Assessing Undergraduate Research

Mentoring and engaging undergraduate students in authentic research in mammalogy

“…CUR defines an undergraduate research activity as: "A mentored investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduates that seek to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge" (www.cur.org). This comprehensive definition emphasizes the mentoring relationship rather than the intellectual content or the structure of the scholarly inquiry (Osborn and Karukstis 2009;Hensel 2012). One of the reasons undergraduate research is considered a high-impact practice is because it fosters relationships between faculty and students that promote high-level learning including problem-solving and analytical thinking (Kuh 2008;Lopatto 2010;National Survey of Student Engagement 2021).…”