A Case Study of the Perceptions of Learning Outcomes of Student Participants in an Undergraduate Research Initiative at City University

Undergraduate research is an area of increasing interest and focus in postsecondary education. Hands-on undergraduate research initiatives are believed to lead to learning outcomes that serve the student in a number of ways, including career choice, employability and tools for lifelong learning. They also advantage employers by facilitating the development of skills that have been identified as desirable for the receptor-community into which they choose to enter, whether that is academia, government, industry, not-for-profits or entrepreneurial activity. There is growing demand from all stakeholders to know what benefits, if any, accrue from participation in undergraduate research programs. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to describe and evaluate the experiences, perceptions and attitudes of participants (n=175) in a case study of the Undergraduate Research Initiative (URI), a full-time, non-curricular, twelve-week summer project, driven by the research interests of students who are mentored by a faculty member, at City University in Ontario. The study aimed to determine the scope of effects on skills and learning outcomes across a diverse range of disciplines (n=40) from the student perspective. Inquiry was based on identifying learning outcomes as reported by participating students; the extent to which perceptions varied by faculty/discipline; the extent to which perceptions aligned with university undergraduate degree level expectations (UUDLEs) as set out in Ontario's Quality Assessment Framework; and the extent to which students' expectations were met by the URI program. An additional area of interest was to examine the synergies and gaps between reported student learning outcomes, university undergraduate degree level expectations, and workplace-identified skills. Findings from this study showed that perceived learning outcomes as a result of participation in the URI program covered a broad spectrum of themes and comprised all three domains (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor) identified by Bloom (Bloom, 1956). The fact that the URI experience led to the development of skills recommended in the UUDLEs guidelines, speaks to the value of the program for accountability purposes. The universality of impact of the URI program across disciplines was somewhat unexpected, but is a strong argument for the importance of program design in meeting objectives.Ph.D