For Faculty: Involving Students in Research
- Clearly define expectations.
- Clearly define milestones and metrics for success.
- Nurture the student researcher toward increased independence: At the front end of a project, a significant amount of guidance from you is expected. But as the project progresses, the student should be encouraged to begin to take ownership of the work and take an active role in guiding it themselves.
- Build interpersonal respect and trust: Create an open environment for questions and conversation. Set aside weekly meeting times. Provide direct and timely feedback. Communicate that the student’s work is a priority for you.
- Promote shared power: Offer responses that remind the student that the work is their own. Reinforce that the student is a valued member of a research group or team.
The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) is soliciting proposals from U of I faculty in any discipline for OUR Curricular Development Grants. These are faculty awards for up to $5000 in project expenses of which $2500 may be applied toward a faculty stipend.
The intent of the OUR Curricular Development Grant is to support faculty members who propose to integrate original research efforts into an undergraduate course, with a goal of at least half the course being devoted to students conducting research and presenting research conclusions.
For more information, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Research at undergrad-reseach@uidaho.edu.
Organizations
University of Idaho is an institutional member of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR). CUR supports and promotes high caliber undergraduate research. CUR and its affiliated colleges, universities and individuals focus on providing students with research opportunities. CUR believes that faculty members enhance their teaching and contribution to society by remaining active in research and by involving undergraduates in research. CUR provides support for faculty development, publishing a journal (CUR Quarterly), books and a “How-to” series.
Publications
All Disciplines
The Graduate Research Consultant Program-Embedding Undergraduate Research Across the Curriculum (PDF) by Patricia J. Pukkila, Martha S. Arnold, Aijun Anna Li, and Donna M. Bickford. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly 33: 28-33 (2013).
How to engage in collaborative curriculum design to foster undergraduate inquiry and research in all disciplines (PDF) by Patricia J. Pukkila, Janic DeCosmo, Danielle C. Swick, and Marth S. Arnold in “How to Design, Implement and Sustain a Research-Supportive Undergraduate Curriculum,” ed. K. Karukstis and T. Elgren, Council on Undergraduate Research, pp. 147-163 (2007).
Sciences
Five Steps to Using Inquiry-based Approaches in Teaching (PDF) by Patricia J. Pukkila. American Society for Cell Biology Newsletter 31 (10): 27-28 (2008).
Humanities
Affirming the Independent Researcher Model: Undergraduate Research in the Humanities (PDF) by Laurie Grobman. CUR Quarterly 28(1): 23-28 (2007).