Understanding the Benefits and Barriers of Undergraduate Research in Statistics

• Activity Number: 153 - Creating and Sustaining an Undergraduate Research Program
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, July 30, 2018 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistical Education
• Author(s): Kelly McConville* and Joseph Nolan and Vittorio Addona and Nathan Tintle and Dennis Pearl
• Companies: Swarthmore College and Northern Kentucky University and Macalester College and Dordt College and Penn State University
• Keywords: undergraduate research; statistics education

Abstract

An ever increasing number of undergraduate students are interested in participating in research experiences during their studies. As statistics faculty and their home institutions plan for the increased demand for undergraduate research opportunities, it is important to understand the current barriers to increased faculty involvement and what institutional incentives have proven successful in minimizing these barriers. To better understand the perceived benefits, barriers and incentives to participation in undergraduate research, we conducted a survey of statistics educators from a variety of academic institutions. In this talk, I will summarize our findings and discuss the current landscape of undergraduate research in statistics across the different types of institutions. I will discuss possible measures, such as partial course credit and faculty summer stipends, that can be taken at one's home institution to overcome the most commonly experienced obstacles and to increase faculty interest and participation in undergraduate research.