Introduction

Jenny Olin Shanahan & Ellen Scheible,

Bridgewater State University

Building Writing and Communication Skills in Undergraduate Researchers

doi: 10.18833/spur/5/4/12

Effective communication of research findings is an essential feature of undergraduate research. It also is one of the most challenging skills for mentors to teach and students to develop. We are pleased to introduce this special issue of SPUR, which offers multidisciplinary methods and examples for building writing and communication competencies in undergraduate research experiences.

The assessment article conveys the transformative learning that occurs when students present their research. Research by Kendra Stiwich and Victoria Ross (Vancouver Island University) shows that presenting at campus symposia can foster a sense of belonging at the university. They offer recommendations for adapting showcases of undergraduate research to help students feel supported and valued as members of the campus community.

In the practice section, we feature two articles about incorporating elements of undergraduate research into other evidence-based learning practices. Jing Tian, Yiheng Wang, Yingzhe Lei (Wuhan University), and Chang Ren (Civil Aviation Flight University of China) present a case study about applying principles of inquiry-based learning (IBL) to the design of undergraduate research experiences in geographical information science. The authors explain how China’s goals to improve the quality of higher education inspired their efforts to integrate IBL with undergraduate research to encourage students’ innovative thinking. Quentin Sedlacek (Southern Methodist University) and Corin Gray, Viviana Vigil, Bethsabe Gonzales, and Corin Slown (California State University, Monterey Bay) show how elements of course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs), such as discovery, iteration, and collaboration, can be incorporated into faculty development as well as student learning. They find that the goal of developing CUREs across multiple departments can be attained by structuring faculty learning like a CURE.

The vignettes describe an array of curricular and cocurricular possibilties for students to communicate their research with diverse audiences in various modalities. Emily Sendin (Miami Dade College) outlines a podcasting experience for first-year writing students that connects those early researchers with campus organizations dedicated to environmentalism and sustainability. Sendin’s students research, write, and produce the Urbanites podcast on ecological issues affecting local communities. Lorraine S. Wallace and Benjamin R. Templeton (Ohio State University) discuss a visual abstract assignment that teaches medical research communication strategies. They explain how creating graphical summaries of methodologies and findings helps students make their research understandable and engaging for general audiences.

In the next vignette, Natasha Oehlman (California State University, Monterey Bay), Heather Haeger (University of Arizona), Quentin Sedlacek (Southern Methodist University), and Lily Amador (California State University, Monterey Bay) examine how writing reflectively about research contributes to identity development and self-efficacy in students from traditionally underrepresented groups. The authors find that reflective writing and structured peer feedback enhance the high-impact practice of undergraduate research. Ambria C. Crusan and Megan Baumler (St. Catherine’s University) describe a collaboration between their nutrition and dietetics students and a community health clinic serving uninsured individuals. Undergraduate researchers developed a nutrition assessment tool to meet the needs of patients in culturally inclusive, just, and ethical ways.

Neal Harmeyer (Purdue University) shares a vignette about undergraduate researchers utilizing materials from university archives and special collections. Students in various courses learn from faculty and archivists how to conduct archival research related to past student life, institutional history, and collections of personal papers and records and then publish their work on course websites. Pheroze Unwalla (University of British Columbia) discusses a Middle East studies research workshop that guides students through the research and writing process, resulting in a conference paper. Unwalla explains that students in the workshop, which is paired with a course in Middle East studies on decolonization, also learn to challenge prevailing power structures and how to create more inclusive practices.

The final vignette by Melissa Pilgrim’ (University of South Carolina, Upstate) discusses the practice of students giving and receiving constructive feedback in the dissemination stage of research. Pilgrim finds that review processes successfully prepare students to present at conferences and publish in an undergraduate research journal.

The book review of Scott Lanning and Caitlin Gerrity’s Concise Guide to Information Literacy, 3rd edition, by Christine Edwards (University of Central Oklahoma) applauds its clarity, accessibility, and simplicity in presenting complex concepts. Edwards recommends the text as a useful resource for improving information literacy.

This special issue underscores the point that research must be cogently communicated to fulfill its purpose of advancing human understanding. As part of the research process, undergraduate researchers need to disseminate and circulate their work to diverse audiences of peers, scholars, community members, and other stakeholders. That practice transforms undergraduates into scholars engaged in the exchange of ideas. We are grateful to the authors published in this issue for sharing inspiring practices for guiding undergraduate researchers in the critical endeavors of writing and communication.