Creating and enhancing undergraduate research opportunities across campus

Ingrid Price, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Objectives: The objective of this proposal is to develop a model for cross-campus, multidisciplinary undergraduate research program. We aim to achieve this objective through (1) identifying key elements of an undergraduate research program, (2) pilot testing key elements on small groups of undergraduate students at UBC, (3) offering tools for faculty to use that will allow them to integrate research into their teaching at the undergraduate level.

Rationale: As a major research institution, UBC's undergraduate students must have the opportunity to participate in the process of scholarly discovery. Indeed, TREK 2000 states “all undergraduate students entering UBC ... will have a research-based learning experience that integrates the many research opportunities at UBC into undergraduate learning”. The Undergraduate Research Committee was formed two years ago for the purpose of developing such an initiative across campus. As a first attempt at celebrating and enhancing undergraduate research, the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference was created. While this conference has been successful in its mission to celebrate undergraduate research across campus, further advancements must be made to develop a cross-campus undergraduate research program and a more comprehensive integration of research into the undergraduate experience. The next step in the process of developing undergraduate research opportunities across campus is to create a research-based program that supports and enhances the opportunity undergraduate students have to engage in the process of scholarly discovery within their discipline. The objective of this proposal is to develop a model for cross-campus, multidisciplinary undergraduate research program. In order to create a model that is inclusive of all disciplines, this model must be flexible and provide support for faculty members as well as the undergraduate students they teach.

Ingrid Price, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Office of the Vice-President, Research / Office of the Vice-President, Students

Objectives: 1) To hone, enhance and extend the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Program (MURP) to benefit a broader range of UBC students (goal: 100 student participants), 2) Expand the opportunities for faculty to integrate research into teaching at the undergraduate level.

Rationale: As a major research institution, UBC's undergraduate students must have the opportunity to participate in the process of scholarly discovery. TREK 2000 states "all undergraduate students entering UBC ... will have a research-based learning experience that integrates the many research opportunities at UBC into undergraduate learning.” In the TREK 2010 document, one of our goals is to "support the development of outstanding research in all disciplines ... through providing opportunities and incentives to incorporate research into undergraduate programs.” In response to these goals, the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference (MURC, entering it's third year), the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Program (MURP, pilot year) and the Undergraduate Research Team (URT, inaugural year) have been developed (see progress report, p. 6 of this document). Our original TLEF provided support for the development of the pilot Undergraduate Research Program and the Undergraduate Research team (an initiative to support the integration of research into teaching). These initiatives were received with enthusiasm by all who participated (and continue to participate) in them, students, faculty and staff alike. However, these programs are in their infancy and must be honed and developed further ff they are to thrive on our campus. Beyond UBC, integration of research into teaching is still an extremely innovative notion, and our success in this area positions UBC at the forefront of research institutions committed to providing the best teaming opportunities for their undergraduate students.

Methods: Funds are requested to: (1) To hone, enhance and extend the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Program (MURP) to benefit a broader range of UBC students (goal: 100 student participants). In order to test its effectiveness and value as a multidisciplinary and cross-campus program al UBC, MURP must be accessible to a broad range of students. In its pilot year we focused on the development of the program and less on the recruitment of students from all Faculties. This year, we will work to increase the number of Faculties represented in MURP students. We will do so by engaging faculty and students in Faculties not represented in the pilot program of MURP to assess the value and effectiveness of the current model in their discipline. Once we have met with various individuals, we will work to make the program more accessible to these students and actively recruit students from these Faculties to participate in the 2005/06 program. (2) Expand the opportunities for faculty to integrate research into teaching at the undergraduate level. In order to further the integration of research into undergraduate teaching, we will build on the momentum started in 2004/05. UBC's Centre for Teaching and Academic Growth (TAG) will provide a series of workshops and other support opportunities to promote the Integration of research into teaching across campus. One of the challenges noted in universities implementing undergraduate research programs is that many of these models provide opportunities only for elite students. Given that one of the goals of TREK and the Academic Plan is to provide all our undergraduate students with the opportunity to engage in research-based learning we must provide instructors with tools they can use to incorporate this form of learning into their courses to reach a broad base of students on our campus. We will provide more deliberate opportunities for faculty to learn ways to integrate research-based learning into their teaching, considering limitations of class size and accessibility of research. We will engage with URT to learn more about what types of support the teaching community would benefit from and launch initiatives based on these discussions.

