URD Summit | UNIV TLC

Friday, March 23 – Saturday, March 24

Focus areas:

Course-base Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs)
Diversity and Inclusion
Assessment

The UNC System-wide Undergraduate Research Development Summit will serve as a catalyst for design and implementation of proven pedagogical tools, Research Skills Development and Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). These tools encourage deep learning; enhance abilities to work effectively in teams to solve problems; and promote effective communication of the research, scholarly or creative process and their results, all while improving retention and graduation rates. The overarching goals of the Summit are to 1) promote the development of a diverse range of Undergraduate Research skills for implementation by faculty across a wide array of disciplines and at different points in students’ academic careers; 2) create a network of Undergraduate Research developers on each partnering campus, as well as across the whole of the UNC System; and 3) provide a system-wide two-day event to bring together a community of faculty and administrators from a variety of disciplines to discuss best practices in Undergraduate Research.

The specific goals of the Summit are for participants to 1) learn about the effectiveness, design and integration of Research Skills especially in lower and intermediate classes, 2) learn about discipline-specific Undergraduate Research design, 3) design, develop, and exchange ideas for Undergraduate Research across the disciplines, 4) develop a network of Undergraduate Research facilitators through interaction and work-sharing, 5) design and map Undergraduate Research through a departmental/program curriculum, and 6) assess the outcomes.

Session Themes

Assessment: Strategies for evaluating undergraduate research projects, using data to improve the experience or providing feedback for funding support.
Diversity and Inclusion in Research: Effective strategies for promoting diversity-serving undergraduate research, undergraduate research that informs diversity issues, collaborations that have brought in diverging perspectives to undergraduate research.
Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences: Methods, approaches, courses, and practices that have proven very effective in achieving learning outcomes that incorporate undergraduate research. This can include the retooling of existing courses, applied research in courses and embedded research projects within courses.

Schedule Overview

Friday March 23, 2018		Bryan Building
11:00 – 12:30	Check in at Registration	Room 122
12:30 – 1:30	Opening Plenary Session	Room 122
1:30 – 3:00	Concurrent Sessions 1 & 2	Rooms 122 & 213
3:00 – 3:20	Break
3:20 – 5:00	Concurrent Sessions 3 & 4	Rooms 122 & 213

Saturday March 24, 2018
8:00 – 8:30	Check in at Registration	Room 212
8:30 – 10:10	Session 5	Room 212
10:10 – 10: 30	Coffee Break
10:30 – Noon	Concurrent Sessions 6 & 7	Rooms 212 & 213
Noon – 1:15	Lunch (on your own)
1:15 – 2:30	Concurrent Sessions 8 & 9	Rooms 212 & 213
2:30 – 3:00	Closing Plenary Session	Room 212

Full Schedule

Dr. Beth Ambos
CUR Executive Officer

Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Beth Ambos
Executive Officer of the Council on Undergraduate Research

Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) L. Ambos will deliver the keynote address entitled “Building Undergraduate Research Support: Practical Strategies to Align Policies, Time, and Money.” Dr. Ambos became CUR’s fourth Executive Officer in May 2012, after a career in higher education that always included undergraduate research. As an undergraduate student at Smith College, she found the undergraduate research paradigm one of the best ways to learn, and when she later became a geology professor at California State University, Long Beach, she actively sought ways to establish and expand undergraduate research opportunities for her students.

She was attracted to CUR first as a faculty member, because of the opportunity to interact with like-minded faculty who were passionate and practiced in their approaches to embedding research into student learning. As she transitioned to administrative positions, she continued and deepened her relationships within CUR, through publishing in CUR Quarterly, and connections to the NSF CCLI II Regional workshop programs, and then to the CCLI III Systems and Consortia project. Now, as Executive Officer, her deep commitment to and appreciation for the dynamic and rapidly evolving CUR organization and its essential mission have grown! The great staff and volunteer leaders; CUR’s high-quality programs, publications, and advocacy; and the promise of expanding, sustaining, and realizing the full potential of undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activities, are CUR’s vital attributes.
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