karukstis. THE MERIT OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH: A Confluence of Student, Faculty, and Institutional Rewards, National Academies Partnerships for Emerging Research Institutions Workshop, September 2007 Kerry K. Karukstis and Timothy E. Elgren, eds. Developing and Sustaining a Research-Supportive Curriculum: A Compendium of Successful Practices. Washington, D.C.: Council on Undergraduate Research; 2007. Malachowski, M. 2006. Undergraduate Research as the Next Great Faculty Divide. Peer Review 8(1): 26-27. Wenzel, T. J., “What is Undergraduate Research?,” Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly, 1997, 17, 163.

38. National Science Foundation Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) Phase 2 Expansion Award – “Regional Workshop Program on Institutionalizing Undergraduate Research”. Co- principal investigators Nancy Hensel, Mitch Malachowski, Jill Singer, Jeff Osborn, and Kerry Karukstis. NSF-DUE-0618535, 0618542, 0618548, 0618653, and 0618721. Acknowledgments For more information: www.cur.orgwww.cur.org cur@cur.org Kerry_Karukstis@hmc.edu To cite this work: K. K. Karukstis, “Promoting an Undergraduate Research Culture”, An Inside Higher Ed Audio Conference, December 12, 2007.