Resources

Annotated Bibliography

Scholarship of Undergraduate Research

Mieg, H., Ambos, E., Brew, A., Galli, D., & Lehmann, J. (Eds.). The Cambridge Handbook of Undergraduate Research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022.

This 77 chapters book brings a diverse range of contemporary perspectives on the theory and practice of undergraduate research and reflects on the prospects of this field for the future. It’s divided into five sections: The first focuses on the theory and research on undergraduate research; the second addresses issues related to implementation, approaches, and methods associated with undergraduate research; the third section has chapters that focus on specific disciplines; the fourth focuses on undergraduate research in different countries; and the fifth section addresses avenues to develop undergraduate research.

Petrella JK, Jung AP. Undergraduate Research: Importance, Benefits, and Challenges. Int J Exerc Sci. 2008 Jul 15;1(3):91-95.

The article explores how undergraduate research helps students develop independent critical thinking and a number of other skills which will be useful for their professional life. It also addresses how faculty members at teaching intensive institutions can improve the pedagogical process by engaging with research and benefit from it. Finally, the article notices how undergraduate research strengthens the university’s visibility and reputation.

Lopatto D. Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning. CBE Life Sci Educ. 2007 Winter;6(4):297-306. doi: 10.1187/cbe.07-06-0039

The article explores how undergraduate research can enhance the educational experience of undergraduate students in science, how it can attract and retain students to professional paths in science, and how it can be a pathway for minority students into science careers.

Webber, K., Nelson Laird, T., and BrckaLorenz, A. Student and faculty member engagement in undergraduate research. Research in Higher Education, 54, 227–249, 2013.

The paper analyzes how faculty perceive and engage with undergraduate research and how it influences student participation in research. The study shows how individual and institutional characteristics predicted student and faculty member involvement in research.

Best Practices

CUR. Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research (COEUR). Nansi Hensel (ed.) The Council of Undergraduate Research, 2012.

This document summarizes the main conditions for successful undergraduate research: 1) a supportive institutional culture, which includes engagement and commitment to research and scholarly work on the part of faculty and the administration, broad interdisciplinary participation, and accessible research opportunities for students; 2) financial support for students and faculty, including scholarships, startup funding, reassigned time for research-related tasks, and more; 3) investments in research infra-structure (space, equipment, library resources, etc.); 4) professional development opportunities, including research leaves and mentorship training; 5) recognition, including promotion and tenure systems; 6) external funding, which faculty and administration should seek; 7) dissemination of research results through events and promotions; 8) student-centeredness, which includes opportunities for early and sustained involvement of students in research and possibility for students to conduct their own research projects; 9) integrating research into curriculum, which includes exposing students to research-supportive courses; 10) opportunities for summer research programs; 11) assessment activities; and 12) strategic planning.

Shanahan, J. [et al.] Seven Principles for Reimagining Undergraduate Research in the “Next Normal.” Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research. CUR, 2021.

The article discusses the challenges for undergraduate research in a context of post-pandemic and struggles for racial justice and recommends seven principles to tackle such challenges: “1. Overhaul UR recruitment, selection, and support for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) students. 2. Support faculty and students shifting their research focus to topics of renewed urgency (e.g., effects of the pandemic, racial injustice) and seeking to decolonize their research. 3. Create customized support for UR in different disciplines and on different kinds of projects, as students and faculty face disproportional challenges. 4. Capitalize on the unexpected benefits of remote research and mentoring. 5. Respond to the lack of assuredness with technology and lack of access to reliable connectivity experienced by faculty and students. 6. Accommodate the work schedules of students. 7. Offer flexibility and trust.”

Kuh, G. High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2008.

This is a frequently cited study which lists a number of educational practices that have high impact on student learning. Undergraduate research is one of them.

Course-Based Undergraduate Research

Hensel, N. Course-Based Undergraduate Research: Educational Equity and High-Impact Practice. Sterling, Virginia: Routledge, 2018.

This book identifies mechanisms to engage students in course-based research experiences. It points out to how this kind of practice can enhance social justice by expanding undergraduate research to all students and how students who participate in course-based undergraduate research are more likely to pursue further research prior to and after graduation. The book addresses issues such as appropriate expectations for research in the different levels of the undergraduate journey; how to design appropriate course-based research; how to mentor a class rather than individual students, and more. The book makes the point that undergraduate research is not only for third and fourth-year students, but also for first and second-year students, as long as the expectations are set up accordingly.

