Quality Enhancement Plan
SACSCOC On-Site Review: March 11-13, 2014 Louisiana State University Quality Enhancement Plan March 2014
Developed by Louisiana State University and A & M College in preparation for reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Foreword from President and Chancellor of Louisiana State University and A&M College The changing landscape of higher education provides a pivotal opportunity for flagship universities to renew their commitment to student learning. Our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) will increase students’ opportunities to participate in undergraduate research in ways that significantly advance their knowledge, abilities, and capacity for lifelong learning. The plan transforms student learning by adapting courses and curricula in a manner that takes advantage of the wealth of research activities always in progress at LSU. Development of the high-level skills and abilities associated with effective research ensures their emergence from the baccalaureate experience well prepared for the challenges they will face in the 21st Century workforce. Participation F. King Alexander in undergraduate research will deepen contact with faculty and President and Chancellor reinforce the prospect that students will acquire the ability to expand knowledge, create innovations, and effectively communicate findings. This plan strongly affirms our commitment “to be a leading research- extensive university” that challenges students “to achieve the highest levels of intellectual and personal development.”
Many individuals worked tirelessly on this project. The university is indebted to the faculty, students, staff, and administrators who served on The SACSCOC Steering Committee and The QEP team, whose dedicated effort, thoughtful feedback, and creativity resulted in this impressive, promising plan. Thanks are due also for the contributions of numerous others from LSU colleges, departments, and administrative groups, and from private-sector partners. Finally, special recognition is due to the primary authors of this document: QEP team chair, Carol O’Neil; QEP implementation committee members Nancy Clark, Randy Duran, Jori Erdman, Sarah Ferstel, Bobby Matthews, Janet McDonald, Elaine Smyth, and Vince Wilson; and the staff of the Office of Communications & University Relations.
As one who greatly benefited from participation in undergraduate research, I am delighted to lead the LSU community in the launch of “LSU Discover.”
1 Louisiana State University QEP
Table of Contents Foreword and Acknowledgments...... 1 I. Executive Summary...... 4 II. Introduction...... 5 II.1 Introduction to the University...... 5 II.2 The LSU Faculty...... 6 II.3 LSU Students...... 7 III. Institutional Process to Identify Key Issues and Select the QEP...... 9 III.1 Overview...... 9 III.2 Assessing Existing Data and Data Collected by the QEP Team to Identify Opportunities to Improve Student Learning...... 9 III.3 Conferences Attended and Acquisition of Information from External Sources...... 16 III.4 Solicitation and Evaluation of Initial and Final Concept Papers...... 16 III.5 Further Assessment of the Final Two Concept Papers...... 16 III.6 Existing Undergraduate Research Programs at LSU...... 17 III.7 Focus Groups and Pilot Studies...... 18 IV. LSU Discover SLOs...... 19 IV.1 Definition of Undergraduate Research...... 19 IV.2 SLOs...... 19 IV.3 Primary Methodology for Assessing LSU Discover SLOs: The Digital Response Folio...... 20 IV.4 Learning E-Portfolio...... 21 IV.5 SLO5 and the Student’s Digital Self-Representation as Competent Researcher: The Digital Self (exclusive to mentored students and select degree programs)...... 21 IV.6 Overview of QEP Program Activities...... 22 V. Literature Review and Best Practices...... 23 V.1 Review of Literature...... 23 V.2 Best Practices...... 25 V.3 Best Practices at Other Institutions...... 26 VI. Actions To Be Implemented...... 27 VI.1 Co-curricular Opportunities...... 27 VI.2 Curricular Transformation...... 32 VI.3 Mentored Undergraduate Research...... 40 VI.4 LSU Discover: Research Day...... 49 VII. Timeline: A logical calendar of actions to be implemented...... 54 VIII. Project Management...... 59 IX. Resources...... 63 X. LSU Discover Assessment...... 65 XI. References...... 71 Appendices...... 76
2 Table of Contents
TABLES Table II.A LSU’s Vision and Mission Statements and Selected Flagship 2020 Goals...... 6 Table III.A Timeline of Selecting the QEP at LSU and Finalizing the Report...... 10 Table III.B Results from University Learning Competencies, 2012...... 12 Table III.C Comparison of LSU First-year and Senior Responses with Carnegie Class Peer Group Responses for Select Questions Related to Undergraduate Research or Skills/Accomplishments for NSSE 2011...... 13 Table III.D Results from Employer/Advisory Board Survey April, 2013...... 14 Table III.E Students’ Ranking of What They Think Is Most Important for Faculty to Improve...... 15 Table III.F Conferences Attended and Information Gathering from External Sources...... 16 Table IV.A Overview of LSU Discover Activities...... 22 Table V.A LSU Discover Activities Based on Best Practices of Other Institutional Programs...... 26 Table VI.A.1 Introduction and Awareness Activities...... 29 Table VI.A.2 Skill Set/Knowledge-base Building Activities...... 30 Table VI.A.3 Research Community Cultivation and Networking Activities...... 31 Table VI.B.1 Examples of Revised Integrated Curriculum within a Field of Study...... 34 Table VI.B.2 Examples of Revised Research Methods Course...... 35 Table VI.B.3 Examples of Revised Content Course...... 36 Table VI.B.4 Activities from ENVS 1127 Pilot...... 38 Table VI.B.5 Activities from ARCH 4700 Pilot...... 39 Table VI.C.1 SLOs, First Semester of Mentored Undergraduate Research...... 47 Table VI.C.2 SLOs, Second, and Subsequent Semesters of Mentored Research...... 47 Table VI.C.3 SLOs, Terminal Semester of Mentored Undergraduate Research...... 47 Table VI.D Research Day Timeline...... 53 Table VII.A Timeline by Activities...... 55 Table VII.B Timeline by SLO...... 56 Table IX.A Budget...... 64 Table X.A General Schedule of Assessment and Related Artifacts...... 67 Table X.B Student Achievement in SLOs Rubric...... 67 Table X.C Overview of QEP Activities...... 68 Table X.D QEP Learning Outcomes & Related Interventions...... 69 Table X.E SLOs and Assessment...... 70 FIGURES Figure III.A Student Survey data...... 15 Figure III.B Faculty Survey data...... 15 Figure IV.A Examples of Three Customized College Logos...... 19 Figure IV.B The Integrated System of Digital Response Folios...... 20 Figure IV.C Example of TaskStream Primary DRF...... 21 Figure VI.A Anticipated Number of Mentored Students in LSU Discover Per Year...... 43 Figure VI.B Majors Per Tenure-track Faculty Member by Selected LSU Academic Departments...... 44 Figure VIII.A LSU Discover Project Management...... 59 Figure X.A Organization of LSU Discover Assessment...... 65 APPENDICES Appendix A Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Team...... 76 Appendix B Original Two-to-three Page Concept Papers...... 78 Appendix C Rubric for Scoring Initial Concept Paper...... 79 Appendix D Updating the University Community and Soliciting Feedback...... 80 Appendix E LSU Discover Assessment Committee...... 82 Appendix F LSU Discover/AACU Ethics Rubric...... 83 Appendix G QEP Implementation Committee...... 84 Appendix H Marketing Timeline...... 85 Appendix I Council on Co-Curricular Activities...... 86 Appendix J College Advisory Board...... 87 Appendix K Survey of Academic Department Chairs...... 88 Appendix L Research Day Poster Rubric...... 89 Appendix M Student Advisory Board...... 90 Appendix N General Schedule of Assessment and Related Artifacts (SLOs 2-5; continued from Table X.A)...... 91 Appendix O Student Achievement in SLOs Rubric (SLOs 2-5; continued from Table X.B)...... 92 Appendix P SLOs and Assessment (Curricular Transformation, Mentored Research and Research Day; (continued from Table X.D)...... 94
3 Louisiana State University QEP
I. Executive Summary Louisiana State University and A & M College (LSU) presents this plan for significantly improving student learning outcomes (SLOs) through strategic reorientations of teaching, mentoring, and curricula that take advantage of one of the signal strengths of the university: its extensive research mission. Through LSU’s implementation of this five-year Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), students will develop understanding of research and its essential role in the improvement of life, have broader and earlier opportunities to become involved in undergraduate research, become involved in focused multiple-semester mentored research experiences, and learn to present new knowledge they have had a part in creating. The four integrated themes of co-curricular activities, curricular transformation, mentored research, and Research Day will improve undergraduate achievement through implementation of research experiences that constitute innovations in teaching and learning campus- wide. Grounding these educational interventions in five SLOs and associated valid assessment methods ensures that this effort will transform student learning in a direction commensurate with the institution’s compelling research mission. Discovery and learning stand as two of the four goals of Flagship 2020, the strategic plan that corresponds to LSU’s status as the state’s flagship university. Together they indicate an integration of student learning and research that reinforces the institutional mission of producing engaged citizens and enlightened leaders at the highest levels of intellectual and personal development. The choice of undergraduate research was thus a crucial one that strongly reinforces the interrelation of these two goals.
TOPIC SELECTION AND SLOS The QEP team solicited proposals from stakeholders across the campus in a process that produced a total of 22 original concept papers. With input from the entire LSU community, including the Faculty and Staff Senates, Student Government, and the Dean’s Council, a deliberate multi-step process resulted in the selection of undergraduate research as the QEP for 2014-2019, with the program branded LSU Discover. A QEP implementation committee combined broad input from campus constituents with a careful review of extant literature to develop the four integrated themes. These themes comprise a multifaceted program for accentuating undergraduate research opportunities through implementation of specific heuristic innovations across the undergraduate experience. The educational interventions are grounded in five SLOs through which students will develop the ability to (1) identify and effectively evaluate essential supporting information and/or literature sources associated with a research project; (2) utilize tools and strategies for gathering and evaluating data, and apply the results to the solution of the research problem; (3) demonstrate awareness of the responsible conduct of research; (4) identify and describe an original disciplinary or interdisciplinary research question; and (5) articulate research findings through written, visual, performance, or oral presentation.
ASSESSMENT An integrated system of student digital response folios (DRF) comprises the primary method for both formative and summative assessment of LSU Discover’s SLOs. Additionally, faculty will use a rubric- based method to evaluate participating students’ formal presentation of the results of their research during a public Research Day event on the LSU campus.
MANAGEMENT Housed in the LSU Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED), LSU Discover also reports to LSU’s Office of Academic Affairs. Several new professional positions will provide formal coordination for the endeavor. LSU Discover is also supported by four advisory committees that will institutionalize support and provide a two-way conduit for broad-based feedback.
4 II. Introduction II.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE UNIVERSITY Louisiana State University and A & M College (LSU) is located in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, which has a population of nearly 450,000 or nearly 10% of the people living in the state.1 Located on more than 2,000 acres in the southern part of the city, the university is bordered on the west by the Mississippi River. The university has more than 250 principal buildings. Original campus architecture,with its tan stucco walls and red tile roofs characteristic of the Renaissance domestic style of northern Italy, features buildings housing classrooms and administrative offices grouped around a double quadrangle and connected by colonnaded passageways. Design of recent campus structures has succeeded in blending contemporary features with this older style of architecture.
LSU is recognized as the state’s premier research university by the Board of Regents’ Master Plan for Public Postsecondary Education.2 It is also one of only 73 public institutions classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Research University–Very High Research Activity3 (unique in Louisiana); and it is a land- (1882 Morrill Land-Grant Act),4 sea- (1978),5 and space-6 (2005) grant institution. Recognized as the flagship university of the Louisiana State University System, LSU is the only comprehensive research institution in Louisiana.7
LSU serves the citizens of Louisiana by pursuing its goal of being recognized nationally as one of the leading public universities in the South and as one of the top public universities in the nation. LSU can also model the highest aspirations of higher education as a learner-centered, faculty-and-staff- supportive, research-intensive, diverse university, with a continuous commitment to public service. A primary institutional goal is to continue to lead public higher education in Louisiana in undergraduate education, graduate and professional education, research, service, and economic development. This multifaceted environment links teaching and learning to the research of the faculty in the ongoing effort of the institution to extend academic excellence across time.
5 Louisiana State University QEP
LSU’s Vision, Mission Statement, Flagship 2020, and Strategic Plan: The vision and the mission of LSU7 support an integration of research and learning that covers the entire LSU community. This dynamic challenges not only the graduate program, traditionally linked to research and learning, but also the undergraduate program to increase research efforts. In 2003 LSU adopted the National Flagship Agenda, which recognized the university’s unique role, scope, and mission as the leading academic institution in the state. This agenda articulated goals for achieving regional and national recognition in a number of areas, including research and undergraduate and graduate instruction. The document inspired a commitment to excellence among the faculty and staff and generated within the state recognition of LSU’s importance as the state’s flagship campus. An extension of the initial National Flagship Agenda, Flagship 2020 focuses on the goals of learning, discovery, diversity, and engagement and additionally articulates an intentional integration of the first two goals— research and learning8 (Table II.A). For example, the performance indicators of Flagship 2020 include the number of undergraduate students that are involved in a research experience at LSU. Moreover, the institutional strategic plan, guided by Flagship 2020, focuses on how the university can improve its undergraduate research and educational enterprise to make it more nationally competitive.
