Rewards and Lessons Learned
NSCC’s undergraduate research program is clearly in its infancy, yet the rewards for students, faculty members, and the college have surpassed all expectations. Each year for the past three years, a new cohort of NSCC students have presented their research projects at the University of Washington Undergraduate Research Symposium. The number of students participating steadily increased from four students in 2006, to seven students in 2007, to 32 students in 2008. Upon completion of a second year of research, the first cohort of students was selected to present its research in Washington, D.C., at the CUR-sponsored Posters on the Hill Symposium. Students not only presented their work at the poster symposium, but also met with state Congressional members to discuss the benefits of conducting research early in the college experience.
The rewards for students reach far beyond symposium presentations. Anecdotal reports indicate that major transformations occur that involve altering and solidifying educational and career goals and students’ viewing themselves as competent and capable participants in the scientific community. Students have reported immediately pursuing research experiences when they transfer to four-year institutions and doing so with confidence and knowledge of the process from beginning to end. Students also report the benefits and joy that accompany working as a part of a community and building lasting friendships and working relationships with peers. These peer groups tend to remain cohesive into a second year at NSCC and, in some cases, well beyond their time at the college.
The rewards for faculty members are centered on their growth as mentors and teachers, as well as the energizing spirit derived from open-ended and inquiry-based investigations that are new and interesting to all parties involved. Due to the nature of NSCC’s collaborative approach, faculty members work closely with each other to create possibilities for students. Co-creating these possibilities for communities of learners brings an aesthetic to the teaching profession that is difficult to reproduce outside of this context. Faculty members are also driven by deep feelings of satisfaction when students quickly transform into critical, responsible, and reflective thinkers who successfully function within the scientific community. In short, faculty members have the opportunity to work closely with colleagues and students in a learning environment that fosters creative and critical thinking, and ultimately pushes everyone involved to a new level.
Although it is early in our progression towards institutionalizing undergraduate research, the benefits to the college are becoming increasingly clear. The Atoms to Ecosystems program helped the college to be recognized by the state and obtain additional “high profile” STEM funding. Our undergraduate research program was also recognized by CUR as a regional leader in providing such opportunities for community college students. NSCC was accepted into CUR’s Regional Workshop Program on Institutionalizing Undergraduate Research and has hosted a regional meeting to foster these same partnerships amongst other interested community colleges. Participation in these programs has allowed faculty members and administrators to form relationships with other institutions and gain much-needed perspective on the challenges and opportunities involved in creating and nurturing undergraduate research programs.
Our program at NSCC has progressed quickly to involve more than 30 students. Although this progress appears to be a success story, the college continues to struggle with how to sustain and then expand the program to include even more faculty members and students. We believe that it is vital, as the program moves through this period of growth, that the focus remain on student learning, not on a faculty research agenda or college priorities. We also believe that working with college leadership on issues of teaching load, resources, and time commitments should occur early in the process and that laboratory staff should be included in all discussions during the planning phase. Continual assessment of student gains and perceptions of learning should be embedded in any undergraduate research program, providing a powerful tool to bring together faculty members and other key participants for rich conversations about student learning. The unique challenges of the community college setting require that research programs be student-focused and centered on available resources. This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for interested faculty members to involve outside experts and stakeholders in creating mutually beneficial relationships that both expand and deepen the research experience for students. The creation of these deep, meaningful experiences takes time, energy, and vision. Faculty members interested in developing an undergraduate research program should look to their colleagues, students, administrators, staff, and community to find allies with whom to create rich, synergistic partnerships around student learning, thus expanding the tremendous benefits to be had from authentic, student-centered research experiences early in the academic careers of science students.