Research Partnership between Teaching-Centered and Research-Intensive Schools

Abstract

This paper describes a model of providing research experiences to undergraduate students by partnering a teaching-centered institution with a research-intensive school. Selected students from the teaching-centered institution spend ten weeks during the summer doing research in a specific laboratory at the research-intensive school. These experiences give the students a quality research experience, allowing students to learn how scientific knowledge is gained and to improve problem-solving and critical thinking skills. The students have a shared experience and continue to discuss ideas related to their research after returning to school the next fall. They share their experiences with students and faculty at their school and give presentations at undergraduate research conferences. This model has advantages over sending students to conduct research at unrelated institutions.