Table II.A: LSU’s Vision and Mission Statements and Selected Flagship 2020 Goals*
The vision of LSU is to be a leading research-extensive university, challenging undergraduate and graduate students to achieve the highest levels of intellectual and personal development. The mission of LSU is the generation, preservation, dissemination, and application of knowledge and cultivation of the arts. In implementing its mission, LSU is committed to offer a broad array of undergraduate degree programs and extensive graduate research opportunities designed to attract and educate highly-qualified undergraduate and graduate students; employ faculty who are excellent teacher-scholars, nationally competitive in research and creative activities, and who contribute to a world-class knowledge base that is transferable to educational, professional, cultural, and economic enterprises; and use its extensive resources to solve economic, environmental, and social challenges. Flagship 2020: First and Second Goals: Discovery: Expand discovery through transformative research and creative activities addressing contemporary and enduring issues that shape the way we live in the world. • Increase nationally-recognized research and creative activities. • Expand interdisciplinary solutions to significant social, environmental, economic, cultural, and educational problems. • Increase partnerships with industry to develop intellectual property and foster commercial applications. Learning: Enhance a faculty-led and student-centered learning environment that develops engaged citizens and enlightened leaders. • Increase the number of students with strong skills in critical thinking, creative problem solving, and effective communication. • Produce greater numbers of students who become intellectual and civic leaders. • Broaden faculty, staff, and student engagement in a rich intellectual and creative campus culture.
* Flagship 2020 goals 1 and 2 relate directly to the QEP; there are a total of 4 goals.8
II.2 THE LSU FACULTY The university has 1,436 full-time and part-time faculty members—approximately 89% of whom have terminal degrees.9
LSU’s distinguished faculty includes members of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Mathematical Society Fellows, and Fellows of the American Chemical Society.10 Among the faculty are those who have won prestigious awards, including Fulbright Scholarships11,12 and national teaching awards.13,14
6 Chapter II Introduction
An important measure of any Research I institution is the amount and sources of sponsored research. LSU’s external sponsored programs funding during FY 2011/2012 was $142.8 million. (The LSU Medical Schools—located in New Orleans and Shreveport—LSU Health Sciences Center, the LSU Dental School, and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge are separate campuses, so this figure does not include their sponsored programs funding). Funding for research also includes support from national sources, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Department of Homeland Security, and NASA. LSU is forging new frontiers in hurricane response and preparedness, bioscience, national security, technology, literature, coastal sciences, and genetics. At any given time, there are more than 2,000 sponsored research projects being conducted by the more than 6,000 faculty and graduate students at LSU.15
II.3 LSU STUDENTS Currently more than 27,000 students are enrolled in the university’s senior academic colleges and schools, graduate and professional schools, and the interdisciplinary Honors and University Colleges and Division of Continuing Education. LSU’s 10 senior academic divisions are the College of Agriculture, the College of Art & Design, the E.J. Ourso College of Business, the School of the Coast & Environment, the College of Engineering, the College of Human Sciences & Education, the College of Humanities & Social Sciences, the Manship School of Mass Communication, the College of Music & Dramatic Arts, and the College of Science. In addition, LSU has two graduate-level professional schools: the LSU Graduate School and the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine.16
At LSU, bachelor’s degrees are offered in 70 major fields; master’s degrees are offered in 76 major fields; and doctoral degrees are offered in 48 major fields. Since its first commencement in 1869, LSU has awarded more than 239,000 degrees. The university produces approximately 24% of Louisiana’s baccalaureate graduates, 22% of the master’s graduates, and 57% of the doctoral graduates. From summer 2012 to spring 2013, a total of 6,093 degrees were awarded. Of these degrees, 74% were baccalaureate degrees; 19% were master’s degrees; 0.16% were post-master’s certificates; 5% were doctoral degrees; and 1.3% were professional degrees.17
The university attracts approximately 13% of the state’s total enrollment in higher education, with LSU students coming from many racial/ethnic backgrounds. The student body consists of students from every parish (county) in Louisiana, all 50 states, and more than 100 foreign countries. The average age of undergraduates is 21 years; however, many older students also pursue degrees at LSU. The student body is approximately 52% female. The racial/ethnic breakdown is 3% Asian, 11% non-Hispanic black, 5% non-resident alien, 5% Hispanic, 0.3% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 0.09% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 73% non-Hispanic white, 2% two or more races, and 0.7% unknown.18
7 Louisiana State University QEP
College of Engineering
College of Art & Design 8 III. Institutional Process for Identifying Key Issues and Selecting the QEP
III.1 OVERVIEW As part of the reaffirmation process, the QEP team (Appendix A), responsible for selection of the QEP, and the SACSCOC steering committee,19 responsible for developing the Compliance Certification, were appointed to obtain broad-based input from faculty, administrators, staff, and students. The QEP team chair serves on the steering committee as a liaison between both groups. During the selection process, several parallel tracks were undertaken by the QEP team (Table III.A): (1) assessing existing data and data collected by the QEP team to identify potential opportunities to improve student learning; (2) attending SACSCOC institutes/meetings and gathering data from external sources—including a consultant; (3) updating the university community on the reaccreditation process and soliciting feedback from broad-based constituencies; and (4) soliciting and evaluating concept papers from the university community for potential QEPs. After the potential topics indicated in the concept papers that were submitted to the QEP team were narrowed and evaluated by the team, the team re-assessed the potential topics in light of (1) the university’s mission and goals, (2) existing and collected data, and (3) how the topics would complement or extend existing programs at LSU.
III.2 ASSESSING EXISTING DATA AND DATA COLLECTED BY THE QEP TEAM TO IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO IMPROVE STUDENT LEARNING III.2.1 University Learning Competencies LSU has six learning competencies that are addressed initially in general education courses and, as stated in the LSU general catalog, are “refined and focused in disciplinary courses taken during the junior and senior years, with the intention that all graduates, regardless of major, will develop a set of intellectual abilities, a degree of sophistication, and a civic-minded perspective that correspond to the high level of functionality represented in the outcomes taken as a whole.” An LSU graduate will be able to: “1) demonstrate effective communication of complex knowledge and ideas through written, oral, visual, and technological media; 2) demonstrate an understanding of historical, cultural, and philosophical complexity which supports sophisticated discourse; 3) conduct research-based inquiry, including articulation of complex disciplinary and interdisciplinary problems, effective evaluation and analysis of primary and secondary sources, and integration of relevant information into original discourse; 4) employ scientific and mathematical methods and technology in the resolution of laboratory and real-world problems; 5) demonstrate an understanding of the factors associated with global interdependence, including economic, political, psychological, cultural, and linguistic forces; 6) have the knowledge, skills, and disposition which attest to a commitment and ability to recognize and to participate in processes which improve the civic life of communities.” 20
These competencies are assessed annually by means of a rubric-based evaluation process through which scoring criteria are applied to samples of work produced by a random sample of graduating seniors in classes taken during their final semester of study. Individual student portfolios are reviewed by at least two assessment committee members who separately submit rubric scores for each of the learning competencies being assessed. When these scores vary by more than one point, another reconciles the score. Data obtained from this assessment protocol directly speak to the level of actual attainment of the university learning competencies at the time of graduation (and in QEP, will be complemented by analogous measures of some of the same students who go on to research).
9 Louisiana State University QEP
Table III.A: Timeline of Selecting the QEP at LSU and Finalizing the Report (continues on next page)
Date Event Comment 10.07.11 O’Neil appointed as chair of QEP Team Team charged with their responsibilities for the SACSCOC 11.07.11 QEP Team meeting* reaffirmation of accreditation
01.24.12 QEP Team meeting Community Moodle site available for team
Reports from working groups; faculty/staff/employers/ 02.09.12 QEP Team meeting advisory board surveys; discussion of NSSE data; sub- group formed to write broadcast email for concept papers QEP Team meeting: A broadcast email was sent to the faculty, staff, and students soliciting a short (2-3 page) 02.17.12 concept paper for a QEP project. The solicitation for General education report; review of survey drafts review was also available through the original QEP Website. Update on SACSCOC website; surveys finalized; report on 03.08.12 QEP Team meeting the assessment of mathematics at LSU. Each concept paper evaluated by at least three QEP 22 concept papers were received from nearly 40 groups Team members; scores of each concept paper tallied 03.23.12 or individuals (Appendix B) and were evaluated by the and concept papers ranked by score; four deemed QEP Team using a rubric (Appendix C) inappropriate as a QEP
Proposers with projects falling into the categories of Final review of the initial concept papers showed “Forging Connections,” “Student Engagement,” or 04.05.12 that acceptable concept papers fell into one of three “Undergraduate Research” invited to work together to overarching themes. develop a more formal QEP concept paper 04.16.12 QEP/SLO survey sent to students via broadcast email† 04.17.12 QEP/SLO survey sent to staff, faculty, and employers† 04.19.12 QEP Team meeting Review of concept papers Survey results were obtained from the Office of 04.30.12 Survey data are in Tables III.B-E, Figures III.A-B Assessment and Evaluation. Those with QEP concept papers falling into 3 overarching 05.11.12 themes were invited to draft a better developed QEP project. The two proposals scoring the highest were LSU-CREATE‡ Final rubric review (similar to Appendix C) of the three 07.16.12 (undergraduate research) and Student Engagement proposals was completed by the QEP Team. (Service-Learning and Internships). Strengths and weaknesses of all three final concept papers 09.05.12 QEP Team meeting were discussed. 10.30.12 The SACSCOC consultant met with the QEP Team. Consultant updated team on the QEP process. Presentations made by those proposing the two highest 11.6.12 QEP Team meeting ranked concept papers, LSU-CREATE‡,§ and Student Engagement
At the steering committee meeting, members were asked to score the two potential QEPs for their relationship to A straw poll was taken at the steering committee meeting 01.14.13 the LSU mission statement, Flagship 2020 goals, quality between LSU-CREATE and Student Engagement. of SLOs, ease of completion, accessibility, and financial implications. The LSU-CREATE and Student Engagement team At the Dean’s Council meeting, deans were asked to score members were asked to prepare executive summaries the two potential QEPs for their relationship to the LSU 01.15.13 of their potential QEP projects. A straw poll was taken at mission statement, Flagship 2020 goals, quality of SLOs, the Dean’s Council meeting between LSU-CREATE and ease of completion, accessibility, and financial implications. Student Engagement.
10 Chapter III Institutional Process
Table III.A: Timeline of Selecting the QEP at LSU and Finalizing the Report (continued)
Date Event Comment Receipt of executive summaries of LSU-CREATE 01.28.13 and Student Engagement proposals; deans asked to comment on these executive summaries
Deans’ comments were received on executive summaries ‡ The deans endorsed LSU-CREATE as the QEP. Clark 02.05-11.13 of LSU-CREATE and Student Engagement proposals; ‡ (part of the LSU-CREATE team) recused herself. feedback was solicited. QEP Team meeting: Executive summaries of the two 02.28.13 potential proposals were reviewed with team member QEP Team informed of the deans’ endorsement. comments. Votes were taken from the QEP Team and the steering ‡ The QEP Team and the steering committee endorsed LSU- 03.11-13.13 committee, and LSU-CREATE was endorsed as the ‡ CREATE as the QEP. QEP.
A memo was sent to the provost with the ‡ ‡ The provost forwarded the endorsement of LSU-CREATE 03.19.13 recommendation that LSU-CREATE be endorsed as the as LSU QEP to chancellor/president. LSU QEP.
Chancellor/President Jenkins approved LSU-CREATE‡ Invitations went out from the provost to form a QEP 03.21.13 as the QEP. Implementation Committee (Appendix G). The executive summary of LSU-CREATE‡ was sent to the 04.18.13 LSU Office of Communications & University Relations. SACSCOC consultant visit; QEP Team introduced to QEP 05.14.13 QEP Team meeting Implementation Committee SACSCOC VP was present; committee updated him on the 06.04.13 QEP Team meeting selection process for the QEP. Meeting with the LSU Office of Communications & 07.05.13 University Relations team for QEP Team was updated, and recommendations for QEP lead 09.27.13 QEP Team meeting investigator were solicited. Draft of QEP document emailed to Student Advisory 10.15.13 Board (Appendix M) and Student Government reading group for student feedback Draft of QEP document sent to the SACSCOC consultant 10.30.13 for comments Revised draft of QEP document sent to QEP Team, QEP Implementation Committee, and advisory boards; 11.08.13 reviewers supplied with scoring rubric for draft (based on SACSCOC guidelines) QEP Team meeting to review member comments on the 11.13.13 document Input from QEP Team, coupled with that of QEP 11.13-15.13 implementation Committee and SACSCOC consultant were included in final document. Final QEP report text sent to the LSU Office of 12.12.13 Communications & University Relations for final formatting/printing
* QEP Team Meeting minutes are available.
