UA Undergraduate Research Engagement Experience Faculty Information

Information for Research Supervisors (Faculty)

Required background knowledge, experience, or requirements necessary for students to participate:

Students should have sufficient background knowledge in their academic studies to make meaningful contributions to the research project in which they are participating.  The eligibility requirements vary as a function of the field and host program, company, organization, and faculty. 

Expectations for Students:

Through this engagement experience, it is expected that students will further enhance the following skills and achieve the following learning outcomes through the mentorship of the research supervisors. 

Skills:

  • Communication 

    • The intended outcome described by the UA Office of Student Engagement: Students will be able to verbally communicate in an articulate manner, write effectively with use of traditional and new media tools, conduct engaging group presentations or artistic expression, advocate for a point of view, and interact effectively through listening and empathy with diverse individuals and cultural contexts.

  • Problem-solving/critical thinking

    • The intended outcome described by the UA Office of Student Engagement: Students will be able to leverage curiosity to construct problem-posing and engage in inquiry-based discovery; articulate problem-solving strategies and solutions; synthesize information to develop new perspectives, apply knowledge to current situations, both independently and interdependently, and reflect on critical thinking and problem solving through metacognition.

 

Learning outcomes:

  • Clearly define and identify their research question and hypothesis;

  • Gain a greater understanding of research methodologies relevant to their research projects;

  • Apply academic knowledge, theory, and research methodologies to their projects and conduct experiments to test their hypothesis;    

  • Analyze and synthesize reference material and data gathered in the research project;

  • Develop conclusions to explain key learnings from the research project and to develop new perspectives about the hypothesis; and

  • Explain and communicate the research question, hypothesis, research methodologies, data analysis, results, and conclusions.


Process for Research Supervisors:

The successful completion and final approval of this engagement experience is determined by the final approval of the research or program supervisor (or their assigned delegate).

Steps for the supervisor (or delegate) are outlined below:

  • Ensure student completes the registration form.

  • Complete and sign Research Supervisor Agreement.

    • Retain a copy for your records and provide a copy of the agreement to the student for their records.

    • You can optionally specify a delegate (such as Graduate or Post-Doc student) who will work with the student throughout the experience on your behalf.

  • By 2nd week of research experience: Meet with the student to define the research project, duties, frequency of meetings, expectations for deliverables, deadlines for deliverables, and the communication and problem solving/critical thinking skills the student hopes to develop. 

  • Approximately every 2 weeks:  Meet with the student during the course of their work to provide feedback, mentor the student in developing communication and problem-solving/critical thinking skills as well as additional skills they should continue to improve upon.  The student should communicate progress, challenges, and key learnings regarding the research project.

  • Throughout the research project:  Support and mentor the student in achieving the learning outcomes

  • ​Guide the student in creating a summative deliverable of their research experience toward the end of their work. This deliverable should reflect the 45 hours of time committed as well as the skills and knowledge gained by the student.

    • The format of the deliverable should be pre-approved by the research supervisor prior to the student starting work on it.

    • The deliverable should contain an abstract or summary which is generally understandable to a non-technical audience.

    • The research supervisor is responsible for approval of the final version of the deliverable.

  • End of project: Complete the end of project questionnaire and confirm whether the student achieved the learning outcomes and whether the final deliverable was reflective of those learning outcomes.


Final deliverable:

Students will be asked to submit a final deliverable of their research that summarizes and encapsulates what they gained from their experience.  The deliverable should detail the research that was conducted and highlight the innovative and/or creative approaches the student utilized in the research, including the student’s understanding of each component of the project. The deliverable should follow the conventions of the field in how it is formatted and organized.  Students can submit one or all of the following as their deliverable:

  • Poster

  • PowerPoint presentation

  • Extended abstract (3-5 page summary of the research project)

  • Lab journals with a final summary

  • Research report

  • Research paper

  • Compilation of field observations and a research summary report