Abstract
Engagement of undergraduate students in research has been demonstrated to correlate with improved academic performance and retention. Research experience confers many benefits on participants, particularly foundational skills necessary for graduate school and careers in scientific disciplines. Undergraduate curricula often do not adequately develop collaborative skills that are becoming increasingly useful in many workplaces and research settings. Here, we describe a pilot program that engages undergraduates in research and incorporates learning objectives designed to develop and enhance collaborative techniques and skills in team science that are not typical outcomes of the undergraduate research experience. We conducted a collaborative science project that engaged faculty advisors and upper year undergraduates at four institutions and conducted a review to assess the program’s efficacy. Students developed a broad suite of competencies related to collaborative science, above and beyond the experience of completing individual projects. This model also affords distinct advantages to faculty advisors, including the capacity of the network to collect and synthesize data from different regions. The model for training students to conduct collaborative science at an early stage of their career is scalable and adaptable to a wide range of fields. We provide recommendations for refining and implementing this model in other contexts.
Highlights
Research experience is a valuable and widespread component of undergraduate science education contributing positively to academic performance (Zydney et al 2002) and resulting in greater participation in research activities following the first degree, through increased enrollment in graduate school (Lopatto 2004; Russell et al 2007; Eagan et al 2013)
This paper reports on the experiences in this pilot year including (a) network design, (b) successes and challenges identified through a program review, and (c) recommendations for applying this model in other contexts to build collaborative science skills training into more undergraduate research programs
The Linked Undergraduate Experiments on Nutrients network (LUGNuts) program is a network approach to undergraduate research projects that develops many of the skills typical of a traditional Honours thesis, and supplements these with collaborative skill development that is key to success both in graduate level research and for early-career professionals
Summary
Research experience is a valuable and widespread component of undergraduate science education contributing positively to academic performance (Zydney et al 2002) and resulting in greater participation in research activities following the first degree, through increased enrollment in graduate school (Lopatto 2004; Russell et al 2007; Eagan et al 2013) It is common for undergraduate science programs in North America to culminate in a research project such as an Honours thesis or capstone project. Such projects typically aim to develop foundational skills necessary for conducting research or working in a science-focused career, including intellectual, practical, communication, numeracy, and interpersonal skills (Table 1). Cultivate a relationship with a faculty mentor who can provide career advice and references
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