† The questions for the data used are supplied in the corresponding figure/table captions
‡ LSU-CREATE was later re-branded as LSU Discover.
§ At this time, Information Literacy was considered as a separate and combined component of LSU CREATE. Ultimately, Information Literacy and LSU CREATE were combined into the single QEP LSU Discover.
Abbreviations: CCELL=Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership; CAS=Center for Academic Success
11 Louisiana State University QEP
The extent to which the course of study has impacted the student’s attainment of the competencies is determined through an analysis of the data received from the assessment of graduating student portfolios cross-referenced to data from two standardized commercial assessments, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the Collegiate Learning Assessment.
Analysis of results from the 2012 assessment of the university learning competencies shows that there was a statistical difference among them (Table III.B). These results support the need for additional instructional emphasis on research-based inquiry in undergraduate study.
Table III.B: Results from University Learning Competencies, 2012
Learning Competencies Number Total Mean Variance 1. Communication 184 638 3.47 0.82 2. Historical, Cultural, Philosophical 87 305 3.51 0.60 3. Research 100 310.5 3.11 0.99 4. Scientific/Math Principles 89 311.5 3.50 1.01 5. Global Interdependence 71 241 3.39 0.86 6. Civic Responsibilities 20 69.5 3.48 1.99
p=0.025
III.2.2 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) The director of the Office of Assessment and Evaluation (OAE) provided all LSU NSSE data from 2011 to the QEP team. These data were discussed at the QEP meeting on February 9, 2012. Complete survey data are available in the OAE; in light of the ultimate selection of undergraduate research as the QEP topic, only data pertaining to this topic are presented in Table III.C.
The NSSE data suggest that, although many seniors had participated in practicums, internships, research projects, or capstone courses during their undergraduate study, they did not necessarily use these experiences to communicate, in writing, the results or the effects of those research experiences, nor did they have the ability to integrate and interpret information from those experiences. These are critical and integral elements of the research process, and the comparatively low scores when compared with those of students at other universities suggest that LSU students are not acquiring maximal heuristic benefits of such experiences.The more formal training that these students will receive through the QEP process outlined herein, coupled with more direct assessment of student learning, will help identify areas and aspects of learning to be improved during the students’ research experiences. This is a principal advantage to the research focus of the QEP.
12 Chapter III Institutional Process
Table III.C: Comparison of LSU First-year and Senior Responses with Carnegie Class Peer Group Responses for Select Questions Related to Undergraduate Research or Skills/Accomplishments for NSSE 2011. (2009 data also available on request)
Question Year LSU Carnegie Class NSSE
Practicum, internship, field experiences, co-op experience, or FY 0.07 0.07 0.07 clinical assignment SR 0.58 0.52 0.50‡
Work on a research project with a faculty member outside of course FY 0.06 0.05 0.05 or program requirements SR 0.24 0.24 0.20
Culminating senior experience (capstone courses, senior project or FY 0.02 0.02 0.02 thesis, comprehensive, exam, etc.) SR 0.40 0.29‡ 0.32‡
‡ ‡ Work on a paper or project requiring integrating ideas or FY 2.70 2.98 3.10 information from various sources SR 3.20 3.24 3.34‡
Making judgments about the value of information, arguments, or FY 2.82 2.88 2.95‡ methods, such as examining how other gathered and interpreted data, and assessing the soundness of their conclusions SR 2.98 2.97 3.05 FY 1.16 1.21* 1.27‡ Number of written papers or reports 10 pages or more SR 1.51 2.46† 1.62‡ FY 1.82 2.15‡ 2.20‡ Number of written papers or reports between 5 and 19 pages SR 2.36 2.46‡ 2.54‡
* p<0.05; † p<0.01; ‡ p<0.001
Abbreviations: NSSE=National Survey of Student Engagement; FY=first year; SR=senior
III.2.3 Employer/Advisory Board Member, Student, and Faculty/ Staff Surveys The QEP team developed three surveys that were e-mailed to specific groups: employers/advisory board members (n=45 respondents), to determine what knowledge or skills they wanted LSU graduates to have; students (n=443 respondents), to identify what elements of their instructional experience at LSU could be improved; and faculty/staff (n=666 respondents), to identify which practices could improve student learning or the learning environment at LSU.
The employer/advisory board survey provided respondents with a five-point Likert scale with categories ranging from not important (1 or 2) to very important (4 or 5). Representative survey questions and results are presented in Table III.D. Effective communication and critical thinking skills were ranked highly by respondents; not ranked as highly by them were the implementation of pedagogies associated with students’ acquisition of these skills. For example, respondents ranked a relationship between undergraduate research experiences and the following abilities or characteristics as “very important”: effective communication skills (98.6%),21,22,23 critical thinking skills (97.2%),21,22,23,24,26 integrity (88.7%),22,25 attention to detail (87.4%),23 life-long learning (85.9%),25 and personal initiative (85.9%).22 Employers clearly recognize significant benefits to student participation in undergraduate research, although they may not recognize how students can obtain these skills.26
13 Louisiana State University QEP
Table III.D: Results from Employer/Advisory Board Survey April, 2013
Not Important Very important 1 or 2 4 or 5 Requiring programs or instruction that develop effective communication skills 0% 98.6% Emphasizing programs or instruction that develop critical thinking skills 0% 97.2% Instilling a sense of integrity in our student’s academic/personal lives 1.4% 88.7% Developing work habits that emphasize attention to detail 1.4% 87.4% Instilling the concept of life-long learning and a love for intellectual pursuit 4.2% 85.9% Helping students develop a sense of personal initiative 4.2% 85.9% Requiring internships and co-op experiences to familiarize students with careers and the world 2.8% 81.7% of work Providing programs or instruction that promote interdisciplinary collaboration across disciplines 5.7% 81.4% and departments/units
Engaging students in rich intellectual experiences both inside and outside of the classroom 2.8% 74.7% Instilling an understanding and appreciation of diversity 5.6% 70.4% Providing experiences where teamwork and interaction with other students are a part of the 1.4% 68.6% learning experience Offering scholarly research opportunities for undergraduates 8.6% 68.6% Extending students’ scholarly pursuits to benefit our community, state, region, and the globe 4.2% 67.6% Engaging students in economic, social, and cultural activities 8.4% 62% Developing a sense of civic responsibility among our students 10% 60% Increasing participation in diversity programming 11.8% 54.5% Expanding supportive programs to minority, international, and first generational students 11.4% 51.4% Encouraging study abroad and national student exchanges 24.3% 38.5%
Regarding students’ responses, Figure III.A shows that, while approximately 43% found that the amount of research in classes is “just right,” approximately 51% found the amount of research to be less than “just right.” Table III.E, addressing what students regarded as important for faculty to improve, shows that, although research was not the highest ranked, it was important. Key elements associated with research, such as working with others and providing information from outside sources, were among the most important findings from students.
Through the faculty/staff survey, respondents were asked what they thought were the three most important programs for engaging students. Faculty felt that practicums were most important, with nearly 60% of the faculty responding positively; this response was followed by research, at approximately 46%, and projects, with just over 40% (Figure III.B).
14 Chapter III Institutional Process
Table III.E: Students’ Ranking of What They Think is Most Important for Faculty to improve
Area 1st (%) 2nd (%) 3rd (%) Use a variety of instructional approaches 26.4 30.5 43.0 Invite outside experts to class 41.9 35.4 22.7 Provide information about outside resources 41.7 38.9 19.4 Provide regular feedback 15.7 28.7 55.6 Work with others 43.6 41.0 15.4 Research and conduct content-based inquiry 32.0 38.7 29.3
Variety of Instructional Approaches Too Much
Experts to Class
Just Right Information about Outside Resources
Provide Feedback Too Little
Encourage Work with Other Students
Research
0102030405060 Percent
FIGURE III.A: Student Survey Data
Internships/Field Work 57.5
Help with Writing 55.5
Faculty Mentoring 41.3
Counseling 35.4
Class-Specific 34.1
How to Do Research 33.6
Specific Learning Strategies 29.9
Help with Presentations 26.9
Support Using Tech 23.9
Library 23.1
Major 21.8 0102030405060 Percent
FIGURE III.B: Faculty Survey Data
15 Louisiana State University QEP
III.3 CONFERENCES ATTENDED AND ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION FROM EXTERNAL SOURCES As part of the effort to understand more fully the QEP process, those faculty and staff members working on the QEP also attended conferences (Table III.F).
Table III.F: Conferences Attended and Information Gathering from External Sources
Date Event Attendees 12.03-06.11 Annual SACSCOC meeting in Orlando, FL Franks, Henry, Guillot, Matthews, O’Neil, Owens, Reeve 06.04.12 SACSCOC orientation meeting Bell, Henry, Monday, Reeve SACSCOC Summer Institute Quality Enhancement and 07.29-31.12 Henry, O’Neil Accreditation in Atlanta, GA 10.28-31.12 SACSCOC consultant to LSU 12.08-11.12 SACSCOC annual meeting in Dallas, TX Duran, Franks, Henry, Guillot, Matthews, O’Neil, Reeve
04.28-05.01.13 SACSCOC consultant to LSU 05.13-15.13 SACSCOC consultant to LSU 06.04-05.13 SACSCOC VP visits LSU SACSCOC Institute on Quality Enhancement and 07.20-23.13 Duran, Erdman Accreditation in Daytona Beach, FL 10.09-11.13 SACSCOC consultant to LSU Alexander, Bell, Duran, Ferstel, Franks, Henry, Guillot, 12.07-10.13 SACSCOC annual meeting in Atlanta, GA Matthews, O’Neil, Reeve
III.4 SOLICITATION AND EVALUATION OF INITIAL AND FINAL CONCEPT PAPERS Faculty, staff, and students were invited to submit brief (two-to-three page) concept papers for the QEP (Appendix B); invitations went out to the faculty via broadcast e-mails, a notice in LSU Communiqué, and the initial QEP Website. University alumni professors, chosen for excellence in undergraduate education, and targeted departments on campus, such as the Center for Community Engagement, Learning, and Leadership (CCELL), received individual invitations. Twenty-two concept papers were received. All concept papers were scored by at least three QEP team (Appendix A) members using a rubric (Appendix C) that included the problem statement, articulation with Flagship 2020, description of activities, measurable goals and outcomes, assessment methods, timeline, and estimated resources. The majority of the concept papers that were acceptable as QEPs could be included into one of three high-impact student engagement categories: first-year programs, undergraduate research, and student engagement via internships or service-learning. Authors of concept papers in these categories were invited to work together and submit a final concept paper. These, too, were scored using a rubric. The two highest scoring concepts were undergraduate research and student engagement.
III.5 FURTHER ASSESSMENT OF THE FINAL TWO CONCEPT PAPERS Following selection by the QEP team of these two potential QEP topics, both were assessed for correlation with the LSU mission, Flagship 2020 goals, existing assessment data, and how the topics would complement or extend existing programs. Overall, both potential topics were found to fit well with the mission and with the goals; however, undergraduate research was found to be a better fit with the opportunities identified through evaluation of existing data. Both topics were presented to the Faculty and Staff Senates and to the Student Government for informal feedback, and to the
16 Chapter III Institutional Process
QEP team, the SACSCOC steering committee, and the deans for formal feedback before the final recommendation was submitted to the provost. Appendix D shows a timeline of various interactions within the LSU community.
These groups were asked several questions for the purpose of comparing and contrasting the two proposals in terms of three categories of evaluation: (1) Institutional Mission and Planning: How well do the goals of this QEP proposal correspond to LSU’s institutional mission? Would accomplishment of this QEP directly improve institutional and student performance? If this QEP were successfully implemented, what is the likelihood that the results will be favorably regarded by LSU’s important stakeholders? (2) Goals, SLOs, and Assessment: SACSCOC requires that attainable goals that lead to measurable SLOs be the structural centerpiece of the QEP. Are the SLOs measurable and tied directly to institutional needs? How clear is the relationship between proposed activities of this QEP and the improvement of student learning, as tied to institutional needs? (3) Overall Evaluation of Acceptability: To what extent are the components of the plan acceptable or exceptional?
Other questions on leadership of the project and campus resources, including budgetary concerns, also were considered. Overall, the deans and the steering committee were unanimous in the choice of undergraduate research over engagement. Initially, the QEP team had been more divided, with 50% favoring undergraduate research, 30% favoring student engagement, and 20% split between the two projects; however, following discussion in QEP team meetings, the ultimate vote was a clear consensus for undergraduate research.
