Research Experience for Undergraduate Students and its Impact on STEM Education
2014; Volume: 15; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1557-5276
Autores Tópico(s)Engineering Education and Curriculum Development
ResumoAbstractResearch experience has been proven to be effective in enhancing the overall educational experience for undergraduate students. In this article, two engineering research projects with undergraduate students' involvement are discussed. The projects provided the under-graduate student researchers with motivation for independent research work and learning experiences in the areas of sensor characterization, analog and digital filter design, electronic circuit design, printed circuit board layout, and feedback control design. The students also helped a faculty member conduct research work and develop curricular materials. The seamless combination of learning, research, curriculum development, and outreach based on the research projects illustrates the importance of research with the involvement of undergraduate students.Keywords: undergraduate research, curriculum development, simulation, data acquisition, control and instrumentationI. IntroductionThe importance of undergraduate research has been studied by many educators over the past two decades (Bauer & Bennett, 2003; Cox & Andriot, 2009; Gray et al., 1996; Lopatto, 2003; Lopatto, 2007; Mogk, 1993; Nagda et al., 1998; NSF, 2003; Russell et al., 2007; Seymour et al., 2004; Teller & Gates, 2001; Tomovic, 1994; Tuss & Smalley, 1994; Zydney et al., 2002). Because of the importance of undergraduate research, the National Science Foundation has a special program, Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), to sup- port efforts in this area (NSF, 1990; Russell et al., 2005; Singer et al., 2003). It sponsors both REU sites and REU Supplement for NSF-funded research proj- ects. REU is getting more and more attention from educators. One of the main benefits of REU that has been extensively discussed in literature is its impact on a students' decision to pursue a graduate degree and a career in the sci- ence, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce (Boylan, 2006; Fitzsimmons, 1990; Gonzalez-Espada & Zaras, 2006; Hathaway et al., 2002; Hunter et al., 2006; Kremer & Bringle, 1990; Lopatto, 2004; Zydney et al., 2002). Other benefits include student retention , research skills learned by students, and learning other skills such as teamwork, communication, and presentation (Nagda, 1998; Hunter et al., 2006; Hackett et al., 1992). Hackett et al. (1992) studied several impacts of undergraduate research and compared it with cooperative educational experiences for engineering students. Boylan (2006) provided an informative survey on undergraduate research. While there is overwhelming evidence provided in literature for the value of undergraduate research, more research is needed in providing practical case studies to illus- trate how to use research to achieve the intended benefits. It is also important to study all these impacts on different majors. Schowen (1998) studied REU for chemical sciences; Zydney et al. (2002) and Hackett et al. (1992) studied REU impact in engineering; Hunter et al. (2006) studied REU impact on social sciences; Gonzale-Espada et al. (2006) studied REU in meteorology; Teller et al. (2001) studied REU for computer science; Lopatto (2004) studied REU for chemical sciences; and Mogk (1993) studied REU for geology. After review- ing the literature, it is evident that there is always something in common, as well as something unique, for REU in different majors. No study was found for engineering technology (ET) majors.For ET majors, only a very small percentage of students went on to get graduate degrees. Most ET graduates pursue careers in engineering and tech- nology related industries. Research skills and soft skills such as teamwork and communication, are very important for ET graduates.As Hunter et al. (2006) pointed out, the design of student research projects is critically important to success. This is particularly the case for ET programs. Typically, ET students have strong hands-on capability, but they are not always motivated to conduct theoretical analysis. …
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