UR @ EdCC

What is Undergraduate Research?

We define Undergraduate Research as “an inquiry or investigation by an undergraduate in collaboration with a faculty member that stimulates original thinking, fosters creative approaches to problems, and furthers understanding of research and creative inquiry as a process.” Such inquiries may be on questions original to the field of study or they may be questions new to the students for which the supervising faculty knows the answer. The point is to capture the students by engaging and supporting their curiosity with meaningful hands-on projects and, along the way, equipping them with research skills. As, Dr. Thomas Murphy, the chair of our Anthropology Department puts it, “Instead of teaching what Anthropologists do, teach the students to be Anthropologists.” To learn by doing with the goal of developing a research mindset before transfer.

We employ a number of modes to support student undergraduate research: course-based projects are often associated with community-based service learning, honors contracts between individual students and instructors that take place in a class, and special projects courses (often honors) that allow for a year-long research arc. All students are invited to present posters at our annual Showcase of Student Learning which is sponsored by the Honors Program, our local chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, and the Undergraduate Research Student Association (URSA).

Our students have presented their work at regional and national conferences including the UW Seattle and Bothell Undergraduate Research Symposia, the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR), and the Stanford Research Conference.

EdCC is a member of the Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative Community College (NSF#1524353) and is generously supported with grants from the Edmonds Community College Foundation and support from the Center for Student Engagement and Leadership and the Learn and Serve Environmental Anthropology Field (LEAF) School.

Getting Involved

• Talk with your instructors about doing an undergraduate research project
• Join the Undergraduate Research Student Association (URSA)
• Present your work at the Annual Showcase of Student Learning

Contact the Honors Director (hnrs@email.edcc.edu) for details.

Resources for Undergraduate Research Students

• A guide to getting involved in undergraduate research (from the American Psychological Association)
• "Tips ’n Tricks for a Successful Undergraduate Research Experience" (from Boston University)
• EdCC Institutional Review Board (IRB) - (for those of you thinking about research involving human subjects
• EdCC Undergraduate Research Poster Template (download)

Learn More About Undergraduate Research

• Investing in Impact: The Power of Undergraduate Research Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative (CCURI) and Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), 2015.
• "Undergraduate Research at Community Colleges." Cejda, Brent D., George Boggs, James Hewlett, Kalyn Owens, Ann Murkowski, Penny Coggins, David Brown, Patricia Ann Mabrouk, and Nancy Hensel. The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), 2009.
• Grobman, Laurie, and Joyce A. Kinkead. Undergraduate Research in English Studies. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2010. Print.
• "High-Impact Educational Practices." Association of American Colleges & Universities. N.p., 18 Feb. 2015. Web. 07 Oct. 2016.
• Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative (CCURI)— www.ccuri.org
• Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) — www.cur.org