III.6 EXISTING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROGRAMS AT LSU Campus-wide mentored undergraduate research at LSU started in 1989 with 10 students supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Other programs followed: In 1992, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funding allowed the establishment of a statewide undergraduate research program administered by the Louisiana Sea-Grant College Program at LSU with 10 students per year in research areas that promote stewardship of the state’s coastal resources. This program, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP), continues; its purpose is to foster interest among talented undergraduate science students at LSU and other Louisiana universities in pursuing postgraduate studies in coastal and marine-related disciplines. In 1993, the U.S. Department of Education established the Ronald E. McNair Research Scholars Program at LSU, which has grown to support 30 students per year.
The growth of the campus-wide effort to involve undergraduates in research has been sustained primarily through grant funding in a handful of disciplines and through internal funding in several areas. For example, the College of Humanities & Social Sciences initiated the program “Aspiring Scholars Program in Research” (ASPIRE), while the College of Agriculture started an undergraduate research program that has supported over 150 student projects. Many non-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) students are supported by the “Chancellors Future Leaders in Research” (CFLR) program, which launched in 1998 and which funds each year a four-year research opportunity for approximately 50 high-achieving incoming first-year students.
LSU’s initial and subsequent HHMI awards and other programs have been invaluable resources to leverage extramural support in STEM areas, including NSF, REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates), and LSAMP (Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation) grants in biological sciences, mathematics, computer science, engineering, and chemistry. LSU also has been awarded two NIH ‘IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence’ grants through the National Center for
17 Louisiana State University QEP
Research Resources that include significant undergraduate research opportunities. In 2009 LSU received an NIH IMSD (Initiative for Maximizing Student Development) award, and in fall 2013 LSU received a site visit from the W.M. Keck Foundation for the first time for a coastal sustainability-based program involving the School of Architecture, the School of Landscape Architecture, the College of Engineering, the Honors College, and the School of the Coast & Environment.
The impact of these largely externally funded awards has been that mentored undergraduate research has grown to over 150 students now supported by extramural, summer, and academic- year programs across campus. A major summer undergraduate poster session that has run for many years now involves well over 100 posters and enjoys strong support, but occurs mainly in support of grant-supported summer programs and at a period when the majority of LSU undergraduates are not on campus. Another, more recent, fall poster session is operated under the university’s Office of Strategic Initiatives and was launched with a grant from the NSF. The QEP will afford more LSU students the opportunity to perform undergraduate research and, more importantly, will provide opportunities for enhancement and integrated assessment of the undergraduate research on campus, responding to the NSSE data of Section III.2.2.
III.7 FOCUS GROUPS AND PILOT STUDIES Focus Group Discussions To understand more fully the students’ knowledge and understanding of undergraduate research, four focus group discussions with 25 randomly selected students were held in the Office of Assessment & Evaluation. Overall, most students could explain what research is in general terms; however, they lacked an understanding of the role of research at LSU. Although they did not know what being a Research I university meant, they were aware that a large portion of the faculty conducts research in addition to teaching. Students displayed an understanding that there are different types of research, depending on the discipline. One major concern that the students had was that, if an undergraduate student at LSU wished to participate in research, s/he must seek out the opportunity to do so. Students also felt that some professors used undergraduate students as unpaid helpers to do menial and repetitive tasks, a situation that discouraged students who wanted to assist with research. Students desired more opportunities to help with research but did not want these opportunities to be limited to only a part of a class. Students who wished to attend graduate school expressed a need for more undergraduate research opportunities.
Pilot Studies Two pilots of the curricular transformation component currently (Section VI.2) are being conducted: one—associated with the B.S. in Coast & Environment, currently in its first semester—initiates students into a progressive multi-semester research curriculum through an introductory first-year course; the other—associated with the School of Architecture, currently in its 2nd semester—starts the multi-semester research process in the third year of the five-year program.Additional pilot studies in mentored research and Research Day are discussed in Sections VI.3 and VI.4.
18 IV. LSU Discover Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
IV.1 DEFINITION OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH Careful attention to existing literature on undergraduate research provided the basis for the functional definition used by LSU Discover:
At LSU, undergraduate research involves inquiries or investigations, conducted by undergraduate students, under faculty guidance, that solve problems, make original intellectual contributions, or make creative contributions to a discipline or practice.
This definition is consistent with formal scholarly discourse on the topic.27 Presentations to campus stakeholders and accompanying discussion revealed that, while no single definition of undergraduate research could capture the breadth of research activities, units were nonetheless comfortable with descriptors sufficiently broad to include the varying characteristic practices and specific valuing of research in disparate fields. For example, while departments in the College ofArt & Design may embrace the definition in the context of creative disciplinary or practical contributions, those in other colleges may find the focus on scientific or humanistic investigations more suitable.As an acknowledgment of the variety of approaches to research at LSU, the Office of Communications & University Relations collaborated with the leadership of each of the 12 colleges at LSU to develop customized college logos. Three examples are shown in Figure IV.A.
FIGURE IV.A Examples of Three Customized College Logos. From left, logos representing the College of Art + Design, the E. J. Ourso College of Business, and the College of Science.
IV.2 SLOS LSU Discover addresses the following SLOs. LSU graduates who have attained competence in the understanding and conducting of research will be able to
• identify and effectively evaluate essential supporting information and/or literature sources associated with a research project, (referred to in the following text as SLO1-literacy for ease of comprehension); • utilize tools and strategies for gathering and evaluating data, and apply the results to the solution of the research problem (SLO2-methods); • demonstrate awareness of the responsible conduct of research (SLO3-ethics); • identify and describe an original disciplinary or interdisciplinary research question (SLO4-idea); and • articulate research findings through written, visual, performance, and/or oral presentation (SLO5-communication).
19 Louisiana State University QEP
IV.3 PRIMARY METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING LSU DISCOVER SLOS: THE DIGITAL RESPONSE FOLIO (DRF) An integrated system of DRFs constitutes the primary methodology for both formative and summative assessment of students’ levels of attainment of the LSU Discover SLOs (see Figure IV.B). The focal point of this system is an electronic folio (e-portfolio) titled LSU Discover (primary) that is organized around the five SLOs. This folio serves both as a longitudinal receptacle of artifacts that students produce through formal participation in LSU Discover courses and programmatic interventions, and as a means through which program evaluators assess and report students’ achievement of learning outcomes. Each participating LSU Discover student is provided with an individual or personal digital folio organized on the same principle as the primary folio. Through the electronic interface of the primary DRF with the individual folio, students upload artifacts produced for faculty in the ordinary course of their studies, guided by instructions provided administratively by LSU Discover, by faculty mentors, and by faculty teaching in transformed curricula. Periodic evaluation of these artifacts in relation to specific LSU Discover SLOs is coordinated by the LSU Discover assessment committee (Appendix E) with support from the Office of Assessment & Evaluation.
Co-Curricular Activities Research Day
SLO 1,3 SLO 3-5
LSU Discover Digital Curricular Mentored Research SLO 1-5 Response Folio 3 of SLO 1-5 Transformation Student’s Digital Self
QEP Assessment Committee
FIGURE IV.B: The Integrated System of Digital Response Folios
Figure IV.C shows the format of the LSU Discover Primary DRF. The structure of the folio involves a section for each of the SLOs, which are listed horizontally on the left side of the page, with sub- sections for the two LSU Discover major interventions, “Mentoring” and “Curriculum Change,” residing below each outcome. For example, a student in a transformed curriculum taking a course that addresses SLO1-literacy would upload to the “Curriculum Change” sub-section under SLO1-literacy a file containing an annotated bibliography developed in response to a course assignment pertaining to this outcome. During a designated evaluation period, two faculty members independently score the bibliography using an electronic version of the rubric associated with SLO1- literacy (see also Section X). The basis of assessment is a separate detailed rubric for each of the five outcomes. Informed by Bloom’s hierarchy of learning domains, the rubric carefully demarcates
20 Chapter IV LSU Discover SLOs the degrees of student attainment of the outcome. GENERAL INFORMATION Each rubric is organized into rows of sub-categories of the outcome, with columns of information moving • SLO1-literacy: Knowledge of Lit across the page in a left-to-right diagram of succinct • Mentoring – Student Product(s) [SLO1] • Curriculum Change – Student Product(s) [SLO1] statements that reflect the level of learning, lower to higher, associated with the aspect of the outcome • SLO2-methods: Research Method represented in the row. (See Appendix F for the • Mentoring – Student Product(s) [SLO2] • Curriculum Change – Student Product(s) [SLO2] current draft of the rubric for SLO3-ethics.) For all assessments, teams of two reviewers assign • SLO3-ethics: Ethics of Research a score that corresponds to the indicated level of • Mentoring – Student Product(s) [SLO3] • Curriculum Change – Student Product(s) [SLO3] achievement for each subcategory of the outcome. Once all artifacts in a particular component of the • SLO4-idea: Define Research Idea assessment have been evaluated and reconciled, • Mentoring – Student Product(s) [SLO4] the scores for each sub-construct and for the overall • Curriculum Change – Student Product(s) [SLO4] construct or SLO are aggregated and reported to • SLO5-communication: Communicate Research the assessment committee for interpretation. Findings • Mentoring – Student Product(s) [SLO5] Results of this primary assessment process are • Curriculum Change – Student Product(s) [SLO5] triangulated with the results of various secondary assessments described in Section VI with the FIGURE IV.C: Example of TaskStream Primary DRF schedule of assessment for each outcome corresponding to the various longitudinal components of the five-year process.At a minimum, the relationship between specific LSU Discover interventions and students’ learning is evaluated at least yearly for each SLO through valid and reliable scrutiny of representative samples of students’ work. At the end of each academic year, the assessment committee evaluates the results of the various rubric-based assessments and reports results to the QEP director and implementation/operation committee and to the provost. The results are used formatively as the assessment committee distributes the results to academic units and faculty so that adjustments to details of the various LSU Discover interventions may be undertaken as suggested by the interpretation of the data.
IV.4 LEARNING E-PORTFOLIO Each LSU Discover student participating in mentored research develops and attaches to the appropriate space in the primary folio, once at the beginning of each semester of participation and once at the end, a short guided reflection on the current status of the student’s research interest. The expectation is that the individual student not only will grow in the direction of the SLOs as participation in LSU Discover advances across time, but also that, through repetition of the guided reflections and creative/research summaries, the student will become more adept at recognizing her/ his increasing research abilities and at writing about them, with the necessary result that insights into the complexity of the research problem will be enhanced. These advances in knowledge and ability necessarily increase in instances in which the mentor participates in a feedback loop that is available through the DRF system.
IV.5 SLO5-COMMUNICATION AND THE STUDENT’S DIGITAL SELF-REPRESENTATION AS COMPETENT RESEARCHER—THE DIGITAL SELF (EXCLUSIVE TO MENTORED STUDENTS AND SELECT DEGREE PROGRAMS) As each student progresses in the development of SLOs associated with LSU Discover research experiences, LSU Discover provides ongoing assistance in the development of a “digital self,” or personal e-portfolio, that essentially is an evolving representation or résumé that emphasizes professional experience and academic success. The digital self-image is informed fundamentally
21 Louisiana State University QEP by the student’s ongoing, systematic, “guided” documentation of the longitudinal learning process. Upon entering the LSU Discover process, the student acquires an account with TaskStream Learning Achievement Tools (funded for a four-year period via the QEP), through which the student uses the features of the platform to develop an ongoing representation of the personal, “digital self” as researcher, necessarily including particular aspects of the image the student would portray to the professional world. LSU Discover provides the student with the fundamental components that necessarily comprise the representational or digital self. The student adds selectively to this foundation other digital components as research skills and personal sophistication develop across time. Some degree programs participating in curricular transformation include the digital self as a staple component of the process of becoming an effective researcher. All students participating in mentored research are strongly encouraged to develop the personal e-portfolio to demonstrate attainment of SLO5-communication, and the necessary support for effecting this digital representation of the research undertaken through their participation in LSU Discover is readily provided to the student by LSU Discover and TaskStream support staff.
IV.6 OVERVIEW OF QEP PROGRAM ACTIVITIES Overall, LSU Discover enhances the SLOs introduced above in the context of the four major activities (Table IV.A). Each of these activities is further described in Section VI.
