Collective Undergraduate Research: A Teaching / Learning Tool For MSE Students
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"Collective Undergraduate Research: A Teaching / Learning Tool For MSE Students" Wafeek Samuel Wahby Eastern Illinois University, School of Technology Charleston, Illinois Abstract A new experiment to implement and collectively publish undergraduate students' research was started at the School of Technology, Eastern Illinois University in the Fall of 1998. A summary of the procedures followed in this experiment, its assessment and its progress are presented. Collective research publications, authored by undergraduate engineering students and edited by their faculty can be used as an effective teaching / learning tool that benefits students/authors, their peers, faculty/editors, local and other institutions, and industry at large, particularly when this research is interactively posted on the Internet. Through a research study format, undergraduates learn the subject matter much better, become familiar with research methods and techniques early in their careers, and polish their technical writing abilities. As the experiment also fosters teamwork and peer collaboration and evaluation, undergraduates sharpen their oral communication skills through group discussions and in-class presentations. The experiment provided an opportunity for students to independently select and research a particular topic and helped them discover the research resources and reference materials available on the subject matter. As one of the few creative opportunities offered in a class, this experiment presented a variety of learning environments to undergraduates and helped promote their creativity and selfdirected learning. It was confirmed that most undergraduate students hold unlimited potential for success as researchers, and that enthusiasm, hard work, self-motivation, and dedication of students are likely to constitute better indicators of success than the conventional grades they earned in the past. I.
Introduction
On the first week of the Fall '98 semester (August 1998), students in certain classes within the School of Technology at Eastern Illinois University were instructed to prepare literature research reports as a part of their coursework requirements. These classes include: • • •
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INT 1043 “Engineering Graphics” INT 1413 “Technological Systems” INT 2200C “Materials Science” INT 3970 “Building Construction: Materials, Equipment, and Methods”
Students were informed that one of the goals of this requirement was to compile and publish these reports as part of a collective undergraduate research project. The topics presented in the research papers were varied, covering a wide spectrum of each subject matter. The effort and the wealth of information that the students put into their work not only gave them good comprehension of the subject matter, but also sharpened their scientific research skills. The outcome, in some instances, exceeded the expectations for the experimental publication project presented herein.
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