UA Undergraduate Research Engagement Experience Overview

Overview - UA Undergraduate Research Engagement Experience

Summary

Undergraduate research was identified by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) as a high-impact educational practice.  Undergraduate research gives students the opportunity to take what they have learned in the classroom and apply that knowledge and skills to a real-life question, which can lead to increased student retention.  This engagement experience will serve as an umbrella undergraduate research engagement experience.  The purpose is to capture the participation of undergraduate students engaging in research through on-campus and off-campus undergraduate research programs or non-credit UA research positions. Participants will be eligible to apply their research experiences as an Engaged Activity through this non-credit experience.

Primary Engagement Activity:

Discovery 

Primary Engagement Competency:

Innovation and Creativity 

Description of the Activity

Students will conduct independent research through:

  • an established research program (if it doesn’t offer a 100% Engagement course/non-credit experience);

  • a University of Arizona faculty member or researcher (outside of any established for-credit experiences);

  • a research experience with an organization, non-profit, or company outside of the U of A.

At a minimum, students will be expected to:

  1. apply their academic knowledge in a real world setting;

  2. employ the scientific method in conjunction with the research;

  3. gain professional experience in scientific and/or academic research;

  4. learn specific skills associated with the type of research they are conducting;

  5. understand the interdisciplinary skills required for modern research;

  6. synthesize their experiences to reflect on what they have learned;

  7. and potentially develop new research questions related to the work they have done.