Table IV.A: Overview of LSU Discover Activities
Student Impact QEP Activities Purpose Alterations (What) Timing (When) Mechanisms (How) (Who)
Co-curricular Introduce large First – and Building student Years 1-5; Incorporation into Activities numbers of students second-year research-based emphasis on LSU 1001, LIS 1001, to research students learning skills through development of First Year Experience, courses, workshops, these activities will Residential online tutorials, and be on the front end Colleges, CAS, other events and development of workshops and tutorials
Curricular Promote research- Students Increased availability Years 1-5; pilot Departmental/ Transformation intensive course in degree of research-intensive programs in college QEP-funded, availability and programs, courses and architecture integrated curricular develop multi- from first-year permanent changes and coastal change proposals; semester, discipline- students to in degree program environmental Faculty QEP-funded specific training graduating curricula that enhance science began in course change in undergraduate seniors research training year 0 proposals research
Mentored Promote one-on- First year Increased number of Years 1-5; Development of Research one student mentor to seniors, students participating mentor workshops; relationships that last depending upon in mentored research increased number multiple semesters when the student and research-for-credit of faculty mentors; begins off-campus industrial mentorships; thesis/ capstone student recognition
Research Day Expose large All student Organized campus- Years 1-5; it is Development of numbers of students presenters and wide forum for students anticipated that workshops on to research; forum for all students to present their Research Day presentation skills; students to develop visiting the research and network will expand into forum for research presentations skills Research Day with other students, Research Week presentations; events, as well faculty, and community department research as faculty visitors “open houses”
22 V. Literature Review and Best Practices
V.1 REVIEW OF LITERATURE Regarding its classification as a Research I University, LSU has both the obligation and the responsibility to provide undergraduates with high impact educational practices, such as undergraduate research, as indicated in such resources as the Boyer report,28 which documents the high impact practices presented by Kuh.29 The NSF has also recognized the importance of involving undergraduates in research.30 When developing the proposed QEP, peer-reviewed literature and published educational reports and practices at other universities were studied. Practices identified are compared with the SLOs and with the planned strategies for implementing LSU Discover.
Research into educational practices that correlate with student learning, creativity, retention, graduation, and successful high level employment consistently demonstrates the strong heuristic value that formal research adds to the student experience. The impact of research on many outcomes for undergraduate students is well documented and it includes skills development,21 better retention and graduation rates,31,32 and a higher percentage of students going on to graduate and professional school.22,33,34 Hurtado, et al.,35 reported that institutionally provided, structured opportunities for research, especially biomedical research, were key predictors for the success of all early students, but particularly for African American students. In STEM fields, Thirty found that undergraduate participation in authentic research is an “effective way to socialize novices into the scientific research community” and help them “develop mastery, knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary to become a scientist.” 35
Participation in undergraduate research also increases students’ understanding of the research process and gives them increased confidence in their skills and abilities.35 Kardash found that, after participating in undergraduate research, students were more likely to be able to formulate a hypothesis, analyze data, orally communicate research results, and think critically.20 Similar findings were mentioned in other studies,25 notably that students who participated in undergraduate research over a three-year period “reported gains on skills such as design and hypothesis formation, data interpretation, and information literacy” along with professionalism. Improved problem-solving ability has also been shown in students participating in undergraduate research.24 In the LSU employer/ advisory board survey that helped to inform this QEP, respondents regarded effective communication and critical thinking skills as the two most highly desired outcomes (Section III.1).
An undergraduate research experience or other creative activity has also been shown to enhance personal growth beyond specific research skills.36 Students who had participated in an undergraduate research activity perceived the benefit as “very important” or “extremely important.” 25 Studies also have shown that participation in undergraduate research helps students define career goals and solidify the choice of a college major.34,38,39
Research experience for students in the sophomore year appears to be particularly effective,32 and earlier and longer involvement increases the positive effects.34 Students who participate in multiple semesters of undergraduate research increase their grade point averages in comparison to those who do not.40 Participation in undergraduate research has also been shown to be particularly effective for the retention and graduation of minority students with low grade point averages.32 Other studies reveal that most students who participate in competitive undergraduate research opportunities in the sciences and social sciences are those with higher GPAs.34 These examples argue strongly for broad-based, non-competitive, early preparations, such as those which inform LSU Discover.
23 Louisiana State University QEP
Although undergraduate research has always had the most traction in the STEM disciplines, research-rich campuses are increasingly recognizing the desirability of providing students with focused research opportunities across all undergraduate curricula. Students across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities have found participation to be positive, stating that the experience increased their problem-solving and communication abilities.31 Participating students in the STEM disciplines have tended to value acquiring technical knowledge of procedures and equipment, while those in social sciences/humanities valued opportunities to gain publication.31
Regarding undergraduate research and information literacy (IL)(SLO1), Grafstein states the importance of discipline-based IL (SLO1) instruction shared by librarians and teaching faculty in the discipline, noting that knowledge (as opposed to information) requires context for its existence41. Belanger found that, for many students, taking a research seminar involving library instruction was most valuable in helping them refine and explore research topics.42 In addition, assessment of students’ research processes was improved when librarians worked closely with faculty to embed information literacy assessments into course assignments. Farrell43 explored the relationship between generic IL and IL situated within a discipline, surveying literature that supports the use of both approaches and noting that generic offerings lead to discipline-based offerings as student skills increase. Morgan and Yakel, reviewing the literature on student use of primary source materials for research, documented the benefits of library instruction on student outcomes and attitudes.44
Writing about the value of high-impact practices, Kuh29 noted a tendency in the academy toward a “reshaping” of “courses to connect key concepts and questions with students’ early and active involvement in . . . research” for the purpose of involving “students with actively contested questions, empirical observation, cutting-edge technologies, and the sense of excitement that comes from working to answer important questions.”
In addition to analyses of undergraduate research and of strategies for incorporating active learning in general education and other large courses, there are growing efforts to holistically embed research-based education in disciplinary curricula. For instance, Walkington45 has considered the geography curriculum, Haag46,47 has considered factors that favor attrition or persistence in engineering, and Richmond48 comments on agriscience. LSU Discover will be informed by the peer- reviewed literature in the active learning area.
While the literature on digital or e-portfolios is more recent (fewer than 50 citations were found on e-portfolios), it is rapidly evolving. Early publications note value for non-traditional students,49 lifelong learning,9 and university-wide implementation.51 A range of aspects related to assessment and reporting characterize much of the literature, with attention to learning-style diagnosis,46 information literacy,53 faculty response,54 and longitudinal impact.55
24 Chapter V Literature Review and Best Practices
V.2 BEST PRACTICES In 2011, LSU became an institutional member of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), and in anticipation of a potential QEP theme on this topic, in May 2012 four members of what became the QEP implementation committee (see Appendix G) attended a CUR institute and conference on “Sustaining Undergraduate Research Programs” that exposed them to a range of national best practices, including those explicitly articulated by CUR in its “COEUR” document.60 These include (1) a long-term commitment by the institution to undergraduate research, (2) multiple opportunities for students to engage in research across their college careers, (3) inclusion of all disciplines, and (4) recognition of faculty effort in supervising research experiences, including receiving course credit and recognition of this effort in promotion and tenure procedures. Documentation for these best practices also recommend that faculty accompany students to conferences and advocate for public recognition of research accomplishments. Best practices in the curricula also should support a strong undergraduate research program. Appropriate classroom and lab training in necessary techniques within any discipline are essential. Additionally, existing laboratory classes should go beyond normal “canned” experiments and add real world problems to bring unity and a sense of discovery to the course. Finally, the document recommends workshops for students in topics such as research ethics, discipline-appropriate communication (e.g., papers, presentations, posters), and applying for funding. Other CUR publications address bringing undergraduate research into the classroom. These include offering writing experience relevant to the scholarly discourse of their discipline, employing research methods courses actually to gather and analyze real data, using real world problems in lab courses, and performing research as part of a capstone course.
LSU Discover, with its focus on specific SLOs, was conceived in accordance with established best practices and will continue to be informed by emerging best practices within its peer community. For example, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) established Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education56 that define IL as “the set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze, and use information.” The concept of discipline-based IL instruction, shared by librarians and teaching faculty in the discipline, stresses the idea that knowledge (as opposed to information) requires context for its existence.57 Many students taking a research seminar in library skills have noted that this manner of instruction was highly valuable in helping them refine and explore research topics.58 Moreover, assessment of students’ research processes was improved when librarians worked closely with faculty to embed information literacy assessments into course assignments. The ACRL competency standards, which align with LSU Discover SLOs, assert that an information-literate person should be able to determine the extent of information needed, access it effectively and efficiently, and evaluate it critically (SLO1-literacy); access and use information ethically and legally; and understand the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information (SLO3-ethics).
25 Louisiana State University QEP
V.3 BEST PRACTICES AT OTHER INSTITUTIONS This report is closely modeled on best practices established for undergraduate research programs. For example, in implementing its QEP on undergraduate research, the University of Houston surveyed the best practices across multiple institutions and employed CUR guidelines. Five best practices from the Houston effort include (1) a common, university-wide database of research opportunities available to undergraduates, (2) small grants made available for undergraduates for travel/research materials, (3) a university-wide event that showcases undergraduate research, (4) work-study support for students to participate in undergraduate research, and (5) multiple-semester research experiences. QEP implementation committee comparatively studied eight other institutions with either QEP efforts or long-standing undergraduate programs, yielding the examples in Table V.A that inform the LSU Discover interventions presented in the next section. The implementation committee also had extensive contact with the University of Houston and Florida Atlantic University regarding a range of best practices on several occasions.
Table V.A: LSU Discover Activities Based on Best Practices of Other Institutional Programs
LSU Discover Activity Institutional Model for Best Practices Florida Atlantic University, University of Houston, Co-curricular activities: introduction; skill-building; support Morehead State University, University of Central Florida
Curricular transformation: curricular change grant program; faculty University of Houston, University of North Carolina development Chapel Hill, Florida Atlantic University
Mentored research experience: mentoring database; workshops for University of Houston, University of Central Florida, mentors; partnerships with off-campus industry partners; thesis/capstone Florida Atlantic University, George Mason University, recognition Baylor University
LSU Discover Research Day: recognition for undergraduate researchers University of Washington, University of Houston, and mentors; exposure of large numbers of students to undergraduate University of North Alabama, George Mason University, research; development of communication skills for presenters Baylor University
26 VI. Actions to Be Implemented
VI.1 CO-CURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES VI.1.1 Summary of Current Co-curricular Activities Relating to Undergraduate Research at LSU and the Need for Such Activities Currently, co-curricular opportunities associated with undergraduate research are limited to communication-focused workshops hosted by the Communication Across the Curriculum (CxC) program and the LIS 1001: Research and Methods, a one-credit course offered by the libraries. Although LSU offers students a variety of workshops covering topics such as career exploration; reading and writing; learning; test-taking; and time, stress, and financial management, no general, university-wide, co-curricular support or scaffolding for participation in undergraduate research currently exists at LSU. This section will show how LSU Discover will create and coordinate research-focused, co-curricular opportunities to expand participation in undergraduate research by students in all colleges and programs. LSU Discover will establish new opportunities and publicize existing opportunities to all students. In addition, it will track student participation in research and inquiry activities, measure the impact of student participation, and recognize student successes. These activities have already begun, with several pilots currently underway that are discussed in the timeline in Section VIII and shown in a marketing timeline (see Appendix H).
VI.1.2 A Formal Structure for Co-curricular Activities at LSU The co-curricular activities of LSU Discover serve as important means of informing large numbers of students, particularly at an early stage in their college careers, about the benefits of undergraduate research and various institutional avenues for participation. The activities are modest in scope and specific in their content, making them easily accessible to students, with minimal initial investments of time and effort. Each activity gives students opportunities to learn about introductory elements of the nature of research and creativity, with emphasis on LSU Discover learning outcomes, including information literacy and the responsible conduct of research. Students are encouraged to participate in multiple activities, and via this process, develop knowledge and skills that increase the likelihood that they will eventually work with a faculty mentor in a multi-semester research experience. The co- curricular activities also enhance critical thinking skills and help students understand how research relates to the private sector in certain degree programs.
Co-curricular activities associated with LSU Discover are focused in three related and reinforcing initiatives: introduction and exposure; development of skills and knowledge-base; and cultivation of a strong LSU Discover community and support system, including peer mentoring, as well as networking outside the university.
To support these co-curricular efforts, the QEP implementation committee (Appendix G) has secured the collaboration of LSU Student Life & Enrollment—which includes Residential Life, First Year Experience [FYE], and the Center for Academic Success—the LSU Libraries, Communication Across the Curriculum, the Student Government Association, Greek Life, and curriculum-specific student organizations. To ensure good communication and coordination of efforts among the participants, the LSU Discover implementation committee has established a Council on Co-curricular Activities (CCA). The CCA includes representatives from among these collaborators, as well as the director and coordinator of LSU Discover and a representative from the Office of Communications & University Relations. (See Appendix I for the CCA membership.)
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With input from the CCA, the implementation committee oversees the implementation of co-curricular programs shown in Tables VI.A.1-VI.A.3.
VI.1.2.1 Initiative One: Implement introduction and exposure activities to ensure that students become aware of LSU Discover early in their undergraduate careers and that they are offered specific experiences designed to recruit them into participation in LSU Discover By expanding an array of co-curricular activities, LSU Discover increases the exposure of undergraduates to examples of • the personal and professional benefits that accrue from involvement in research as an undergraduate, • how other undergraduates are benefiting from participation in research opportunities, and • research opportunities that are open to undergraduates through coursework or mentoring.
