Undergraduate Research as Capstone: Marking Trends and

Developing Strategies Henry Biggs, PhD

Associate Dean and Director, Undergraduate Research

Washington University in St Louis PEW Symposium: March 3-5, 2006

HTTP://UR.WUSTL.EDU

Profile of Washington University

• Approx 5,000 Arts & Sciences Undergraduates

• Formation of Undergraduate Research Office –2005

Thumbnail of Research Activity:Defining the Data

• How is following data for “research” defined?– Independent Study, Independent Work– “Honors Research” – Course, with “Research” in the title, e.g.,

“Research Seminar”, “Introduction to Research”

*ALL* Research Experiences in Arts & Sciences Last 5 years

486521 548 575

518570

529

654

573

682

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

SP01 FL01 SP02 FL02 Sp03 FL03 Sp04 FL04 Sp05 FL05

All Research NS Last 5 Years

149 148160

202

141

171160

206

183

227

0

50

100

150

200

250

SP01 FL01 SP02 FL02 Sp03 FL03 Sp04 FL04 Sp05 FL05

Follow up Questions

• Nice trendline, but how advanced is the research being conducted?

• Who is doing it?

300, 400, 500 Level Research Enrollments Over Five Years

300 level400 level500 level

Research By Department Over 5 Years

Chem 132

EPS 98

Math 156

Physics 33

Bio 625

PNP 14

Env Studies 65

Mind/Brain 177

Notes

• Note that pie charts are cumulative from last 5 years; previous graphs are trendlines

• Heavy 500 Research, approx 50%

• Heavy Bio Research, also approx 50%

• Not surprisingly, highest cumulative enrollment is in Bio 500

• Finally, what are summer research opps?

Summer Math and NS Research

34 36 38 39

76

33

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

SU2000 SU2001 SU2002 SU2003 SU2004 SU2005

Summer Research Opps

– Hoopes—new– Goldman—New– Beckman– HHMI– All REU’s Not Included, data pending, believe

will be significant– Isolated Individual Scholarships from alumni

Strategies

WU STRATEGY 1: MAXIMIZE SUMMER RESEARCH OPPS

– WHY? The most focused of all research opps available so best capstone experience; promotes rigor, self-efficacy

STRATEGY 2: OVERCOME/ATTACK

STUDENT FEAR FACTOR

• Encouraging more students that they are worthy of participating in a lab and being part of a research experience.– Smoothing the channels

• Online access to opps• Online access to appts• Calls to students meeting criteria—”here’s your

research opp”

STRATEGY 3: INCREASE FUNDING TO PROMOTE

STRATEGY 1!

• Working with A & D to ask sponsors for single undergraduate summer research experience

• Grantwriting—focus on new UR Office as Collaborative hub

Why Research as Capstone?

• NSF notes benefits of research, but has it been tested and documented?

Effects of Types of Research

• Elizabeth Berkes, Washington University• (eberkes@wustl.edu)• Students who participate in biology laboratory internships

have a significantly higher self-efficacy score than students who have not interned in a biology laboratory.

• An increase in Biology Self-Efficacy has a significant positive impact on desire to persist in science.

• Early data suggests that simply working in a lab does not have such an effect—it is only the more involved lab research experience that promotes self-efficacy and improves persistence

Undergraduate Research as Capstone: Marking Trends and

Developing Strategies Henry Biggs, PhD

Associate Dean and Director, Undergraduate Research

(Washington University in St Louis) PEW Symposium: March 3-5, 2006

HTTP://UR.WUSTL.EDU