Learning through Research: Dynamic Faculty, Students, and Institutions

A list of the sub-themes and a brief description of each follows below:

Innovative Strategies for Professional Development.  Faculty development is one of the primary missions of CUR, and sessions in this sub-theme will focus on issues and opportunities surrounding this mission.  Session topics will encompass the entire arc of faculty careers from early to late career, including ideas and strategies for being successful in gaining tenure, new directions for faculty in the post-tenure years, and models of being a fruitful senior scholar.   Sessions might include the topics of supporting and mentoring post-doctoral scholars, changing research directions, career shifts to and from administrative duties, sabbaticals and other leave opportunities, and creating faculty incentives for continued development at a range of institutions.

Faculty-Student Collaboration Across the Curriculum.  Collaborations between students and faculty engaging in research, scholarship and creative activities continue to grow on many campuses. Contributions under this sub-theme explore the continuing enhancement of these programs in the social sciences, humanities and fine arts.  In particular, sessions will focus on forming and expanding these partnerships, illustrating types of projects and activities that have been successful at involving students and advancing faculty careers, and outlining ideas for funding. 

A Research Supportive Curriculum:  Successful Programs and Innovative Directions. As the independent research project has become increasingly embraced as a capstone experience for undergraduate students across all disciplines, faculty members have begun discussing how innovative pedagogical approaches could create a culture of research throughout the curriculum.  Inclusion of research skills and inquiry-based learning into courses at all levels not only better prepares students for independent research, but better engages students in the learning process and creates a renewed sense of excitement for teaching and learning among faculty and students.  In an attempt to “find room in the curriculum” for research, academic departments have experimented with creative restructuring of program requirements and course offerings.  The sessions in this sub-theme will feature models of “research-supportive” curricular changes and the impact that such changes have had.

Overcoming Challenges and Barriers to Undergraduate Research:  Brainstorming Solutions. The sessions under this sub-theme will focus on identifying and overcoming the various barriers to initiating and/or sustaining a strong undergraduate research program.   Items such as startup costs, facilities, grantsmanship support, faculty and student time, external and internal funding, and institutional infrastructure are among the issues to be considered.    Sessions will allow for creative suggestions for developing a culture of research to be presented by session leaders and to be explored further by the participants.   Opportunities to brainstorm and evaluate solutions to specific institutional barriers will also be provided.

Institutional Support Structures for Undergraduate Research: Colleges and universities institutionalize support for undergraduate research in numerous ways, including Offices of Sponsored Programs, Directors/Offices of Undergraduate Research, Deans/Vice-Presidents of Research, among others. Sessions in this sub-theme will be offered on the establishment, mission, and activities of these models of supporting research at the institutional level. In addition, sessions will address the factors used in considering which model is right for a particular institution and at what point the development of such an architecture is warranted.

Assessment of Undergraduate Research:  Outcomes for Students and Faculty: Sessions under this sub-theme will focus on assessment models that are being applied to undergraduate research and discussion of findings from the studies that are being conducted.  Proponents of involving undergraduate students in research projects argue that not only are the experiences important for their scholarly contributions to the discipline, but they also provide valuable educational opportunities for students.  Research is promoted not only as a way to reinforce concepts learned in the classroom and a means for teaching new research and technical skills, but also as a way to develop independent learners with advanced skills in critical thinking, synthesis and experimental design, and analysis.  These lofty claims regarding undergraduate research have largely been based on anecdotal evidence.  There are, however, increasing calls to systematically assess whether educational activities, including research, actually improve student learning and many funding agencies now expect a description of project assessment plans to be included in the grant proposal.   Conducting research in partnership with students has also been touted as having benefits for the faculty member.  Sessions are encouraged that provide better data on how participation in undergraduate research impacts faculty scholarly productivity, tenure and promotion decisions and personal job satisfaction. 

Successful Institutions:  Showcasing CUR Institute Success Stories. CUR hosts three cross-disciplinary faculty development multi-day workshops known as  “Institutes” that focus on a single topic for 35-55 participants. Attendees from past Institutes will describe their implementation of Institute-designed plans and outline the effective strategies that enabled them to achieve their goals.  The annual “Proposal Writing Institute” assists individual faculty and administrators in drafting proposals for submission to external funding agencies.  Teams of faculty members and administrators from 12-15 institutions participate in the annual “Institutionalizing Undergraduate Research” Institute to design plans to initiate or expand undergraduate research programs or institutionalize research activities.  Participating teams in the biennial “Vital Faculty: Issues after Tenure” Institute seek to modify faculty development programs to include post-tenure faculty.   CUR facilitators at each Institute aim to share a range of best-practice approaches and models and to assist participants in formulating personal goals and institutional action plans to address specific needs. 

Civic Engagement and Undergraduate Research:  Many faculty and their undergraduate students have joined with local and global communities as partners in research projects.  The sessions under this sub-theme will explore the growing area of civic engagement in research (sometimes known as community-based research, action research, public scholarship, or research-focused service learning).  Workshop sessions discussing the full range of local to international projects and programs are welcome. Sessions might include information on finding research partners in the community, beginning and sustaining a program, successful programs and best practices, ethical issues surrounding research, how these programs change community and college/university relationships, and program assessment.

Presentations at the meeting will utilize one of the following formats: 

Workshop: A workshop is designed to be a “hands-on” session where presenters serve as facilitators and engage participants in reflection, discussion, and activities. A workshop might begin with a brief introduction of a common issue, a set of data, and/or a proven method in a particular setting and then spend the majority of the session engaging participants in activities that will lead them to their own insights and understandings of the topic.  Workshops that enable participants to consider how to apply and/or adapt the ideas presented to their own institutions or careers are encouraged.  The allotted time for a workshop is two hours, and presenters are asked to consider offering their workshop twice during the conference.  Handouts and visual aids are recommended.

Interactive Session:  An interactive session is structured to involve specific interactions with the audience.  In addition to a period of time for questions and answers, presenters should consider involving the audience through such mechanisms as brainstorming exercises, group discussion, and/or mini-surveys or polls.  These interactions encourage the exchange of ideas and the opportunity to gain multiple perspectives and insights on a common topic or theme.  The time allotted for interactive sessions is 75 minutes, and presenters are asked to consider offering their session twice during the conference.  Handouts and visual aids are recommended.

Poster Presentation: This poster session is intended to afford presenters a relaxed atmosphere where attendees can share their ideas with other faculty and administrators across a wide variety of disciplines and institutions. Posters are intended to promote both an increased opportunity for interactions among individuals doing related work as well as an increased appreciation of the work being done across diverse disciplines. All posters will be displayed throughout the conference in a common area. Two “formal” poster sessions will be scheduled for specific blocks of time on two days during which presenters are expected to be available at their poster to discuss their work with other conference attendees for part of each time block.  Handouts and other visual material in addition to the poster are encouraged.

Disciplinary Research Poster Presentation:  This poster session will be conducted during the departmental open houses and will enable participants an opportunity to share the results of recent research investigations with colleagues in their own disciplines. 

Presentations in any of the above formats are invited. While submissions addressing the sub-themes of the conference will be given priority, submissions on other topics will also be considered.