Efforts focused on reaching incoming first-year students living in the residence halls on campus include training residential assistants (RA) to discuss LSU Discover opportunities and hosting residential college presentations by mentor/student pairs, alumni, and other professionals. For these students, as well as students living off-campus, LSU Discover also incorporates an introductory workshop, “LSU Discover: How to Get Involved.” The key contributors to these efforts are a librarian, detailed to LSU Discover; current faculty/student mentoring pairs; off-campus participants, such as industrial representatives and alumni; and Residential Life RAs.
The LSU Discover Implementation Committee/Operations Committee also collaborates with partners on campus, such as the Veterinary Medicine School; within the LSU System, such as the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD); and partners in business and industry who provide a combination of information about opportunities and contacts to help students connect with mentors and research-for-credit opportunities. These efforts, specified inTable VI.A.1, create networking/information pathways for students to become active in undergraduate research.
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Table VI.A.1: Introduction and Awareness Activities
Activity Frequency Planned Learning Activity Outcome Person Responsible # of Students
A. Residential college presentation Exposure to benefits, LSU Discover librarian, mentor/ Presentation 2x per by mentor/student pair specific to the opportunities, and themes student pairs, alumni, other year per hall; 360 residence discipline, or alum/other of undergraduate research professionals students/year minimum professional now employed in a research- (UR) intensive field
B. Visit to research facility such as Introduction, orientation LSU Discover director, LSU 2 field trips per year; Pennington Biomedical Research Center, to UR Discover coordinator, industry 80 students minimum ExxonMobil, CAMD, or production facility, partner such as Celtic Media Centre
C. LSU Discover: How to get involved, what Introduction, orientation LSU Discover librarian, LSU 2 workshops per year; to expect to UR Discover director, LSU Discover 40 students coordinator, faculty
D. Display in residence halls and Exposure to LSU Discover LSU Discover librarian, LSU 2 displays rotating Middleton Library of posters created by opportunities, recognition Discover coordinator, residence monthly; 5,000 undergraduate researchers from UR participation hall staff, and libraries staff students
E. Participate in ORED Science Café Exposure to LSU Discover LSU Discover Coordinator, LSU Outreach: 1 per year; by having an outreach table and/or Discover Director, other faculty 40 students minimum representatives from LSU Discover at each and student participants event
F. RAs in residential colleges discuss Exposure to LSU Discover LSU Discover librarian, LSU Personal interaction; LSU Discover as part of their mandated Discover coordinator, and RAs 600 per semester individual interviews with students in fall semester
Activity A will be piloted in year zero, while B and C will start in the first year. Activities D and E will start in the second year, while activity F will launch in the third year. For activity A, the LSU mentor database will be used initially to solicit faculty who have mentored in multiple research programs as described in Section VI.3.3.
VI.1.2.2 Initiative Two: Develop students’ skill sets and knowledge base via workshops and online tutorials Initiative Two broadens support for students involved in LSU Discover by providing them with co-curricular resources for building skills and knowledge. These resources include workshops and tutorials designed to improve information literacy (SLO1-literacy), develop understanding of the requirements of ethical conduct of research (SLO3-ethics), and develop communication and presentation skills (SLO5-communication). These efforts complement learning outcomes gained through curricular change and mentoring activities described in Sections VI.2 and VI.3.
Functioning as recruitment tools, these workshops will be open to all students, but where availability is limited, students already enrolled in LSU Discover (see Section VI.1.4 for enrollment) will have priority for participation. Online tutorials are a means through which LSU Discover provides broad- based support to participating students in a scalable manner. Development of these asynchronous online offerings will be led by a full-time, dedicated librarian, will involve collaboration with the Center for Academic Success (CAS), and will multiply the efforts of librarians and disciplinary faculty. Online offerings have the advantage of being available any time to students at their self-identified point of need.
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Table VI.A.2: Skill Set/knowledge-base Building Activities
Frequency, SLO Activity Examples Person(s) Responsible # students
1 G. Workshop or online Introduction to (1) library research LSU Discover librarian, CAS 2 x per semester, plus on tutorials (information methods; (2) developing critical thinking demand; 80 in person, plus literacy) skills, metacognition 240 virtual per year
1 H. One credit courses (1) LSU 1001: LSU Discover (2) LIS LSU Discover librarian, 2 per year each; 44 1001: Research Methods and Materials residence hall rectors, students each library instruction faculty
3 I. On-line courses (1) NIH human subject training; (2) Existing Responsible On demand; 120 student (ethics) responsible conduct of research; (3) Conduct of Research per year for each subject animal care; (4) biosafety Certification program tracked by LSU Discover coordinator
3 J. Workshop/ online The scientific method and ethical STEM faculty, LSU Discover 2 per year in person; 44 tutorial (Scientific conduct of research librarian students; on demand Method) virtual; 40 students
K. Workshop or online (1) Abstract writing workshops; (2) Mentors, CxC, LSU 8 per year in person tutorial (communication poster design workshops (3) how to use Discover librarian (2 of each workshop); workshops) presentation software effectively; (4) on demand virtual; 160 stand and deliver: public speaking for students in person; 80 the novice students virtual
Activity G will be piloted in year zero. In the first year, a basic array is offered (activities H and I), designed specifically to support participation in the campus-wide undergraduate Research Days described in Section VI.4. Activities J and K will start in year two. The basic array is augmented with subject-specific offerings developed in years two through five of the QEP, based on recommendations from faculty working with students participating in programs with changed curricula and those participating in mentored research.
Through SLO3-ethics, LSU Discover directly aligns with ongoing institutional efforts to enhance the training of researchers and will make use of LSU’s institutional subscription to Responsible Conduct of Research Certification and several related training programs through CITIprogram.org. These include area-specific training (Biomedical, Social and Behavioral, Physical Science, and Humanities responsible conduct of research courses, as well as the Responsible Conduct of Research Course for Engineers). LSU Discover will also link to an NIH course on human subject training.
Activity K involves the sessions listed here and workshops in support of SLO5-communication and of the Research Day activities discussed in Section VI.4:
• Symposium Information Sessions: Introductions to Research Day, the application process, and event procedures • Abstract Writing Workshops: Instruction in abstract-writing, including information on determining what constitutes an abstract, how to write one, and what information to include • Poster Design Workshops: Instruction in how to design a poster, what information to include, and how to draw the attention of the audience through the use of visual aids • PowerPoint Presentation Workshops: Instruction in how to organize a PowerPoint presentation, how to design slides, and how to draw the attention of the audience • Oral/Creative Presentation Practice Sessions: Practice and feedback on oral or creative presentations
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VI.1.2.3 Initiative Three: Cultivate, support, and enhance the LSU Discover community Initiative Three reinforces the success of students participating in LSU Discover by providing peer support, strengthening the sense of community among participants, and providing opportunities for extramural networking. The national Council on Undergraduate Research has identified community building as an important “best practice,” enabling undergraduates to benefit from a research-rich environment and to learn from their peers. The programs and activities associated with this strategy provide scaffolding to support the changes occurring through both curricular transformations and mentoring by encouraging and reinforcing student participation.
Table VI.A.3: Research Community Cultivation and Networking Activities
Activity Person Responsible Frequency # of students
L. Information sessions about the undergraduate LSU Discover Coordinator, LSU Discover 2 sessions (Bengal Bound; Tiger research symposium Director Bridge); 200-300 students
M. Practice sessions for undergraduate LSU Discover Coordinator, LSU Discover 3 sessions, 18 student presenters, plus researchers selected for participation in the URS faculty mentors, Res. Life, Greek Life 30 student audience members
N. Discipline-centric support-group meetings for LSU Discover Coordinator & students Monthly, 100 students in 5 – 7 participants in mentored research separate groups
O. Senior students mentor students entering into LSU Discover Coordinator, LSU Discover Monthly, 10 mentors, 10 students mentored research projects faculty mentors
P. Mentoring workshops for peer mentors LSU Discover Director, LSU Discover Offered 4 times (for res halls and Coordinator, LSU Discover faculty Greek Life), 10 student mentors mentors, Res. Life
Activities include such simple and obvious measures as creating and maintaining a presence for LSU Discover using social media. The LSU Discover coordinator will organize, with assistance and collaboration of College Advisory Board members (Appendix J) and participating faculty, group activities for students that will be specifically keyed to supporting mentored research, curricular change, and the Research Day activities. Activities L and M will start in year one, while activities N, O, and P will launch in year two.
VI.1.3 Assessment of Co-curricular Activities Although most of the co-curricular activities described above are associated with specific SLOs, the primary purpose of the activities is to inform students about LSU Discover and to provide formative support for building the skills and knowledge base that will stand as scaffolding for their participation in further research activities. Importantly, the activities are also designed to encourage them to participate in a multi-semester research experience. The most elementary assessment criterion is simple participation in events. LSU Discover will track attendance at presentations and in-person participation in all co-curricular workshops/tutorials using a card swipe device associated with student ID cards (currently available from Student Services). Virtual participation (tutorials, ethics training courses) will be tracked via online login. In addition to providing data about numbers of students participating, this will also allow us to track which students participate in more than one activity and correlate that information with their participation in other LSU Discover programs. LSU Discover has set as a benchmark participation of at least 2,000 students per year in trackable co-curricular activities (activities A, E, F, G, H, I, J, K).
Brief pre- and post-tests will be used in each workshop/online tutorial. These assessments will provide formative information about students’ progress toward the SLOs and gauge the effectiveness of the offerings so that they can be modified and improved over the course of the QEP.
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VI.1.4 Enrollment and Tracking of Co-curricular Activities The three tables in this section (Tables VI.B.1-V1.B.3) list a broad range of activities, each providing experiences that are both easily accessible to students and provide compelling impetus for them to participate further in undergraduate research. The goal of maximizing the number of students involved in LSU Discover co-curricular activities makes it imperative to provide efficient data collection and management systems.
In collaboration with the LSU Office of the Registrar, the implementation team has established a method by which students participating in their choice of any four trackable co-curricular activities (categories A, B, C, G, H, I, J, K) will be tagged in their student records by the LSU Registrar as being “enrolled” in LSU Discover. At that point, the students will be eligible for the various awards described in the following sections.
This tracking also facilitates assessment of learning outcome gains over a multi-semester period, including differentiation among the various categories of student participants; reduces the susceptibility of information loss with staff turnover; alleviates overburdening the LSU Discover coordinator with repetitive manual data entry; and allows LSU Discover to be relatively non-intrusive to faculty members.
Overall, this section has shown how LSU Discover will achieve the crucial goal of better preparing students early in their undergraduate studies potentially to continue with undergraduate research. Not all students will elect to take the next steps (Sections VI.2 and Section VI.3) that follow the introductory activities, integrating them into a coherent four-year research program; nonetheless large numbers of students will be introduced and informed about research, its value, and norms for its responsible conduct in manners heretofore unavailable at LSU.
VI.2 CURRICULAR TRANSFORMATION In discussing best practices in undergraduate research, Rowlett, et al.,60 recommend a research- supportive curriculum, noting that the curriculum in any field should impart research-related skills that will be transferable to other contexts. These authors recommend advanced independent or mentored research and point out that integrating research into the curriculum itself is critical. Reform to bring the research process into the curriculum has been managed elsewhere; Healey and Jenkins61 give numerous examples of research being successfully integrated into curricula in a diverse array of departments in universities in both the US and the UK.
Healey, et al.,61, 62 classify courses into a taxonomy with two dimensions; one axis deals with content v. methods, while the other deals with passive instruction v. active student involvement. The latter axis is of importance for LSU Discover. While Healey and Jenkins61 acknowledge a place for curricula in each of the four cells in their taxonomy, they underscore the benefit of students’ involvement in active learning strategies that simulate real-world instances of the basic research process. This section documents (1) how the interventions in curricular reform described in LSU Discover increase the number of courses of this latter type that are available to LSU students and (2) how student- learning gains in these interventions are determined.
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VI.2.1 Need for Transformed Curricula Through alignment of research concepts that constitute LSU Discover SLOs with learning objectives of existing courses or sequences of courses, the QEP transforms aspects of the undergraduate culture at the university. Integrating these concepts with simultaneously infused active research strategies is transformative for students. They necessarily become more engaged in their learning and consequently more capable of performing the tasks expected of them in the formal workforce arenas that they will be entering upon graduation. Students are exposed to research within their major fields of study through curricular transformation. The curricular changes not only impact a substantial number of students in the context of their majors, but also provide a feeder mechanism for an increase in individual mentored research at LSU. It is projected that, over the five-year period of LSU Discover, about seven to nine integrated curricular changes will have been made, while four to 10 individual courses will become research enhanced.
Interested faculty, programs, and departments may apply for curriculum development grants to support this endeavor. The goal is for the addition of curricula or courses annually such that the cumulative changes across the life of the QEP will impact more than 15 academic departments (about 20%) and thus broadly transform the undergraduate research culture at LSU.
