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Abstract:
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Undergraduate research (UR) initiatives face many challenges. For example, junior faculty worry that the value of such research and its outcomes may be viewed as inferior to more traditional research. Moreover, it takes time to train students, many of whom are close to graduation when they are ready to contribute; this could lead to an inefficient use of one's resources, and there is a danger of incomplete final products. Many of these issues are exacerbated at liberal arts colleges: there are no graduate students to provide a link between undergraduates and faculty, and students do not typically possess the depth of statistical coursework in comparison to peers from R1 schools. UR, however, represents a unique opportunity to expose students to the independent scholarship model, and inspires them to pursue statistics. Liberal arts faculty who engage in UR reap benefits in their teaching, as envisioned from the teacher-scholar model. In addition, faculty learn of the multitude of venues available for dissemination of this work. In my talk, I will discuss my experiences advising students in research, and discuss strategies for success in working with liberal arts undergraduates.
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