Ingrid Price, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Sonja Embree, MURP Coordinator, Office of the Vice-President, Research
Linda Hatt, Associate Dean, Curriculum and Student Affairs, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, UBC Okanagan
Melanie Jones, Associate Dean, Research and Strategic Planning, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, UBC Okanagan

Objectives: (1) To hone, enhance and extend the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Program (MURP) to benefit a broader range of UBC students on the UBC-V campus (goal: 100 student participants) (2) To implement MURP at the UBC-O campus (goal: 50 student participants) (3) Expand the opportunities for faculty to integrate research into teaching at the undergraduate level on both UBC campuses.

Rationale: In the TREK 2010 document, one of the goals is to “support the development of outstanding research in all disciplines ... through providing opportunities and incentives to incorporate research into undergraduate programs.” Further, this document states that our students will learn to 'push boundaries and take risks in search of new knowledge and unconventional ideas ... to acquire strong analytical and communication ... and life-long learning skills". Finally, TREK 2010 also suggests that we work to "remove barriers that impede interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary research". In response to these goals, the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference (MURC, now entering its fourth year), the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Program (MURP, pilot and first year) and a plan to integrate research into teaching have been developed (see progress report, p. 6 of this document). Our original TLEF applications provided support for the development of the pilot Undergraduate Research Program and for the integration of research into teaching. These initiatives have been extremely well received by faculty, staff and students alike. It is clear that they fill a need to support research-based learning on our campus. However, these programs are in their infancy and must be developed further if they are to thrive at UBC. Beyond our campus, integration of research into teaching is still an extremely innovative notion and our success in this area positions UBC at the forefront of research institutions committed to providing the best learning opportunities for their undergraduate students. Indeed, to refer again to TREK 2010, by "providing individualized services and experiences” to both students and faculty, the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Program promotes and enhances “leading edge research."

Methods: Funds are requested to: (1) Hone, enhance and extend the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Program (MURP) to benefit a broader range of UBC-V students (goal: 100 student participants). In order to test its effectiveness and value as a multidisciplinary and cross-campus program at UBC, MURP must be accessible to a broad range of students. In its pilot year we focused more on the development of the program and less on the recruitment of students from all Faculties. In the second year, we continued to develop the program but also focused on increasing our recruitment strategies such that we had a 50% increase in total student participation. This year, we will again work to increase the number of Faculties represented in MURP students. We will do so by engaging faculty and students in Faculties not represented in either the pilot or first full year of MURP to assess the value and effectiveness of the current model in their discipline. We will then work to make the program more accessible to these students and actively recruit them to participate in the 2006/07 program. As well, we will continue to expand our advertising strategies to the university population in general. Finally, we will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the 2005/06 offering of MURP that will allow us to further enhance the program. (2) To implement MURP at the UBC-O campus (goal: 50 student participants). Through collaboration between the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses, the various components of MURP (workshops, criteria for completion, etc.) will be tailored to meet the needs and wishes of the Okanagan campus. Thus, by establishing MURP at Okanagan, profound implications for the learning environment emerge since both campuses, in keeping with the university academic plan, will promote "integrative, interactive and experiential learning”, thereby making superior scholarship a centrepiece of both unit-plans." (3) Expand the opportunities for faculty to integrate research into teaching at the undergraduate level. In order to accomplish this goal, we will build on the momentum started in 2004/05 and begin by providing a series of workshops and other support opportunities that promote the integration of research into teaching across campus. This component of the program also helps to advance the goals of TREK 2010 and the Academic Plan in terms of providing instructors with tools they can use to incorporate research-based learning into their courses. We have interviewed past and current MURP faculty supervisors as well as non-­MURP faculty in order to learn more about what types of support the teaching community would benefit from. Based on these discussions, we will provide eight workshops per year (goal: 200 faculty participants) that will offer instruction in how to facilitate research based experiential learning for undergraduates.