VI.2.2 Formal Structure for Curricular Transformation Three types of curricular revision are targeted: (1) development of a multi-semester research curriculum, (2) development or revision of research-based courses, and (3) development or revision of content-based courses. The following sections describe how assessment of these activities will be integrated into the implementation of each sequence or course. The departments associated with each award described herein are required to work closely with the LSU Discover assessment committee (Appendix E) introduced in Section X.
VI.2.2.1 Multi-Semester Research Curriculum The most aggressive, most costly, and highest priority curricular transformation involves introducing research into an integrated multi-semester curriculum within a degree program. This type of curricular revision gives a student within a particular discipline an integrated research experience across multiple courses, as well as the opportunity to participate in mentored independent research. This sequence will be at least three semesters long and must include, at a minimum, two courses and one independent study or capstone experience.
Of the two courses in a revised integrated research curriculum, one will target SLO1: Identify and effectively evaluate essential supporting information or literature sources associated with a research project. To address this outcome, the adapted course design involves a content-specific librarian working with the course instructor. This class also should expose students to the various types of research (i.e., the breadth) that the discipline covers. Possible pairings with mentors for more individual research projects in future semesters can also be explored through determination of various faculty members’ areas of expertise.
This first course, or another course that must be adapted to address the criteria for an integrated multi-semester curriculum, covers SLO4: Identify and describe an original disciplinary or interdisciplinary research question. This aspect of the course may be addressed through group work, or it may be aimed at helping the student actually formulate a research question that she or he will then later explore in a mentored independent study.
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Table VI.B.1: Examples of Revised Integrated Curriculum within a Field of Study
SLO(s) Activity Example
1 Have researchers in the field make class Faculty members in civil engineering make short presentations to the class presentations about their work to expose about their research field. students to the breadth of the field.
1 Have individual students explore a particular An individual civil engineering student explores the literature for how aspect of the field through reading, different types of materials used for windows stand up to extreme weather summarizing, and critiquing primary literature. conditions (e.g., hurricanes).
1 Content specific librarians make multiple The librarian assigned to civil engineering goes over Web of Science, and presentations about relevant databases. various engineering databases.
1-4 Guided inquiry is developed via research Students read, break down, and debate issues in a defined current deconstruction. publication on testing bridges for safety.
2, 4 Students learn methods in an inquiry-based Students design and test their own designs for a hurricane resistant context. house.
1, 5 Students attend research fairs or presentations Students in civil engineering visit the undergraduate research forum as in their fields. a class, accompanied by their instructor, and evaluate the speakers and posters for aspects of professional presentation.
1-5 Students present at research fairs or A student presents her poster of her independent research project in civil conferences in their fields engineering at the LSU Discover undergraduate research symposium.
Finally, the department developing a multi-semester research curriculum either develops a new research methods course or infuses comparable information into an existing course to incorporate SLO2: Utilize tools and strategies for gathering and evaluating data and apply the results to the solution of the research problem and SLO3: Demonstrate awareness of the responsible conduct of research. The multi-semester research curriculum also includes an opportunity for mentored independent research. This independent research, which may performed individually or in groups, occurs in the context of either an independent study course or a capstone course. Through this experience students continue further development of SLOs 1, 2, 3, and 4 that began in the two transformed courses. In addition, students develop final research projects (e.g., honors theses, conference presentations, posters, capstone projects) that involve presenting their work in public venues, including the LSU Discover Research Day. Through these presentation moments, students demonstrate their level of attainment of SLO5: Articulate research findings through written, visual, performance, or oral presentation. Note that within the integrated research curriculum all five SLOs are covered, most of them multiple times. Transformed courses in a multi-semester research curriculum must include at least one assignment through which the student produces an artifact that lends itself to evaluation of the student’s level of attainment of each LSU Discover outcome treated in the course. A course proposal for this category of curricular transformation requires demonstration of course designs that include a triangulated alignment among these LSU Discover assessment-related assignments, the specific learning objectives for the course, and the LSU Discover SLOs. Through the individual DRF described in Section IV.3, the student will upload each artifact to the appropriate section in the LSU Discover Primary DRF for formative rubric evaluation by the assessment committee. Secondarily, the committee will triangulate annually the results of this assessment with the evaluation of the teaching faculty in the transformed program who assess, in aggregate, participating students’ levels of attainment in each revised course and document the interpreted results in specific sections of the TaskStream Degree Program Assessment Template as part of required annual assessment reporting for the degree program. A summative layer of assessment occurs for SLO5-communication as students participating in a revised multi-semester research curriculum formally arrange and present the results of their undergraduate research experience during Research Day, as described in Section IV.5.
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VI.2.2.2 Research Methods Courses: Developing a new course or introducing a more active student- learning approach to research in existing research methods courses An examination of the general catalog at LSU shows 59 research methods courses available in departments spanning much of the university. At least some of these courses use inquiry-based or student-driven learning, in which the teacher does not dictate the assignments but, rather, guides the learner through the research process. LSU Discover will increase the number of such inquiry-based, hands-on research methods courses. The emphasis in a revised research methods course will be on active involvement of the students in formulating and testing a research question and should include incorporation of ethics training in an active learning context. Newly developed or revised research methods courses must have at least one substantial assignment targeting SLO4: Identify and describe an original disciplinary or interdisciplinary research question and one targeting SLO2: Utilize tools and strategies for gathering and evaluating data and apply the results to the solution of the research problem. The research question used in this context may be either a question students derive themselves or an open-ended or real-world question to which the answer is not yet known. Finally, a revised research methods course must also address SLO3: Demonstrate awareness of the responsible conduct of research. The course must include at least one assignment in which each of these SLOs is validly and reliably assessed by teaching faculty. The course proposal must describe this assignment and the associated valid and reliable method of assessment of students’ aggregate level of attainment of the outcome (i.e., assessing not the attainment of individual students but, rather, of the students in aggregate). A commitment to use the results of assessment to change teaching strategies also should be indicated. Finally, the faculty must document the interpreted results in specific sections of the TaskStream Degree Program Assessment Template as part of required annual assessment reporting for the degree program. The LSU Discover assessment committee (Appendix E) will access the results in TaskStream for inclusion in the ongoing evaluation and interpretation of the effectiveness of this component of the QEP.
Table VI.B.2: Examples of Revised Research Methods Course
SLO Activity Example
2 Encourage the use of real world problems without known Students in a botany course take pollen samples from a site outcomes across time and weather conditions and look for patterns in the data.
2 Have students in different lab sections work on different Different sections of a biology lab course examine the effect of a aspects of the same problem biotoxin on longevity, eating, mating behaviors, or reproductive outcomes. 2 Analyze data from real world publicly available data set Students in a political science class examine exit polls for relations between demographic variables and voting behavior. 3 Learn the regulations of dealing with human subjects Students in a psychology class take the NIH mandated on-line ethics training about human subjects.
3 Examine aspects of unethical behavior in the history of Students in a biology class learn about Steven Eaton, who went to the field, and discuss what safeguards have been and prison for faking data in a cancer clinical trial. can be put into place to prevent in the future
4 Have students formulate their research questions based Students in a nutrition class wonder if students will learn on their own observations or experiences better if they’ve had a breakfast high in protein or one high in carbohydrates.
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VI.2.2.3 Content-Based Courses Emphasis in the content-based courses is on introducing the idea of research and the creation of new knowledge into the classroom, as well as the scaffolding of critical evaluation skills.
Newly developed or revised courses emphasizing undergraduate research must have at least one substantial assignment targeting SLO1: Identify and effectively evaluate essential supporting information or literature sources associated with a research project. In addition, at least one other SLO must be targeted by an assignment in the course; however, faculty may propose the other SLO that the course will address. The required learning outcomes assessment for this type of innovation tracks the process described for research methods courses in Section VI.2.2.2. The course must include at least one assignment for each of the SLOs in which the outcome is validly and reliably assessed by teaching faculty. The course proposal must describe this assignment and the associated valid and reliable method of assessment of students’ aggregate level of attainment of the outcome. A commitment to use the results of assessment to change teaching strategies must be demonstrated. Finally, the faculty must document the interpreted results in specific sections of the TaskStream Degree Program Assessment Template as part of required annual assessment reporting for the degree program. The LSU Discover assessment committee will access the results in TaskStream for inclusion in the ongoing evaluation and interpretation of the effectiveness of this component of the QEP.
Table VI.B.3: Examples of Revised Content Course
SLOs Activity Example
1 Have researchers in the field make class A researcher in schizophrenia makes a presentation about his work on flat presentations about their work. affect to an abnormal psychology class
1 Have librarians make presentations about how A librarian shows students in educational psychology how to do a literature to find relevant academic sources in the field. search on pedagogical methods using PsycInfo
1, 3 Compare the portrayal of a problem in the Students in a Counseling Psychology class look at recommendations for post- popular media to that in the scholarly literature. divorce counseling in magazines vs. a primary literature empirical article.
1 Find, read, summarize, and critique a piece of Students in a Social Psychology class must articulate the experimental primary literature relevant to a class topic. design of Asch’s Conformity experiment, offer alternative explanations, and proposed further experiments to refine the hypothesis
VI.2.2.4 Proposal Format for Curricular Transformation Proposals for a multi-semester research curriculum transformation must fully describe the fundamental components of the transformed curriculum as delineated in Section VI.2.3.7. Similarly, proposals to revise courses must articulate which SLOs the course will address and how and must have at least one substantial assignment that produces a documentable outcome which can be accessed by rubric analysis for each SLO, along with an associated valid and reliable method for assessing student achievement, including description of strategies for assessment implementation and reporting. Modifications to an existing course must include the current syllabus of the course and an example of the new syllabus that might result from the modification. Calls for proposals will be issued each fall, and in the following spring the College Advisory Board (Appendix J), with at least one member of the LSU Discovery assessment committee (Appendix E), will evaluate course proposals and award funding to the top proposals. Criteria for awarding funding will include how well the SLOs are addressed, the innovation and likelihood that the assignments will improve student learning, the degree to which the course(s) and curriculum are altered substantively in the direction of LSU Discover SLOs, the number of students affected, the effectiveness of the assessment methods, and the likelihood that the transformation will become a fundamental component of teaching and learning in the curriculum. Year one includes funding for continuation of the existing
36 Chapter VI Actions To Be Implemented pilot programs, and funding for new proposals will be implemented over the remaining years of LSU Discover. Integrated curricular changes (capped at $40,000) will be favored over those for individual courses (capped at $5,000).
Calls for proposals will be announced via an e-mail to LSU faculty, and information is available on a Website that includes explicit instructions and examples of the kind of transformative curricula LSU Discover promotes. If proposals in the first round are not indicative of the expected level of quality for an effectively transformed curriculum, workshops will be conducted for interested faculty. The committee will decide on the grants in the spring semester and award them on July 1 of that year, to be used during the next fiscal year.
Funding may be used for initial course/curriculum development, for non-recurring expenses for supplies, and for the initial implementation of the course. After the first offering of the revised course, the department or college must agree via chair’s and dean’s signatures to assume any recurring expenses. The department or college, again via chair’s and dean’s signatures, also must commit to continuing the course/curriculum in its modified form. Departments will receive the initial 50% of funding as the course is developed, with the remainder funded after the results of assessment of SLOs in the first offering of the course are reported. The latter should be completed within three months after the initial offering of the modified course/curriculum has ended.
VI.2.2.5 B.S. in Coastal Environmental Science (CES) Pilot Of the two ongoing pilots of this type of curricular revision, the B.S. in Coastal Environmental Science (CES) pilot initiates students into a progressive multi-semester research curriculum through an introductory first-year course.
Six incoming first-year students who were recruited for this pilot enrolled in Environmental Science (ENVS) 1127 Introduction to Environmental Sciences Honors (3 hours) for fall 2013, each of whom is a declared CES major, has less than 24 hours of college credit (including AP or, dual enrollment), has an ACT score above 25, and a high school GPA above 3.50.
ENVS 1127 stands as the students’ first course and formal introduction to undergraduate research. ENVS 1127 is a research-intensive course designed to teach students the scientific method and critical thinking. ENVS 1127 also requires students to choose and develop an independent research project. The first assignment for this project is to write a brief research project proposal, describing the topic chosen, why this topic is important, and a plan of work. This proposal is due in mid- September. Late in the semester, each student prepares and presents a 10-minute platform talk that is presented to the teaching assistant and at least one peer as a practice presentation review prior to making a class presentation to the entire class. After they receive feedback on their work, the students will finalize their written research project reports. Students are required to provide proper citations and references for any and all information obtained from documented sources, graphs, figures, and pictures used in their PowerPoint presentations and in their written works.