Paz, K., Greisen, M., Heilman J., Zacarias, S., Taylor, S. Blending Research and ePortfolio: Two HIPS in One. The AAEEBL ePortfolio Review, Spring-Summer, 2023.

The article describes a successful experience of using Pebble Pad as a supporting platform to incorporate research into an undergraduate course. It brings screenshots of the assignments used in the course and testimonies from students who took the course. It highlights how the benefits of integrating eportfolios into course-based research projects are much bigger that faculty members usually think.

Research at KPU

Lee, Gordon R. (2011). Changing Academic Identities in a Dual Sector University. KORA Faculty Scholarship: Paper 11.

The paper analyzes the challenges faced by KPU in the process of transforming itself from a university-college to a university, focusing on the faculty responses to the conflict between college-oriented values as opposed to university-oriented values. The study also identifies fear by some faculty to be pressured to do research.

Best Practices

Best practices in teaching through undergraduate research include:

Help students see the skills they are developing by engaging in research.
Ensure students are familiar with the methodological aspects of research.
Secure funding for students. In addition to applying for external sources, KPU faculty can work with students to apply for internal opportunities such as the Student Research and Innovation Grant (SRIG) and the 0.6% Professional Development Fund.
Be flexible and open-minded to better adapt to unexpected obstacles you may face in your teaching through undergraduate research.
Understand students’ social reality and meet them where they are to build a collaborative, fruitful partnership.
Encourage and mentor students to present their work in conferences at KPU and externally.
Encourage and mentor students to write a paper sharing the results of their research and submit it to an undergraduate research journal. Click here for a list prepared by the Council on Undergraduate Research.
When mentoring undergraduate researchers, it is important to establish shared and feasible expectations for the mentee and the mentor. More details on this topic can be found in this document prepared by the Council on Undergraduate Research.

Create Your Research Design Workbook for Students

In its efforts to support research and innovation as well as promote high impact practices, the Teaching and Learning Commons has created an ePortfolio template that can be used across disciplines to guide students learning to do research.

“Create Your Research Design” is a Pebble Pad based templated workbook to provide student researchers guidance to systematically develop a research design of their undergraduate research project. This workbook includes nine guided steps that will prompt students to critically think about their research approach that will eventually help them with their research design. It also includes a component that will allow students to reflect on their thought process as they were developing the workbook.

Additional information is provided in the workbook to support you in using it with your students. We hope you find this resource useful and welcome any feedback.

Steps to Take a Copy of a Templated Workbook in ATLAS

Instructions are provided at the link below to request access to this workbook and add it to your own Pebble Pad resource store.

Contact Teaching and Learning Commons

If you need support to customize this workbook for your course or are new to PebblePad.

Contact Dr. Nishan Perera

If your department is interested in having a demonstration or a discussion.

Success Stories

Bonnie Klohn, Interdisciplinary Studies, Thompson Rivers University

Bonnie took a course on food systems, which required her to conduct a research project. Bonnie was passionate about raising hens in her backyard, but in Kamloops, that was illegal. Such a situation inspired Bonnie to do her research assignment on this topic. She asked her instructor if she could take the issue to the city. Her instructor agreed and Bonnie was received by the city council to present her work for the councillors. Even though the city did not change its policies, she started to be contacted by many people, which inspired her to further explore her research on the topic. As a result, she managed to receive several research grants to fund the completion of her degree and got involved with the Kamloops Food Policy Council, a community advocacy organization focused on promoting community food projects. Learn more about Bonnie’s story here.

Amel Sassi, Medical Sciences, The University of Western Ontario

Amel started her undergraduate research journey in her very first year. She was passionate about research and started working as a volunteer in a professor’s lab. She then had to face the challenges of doing her undergraduate studies remotely, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She persisted, got a research assistant position, and today she is doing her master’s degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto. Amel tells her story in her own podcast, Science Guidance: Stories of a Virtual Student Researcher. One of the episodes is dedicated to her undergraduate research experience.

Misha Zvekic, Chemistry and Biology, Vancouver Island University

Based on her undergraduate research on microplastics, Misha co-authored a paper on the possible effects of these materials on human beings. The paper was published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. Learn more about Misha’s story here.

Other undergraduate research success stories in North America can be found here.

KPU students who received the Student Research and Innovation Grant (SRIG) managed to take advantage of the opportunity to create new knowledge, develop new skills, expand their network, and much more. Click here to read some of their testimonials.