Research Experience for Undergraduates – Motivating and Retaining Bright Engineering Students

Abstract

From 1997–2000, the National Science Foundation has funded a research program at Florida International University with the purpose of encouraging bright engineering undergraduates to pursue graduate degrees and careers in engineering. The program was initiated because of a realization that the first two years of the undergraduate curriculum is full of math-intensive courses that undergraduates find to be very difficult and often perceive them as irrelevant. As a result, many good students get disillusioned with engineering and transfer to other majors. Our hypothesis is that if they get involved in applied projects early in their academic programs and have a chance to participate in real engineering design, they will be motivated to complete their engineering degrees. The long term success of the REU program cannot be measured until the careers of these students are established. However, immediate results can be seen both quantitatively and anecdotally. At the completion of each academic year and summer session, participating students Fill out questionnaires about their experience in the program and their plans for the future. Their responses indicate a strong likelihood for retention in engineering. The students' actions also indicate success. Several of the students have pursued internships and other extra curricular activities in the subject areas of their projects, suggesting that they plan to pursue these areas further. Early participation in research projects clearly provides motivation for students.

Exploring the Experience of Undergraduate Research: A Case Study Using facebook

“…Undergraduate research experiences have been shown to help prepare and recruit students for graduate study; [7][8][9] to engage and retain engineering undergraduates; [10][11][12] to connect students with faculty mentors; [13][14][15][16] and to help students understand research in a broader context. 17,18 Typically, undergraduate research experiences are evaluated through surveys of students and mentors, or from feedback gathered after various program activities.…”

“…This prompt was inspired in part by prior research indicating the importance of helping students set goals and work through challenges as part of successful undergraduate research experiences. [10][11][12] Many students responded to this prompt with goals related to research publications. Some, like STUDENT-B, had high hopes for the summer: "My goal is lofty: to get a data set good enough that it can be used in a publication.…”

“…In reviewing these conversations, we were not surprised by students' views that participating in undergraduate research was a good way to explore and prepare for graduate studies -many previous researchers have found similar sentiments in surveys of undergraduate researchers. [7][8][9][10][11][12] What was most interesting about these conversations was the glimpse of students' thought processes; for instance, several commented that they were surprised about the different pace of full-time research, when compared to taking undergraduate classes. It was also interesting to see some negative comments and perceptions about the difficulty of getting into a good graduate program -and whether obtaining a graduate degree would necessarily lead to a job or career.…”

The Mentoring Experience: Finding Value in Guiding Undergraduate Researchers

“…[4][5][6] Participating in undergraduate research can also help retain and engage students, particularly those in populations that are historically underrepresented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). [7][8][9][10] One important component of successful undergraduate research experiences is that students are able to develop a mentoring relationship with faculty, graduate students, and/or other researchers who can provide guidance during the research process. 1,[11][12][13][14][15] Often, these mentoring relationships persist over time and become a source of feedback and support as students navigate academic, professional and personal pathways.…”

Undergraduate Research Experiences: Qualitative Results from a Multi-Year Survey

“…4 Participating in undergraduate research is also a proven strategy for recruiting and retaining students from diverse backgrounds into STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields. [5][6][7][8][9] Well-structured undergraduate research programs provide opportunities for students to engage in knowledge discovery, production and meaning-making. 10 Undergraduate research programs can also promote what Hodge, Baxter Magolda, and Haynes 11 have described as an engaged learning approach:…”