Presenters:
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Ed Jernigan (Professor and Director, Centre for Knowledge Integration)
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Kaliegh Eichel (Graduate of Knowledge Integration Program)
Undergraduate research is a high impact practice, that is, a practice which educational research suggests increases rates of retention and student engagement. By “reshaping … courses to connect key concepts and questions with students’ early and active involvement in systematic investigation and research, …[students become involved] with actively contested questions, empirical observation, cutting-edge technologies and the sense of excitement that comes from working to answer important questions” (Kuh, 2008).
The spring of 2012 witnessed the first graduating class of the Bachelor of Knowledge Integration (BKI) Program. Students in the BKI program are expected to engage meaningfully in an area of concentration that may lie within a discipline anywhere on campus. During their final year, students complete an undergraduate research project. Requirements for the final deliverable must be flexible in order to accommodate the diverse nature of projects and the variety of disciplines within which the students are involved. Students are expected to complete a progress report, showcase their work in a Senior Project conference organized by the students and complete a final report/thesis/presentation equivalent to an undergraduate thesis.
Ed and Kaleigh discussed the benefits, challenges and lessons learned from their experience with the Undergraduate Senior Research Project.
Resources:
Kuh, G.D.(2008). High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter. AAC&U.