In addition to these course assignments, student participants in the LSU Discover School of the Coast & Environment (SC&E)/ CES Undergraduate Research Program develop a research prospectus by the end of the first semester. This research prospectus ideally is an extension of the ENVS 1127 research proposal. Although the primary assessment of LSU Discover outcomes pertains to SLO1-literacy and SLO3-ethics, the coverage of material and the assignments in ENVS 1127 make possible assessment of students’ levels of attainment for each of the five outcomes.
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Table VI.B.4: Activities from ENVS 1127 Pilot
Potential Activity Example SLO
1 Have individual students explore a particular aspect of the field Individuals in ENVS 1127 write a research prospectus through reading, summarizing and critiquing primary literature on a topic of their choosing 3 Ethics training Students demonstrate the proper way to cite sources in their research project paper
The formal mentoring process occurs in the sophomore year, when participating SC&E undergraduate researchers are placed in a faculty member’s research group. The expectation is that most of these students will continue to do undergraduate research throughout their undergraduate careers. SC&E has established an undergraduate research contract that requires students to set goals and document their progress and the results of their research efforts. This documentation occurs through a system of integrated LSU Discover electronic folios.
During their junior year, mentored students earn two hours or more of university credit in ENVS/OCS (Oceanography and Coastal Science) 3999 for undergraduate research activities performed under the direction of a faculty member. During the spring semester, these students prepare and present the results of their research at the campus-wide LSU Discover Research Day.
During their senior year, SC&E mentored students enroll in ENVS/OCS 4999, the capstone course for the B.S. in CES. Designated through the Communication across the Curriculum (CxC) program as “communication-intensive,” this course requires students to prepare a 10-minute PowerPoint talk (CxC—Technical & Spoken Communication), a poster (CxC—Visual Communication), and a written report (CxC—Written Communication) on their research. Formal communication of their research experiences and findings occurs at two separate on-campus events—(1) Research Day and (2) the SC&E symposium, at which all students in ENVS/OCS 4999 present posters of their work in a format that includes an evaluation panel of experts from local industry and from state and federal agencies. In this course, LSU Discover SC&E participants’ level of attainment of all five SLOs is assessed through the electronic folio assessment system as generally described in Section IV.3.
VI.2.3.6 Bachelor of Architecture Pilot In spring 2013, the School of Architecture embarked upon a pilot program to explore how the faculty could better incorporate research experiences into the baccalaureate degree. A multi-semester, curricular approach was designed, with the goal of at least 10 students graduating each year with this enriched research experience.
The outline of the program over multiple semesters begins in the third year of the five-year professional baccalaureate degree program. The third year is the first year that students are fully integrated into the architectural degree program. The research program includes the following coursework: • ARCH 4700 Research Methods – an introductory course for undergraduate students (SLO1, 4) • Up to nine hours of professional electives that provide content for the research trajectory begun in ARCH 4700 (SLO2, partial; SLO5) • ARCH 5002 Research Studio – the research question becomes an architectural project bringing together the research conducted in previous semesters to a design problem (SLO1-5).
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Table VI.B.5: Activities from ARCH 4700 Pilot
Potential Activity Example SLO 1 Introduce students to resources available in the institution The Art & Design librarian prepares special tours for the students with detailed and specific resources identified
1 Have individual students explore a particular aspect of the An individual Architecture student explores the literature for field through reading, summarizing and critiquing primary how different types of materials used for windows effects literature energy consumption
The history of research in the discipline of architecture includes scholarly text-based work, scientific materials-based research, and design-focused research. Through a series of courses, including a research methods course and a final cumulative project, the students identify a problem, investigate the issue over multiple semesters, and synthesize the work through a final design project.
The first iteration of the pilot that was conducted in spring 2013 had the following conditions: • A group of nine third-year architecture students, out of a class of 32, were selected to participate. • LSU Libraries staff heavily supported the course. • The course used an e-portfolio system provided through TaskStream. • By the end of the semester the students had created an annotated bibliography and formulated a research question. • The dispositional critical thinking ability of the entire cohort of third-year architecture students was tested at the beginning and end of the course using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. Results showed that the cohort participating in LSU Discover and the other students were equivalent in their sub-categories of critical thinking disposition measured by the test and that no change occurred in this measure over the course of the class. • Similarly, to see if one semester of study in the pilot course may have an effect on students’ cognitive thinking abilities, the California Critical Thinking Skills test was administered to both groups. While the Discover cohort scored higher than the other students on the skills test, both before and after the course, no significant increase in skills was shown over the course of the semester in either group. At the conclusion of the course, members of the architecture faculty discussed the results and processes of the course, with the finding that the online work withTaskStream was somewhat cumbersome and that training for both faculty and students would be needed to optimize the use of this tool. The library support, on the other hand, was extremely beneficial and added to the depth of learning in SLO1-literacy. The bibliographies of the students reflect the impact of this support, as they are substantive and complete. Finally, experimentation with the commercial critical thinking instruments suggests that the relative value of using them in relation to other variables (e.g., student time and cost) is insufficient to include them in the process. The first cohort of students is now engaged in phase two of the School ofArchitecture pilot on a curricular transformation emphasizing undergraduate research. Beginning in spring semester 2014, the school will offer the students a one-credit, independent study course, that will allow professors to create a structure wherein the students create written summaries of the work they are doing in other classes, add to their annotated bibliographies, and move the research question forward into a project proposal for phase three in fall 2014. In spring 2015, the faculty will attempt to incorporate the work of the fall into student publication from the School of Architecture, Contexture, as well as seek publication in the national student journal, CRIT, and other venues. In addition, architecture students will participate in LSU Research Day.
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One significant aspect of the pilot that needs improving is the faculty development component. While faculty may include students into their research projects in an apprenticeship model, the aim is for faculty to aid students in building their own research projects. As a first step, both pilots will be broadly assessed to refine the programs.
VI.2.3.7 Assessment in Curricular Transformation Assessment of the success of curricular transformation primarily involves determination of the level of student achievement of the learning outcomes. Assessment of individual SLOs within each revised curriculum or course is done within each course, as described in course proposals that are approved for funding and implementation. Each funded stand-alone course and any revised courses in funded curricular programs are assessed for SLOs specified in the approved curricular transformation application. Curricular programs are assessed in terms of advances in student learning of all five SLOs, using student-produced documents archived over progressive years in the LSU Discover Primary DRF. Students will be responsible for uploading documents to this folio with guidance and instructions from the LSU Discover coordinator and from faculty (see Section X) To facilitate both determination of student achievement and the improvement in student learning that is characteristic of this folio-based assessment, the budget funds TaskStream licenses for student participants and training and the rubric-based evaluation of student learning. Training curricular transformation faculty participants in the use of rubrics and assessment procedures is available from the LSU Discover assessment committee (Appendix E) with support from the LSU Office of Assessment and Evaluation.
The several quantitative methods for monitoring success of these activities include the following: (1) number of integrated curricular changes effected; (2) number of students in integrated curricula; (3) number of stand-alone courses affected; (4) number of students in transformed stand-alone courses; and (5) frequency with which the revised courses are offered.
The innovative, transformative manner in which LSU Discover implements discipline-specific research enhancements in courses and sequences of courses corresponds to the overarching LSU Discover goal of enhancing multi-semester research experiences that align with the prescribed SLOs. The strong ties to large numbers of departments and the continuous feedback, through surveys and interviews, from leadership of the 12 major research-active colleges accentuate its impact and strengthen its sustainability.
VI.3 MENTORED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH VI.3.1 Overview of UG Research Efforts at LSU and Need for this Activity Despite the steady growth of mentored undergraduate research opportunities at LSU, these opportunities have never been promoted among all students. Rather, they tend to have been limited to grant-driven niches in a handful of disciplines or to merit-based programs available to an select few. For example, 87 students graduated from the Honors College in spring 2012, with 58 of these completing an honors thesis, comprising 2.2% and 1.5%, respectively, of the graduating class. Thus, the prospect for involving more students in mentored undergraduate research is significant.
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In addressing the following factors, LSU Discover contributes to greater campus-wide undergraduate research participation:
1. Preparation for research: Students acquire early (first-year) and broad-based preparation for research. 2. Research entry points in the undergraduate curriculum: Faculty, departments, and LSU Discover work together to identify and recruit interested students, thus reinforcing multi-semester development of learning outcomes. 3. Validation at the university level: LSU Discover activities increase student recognition opportunities. 4. Identification of Mentors: Students are assisted in identifying “individual” faculty mentors in an environment where the student-to-faculty ratio is greater than 10-to-1.
This section of the plan concerns the manner in which LSU Discover enhances and extends campus- wide, mentored undergraduate research through alignment of new and existing efforts with the prescribed SLOs.
VI.3.2 LSU Discover Format for Mentored Undergraduate Research
VI.3.2.1 General Pedagogy of Faculty Mentoring LSU Discover defines a mentor as a faculty member who works closely with and teaches a student mentee about an agreed-upon research topic, typically in the area of scholarship of the faculty mentor and always with a goal of generating new knowledge. Mentored undergraduates who participate in LSU Discover work directly with faculty mentors on research-for-credit related to their professional interests. This research integrates, where possible, with formal coursework and prepares students for subsequent effective integration of off-campus research experiences. Most instances of mentored research involve the student learning the principles and practices of effective academic research by becoming involved in the mentor’s in-process, real-world research in an area or subject related to the student’s career interests. Students work between 10-20 hours per week on their multi-semester project in the context of their other courses, generally through a research-for- credit mechanism.
Faculty mentoring of undergraduates complements classroom instruction, workshops, and seminars, and offers students the benefits of direct and sustained student-faculty interaction. A characteristic of most mentor-mentee, multiple-semester experiences is that the undergraduate student transitions over time from a primarily dependent-based orientation towards independent scholarship. Literature on mentored research convincingly makes the case that students feel that one of the better ways of improving an undergraduate research program is through hands-on work with a faculty mentor.22
The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) recruits faculty mentors as an ongoing initiative and maintains a campus-wide database of faculty members (see section VI.3.2.4). Each student may be placed with a faculty mentor by the OUR on the basis of the student’s individual skill set and interest and additional salient factors such family obligations or the need for work-study. Some students use online tools maintained by the research office to identify faculty research interests. More generally, students self-select an LSU mentor by the process that suits them best.
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VI.3.2.2 General Institutional Structure of Mentored Research A primary goal of LSU Discover is to create highly favorable campus conditions and broad opportunities for students to participate in formal undergraduate research. Students will enter mentored research through the institutional, administrative process housed in the OUR, and they will come to the process in various ways. Some may enter LSU with a fully formed intent to seek opportunities for guided research experiences. Many with high potential for effective participation in such opportunities, however, will come to campus unaware of either their potential or a concomitant natural interest in research. Such events as the workshops described in Section VI.1.3 and attendance at Research Day (Section VI.4) will reinforce the positive influence of other experiences, such as an inspiring professor or interest peaked through a curricular sequence such as those described in Section VI.3.2.
Mentorships should start as early in a student’s curriculum as possible to allow for multiple semesters and/or summers of research. For most students, mentored research necessarily is limited to two or three semesters and/or summers, but some may participate in multiple years of formal mentoring and focused work on a carefully articulated research problem. Research-for-credit options will be 1-3 credits per semester, depending on the number of credit hours for which a student is registered in a given semester. The process defines a research-for-credit course as one in which students are trained and encouraged to generate new knowledge or publication-quality results in their discipline. As defined in this manner, the interplay of mentoring and research-for-credit will increase the number of students who (1) obtain summer research experience, (2) complete multiple semesters of research, (3) work with mentors to publish/present research, and (4) achieve thesis/capstone recognition on transcripts. As described in Section IV.3, in response to formal prompts, students participating in mentored research selectively document the evolution of their attainment of the LSU Discover learning outcomes by uploading coursework and other products to a digital response folio carefully designed for this purpose. Additionally, as part of the development of their ability to communicate the results of their research (SLO5-communication), these students are encouraged to develop a “digital research self” (DRS), or personal representation of themselves in light of their work as an undergraduate researcher. In this manner, the DRS functions as one of several triangulated assessments through which a student’s achievement of LSU Discover SLOs is evaluated. More generally, as described in Section IV.3, a commercial DRF product (TaskStream’s LAT) functions as the receptacle of a student’s work, the platform for development of the DRS, and the means through which the LSU Discovery assessment committee (Appendix E) undertakes rubric-based reviews of a student’s work and aggregation of students’ scores.
VI.3.2.3 Participating Student Cohorts The student cohorts in LSU Discover derive from four groups that collectively span much of LSU’s undergraduate student population. As noted in Section VI.1, LSU Discover works with the Office of the LSU Registrar to optimize a procedure by which the records of students participating in mentored research are associated with the QEP. Via this identifier, student demographics can be used in the interpretation of data associated with the SLOs. Approximately 50 students per year will enter as Chancellor’s Future Leaders in Research (CFLR). This group is composed of high-achieving (ACT >30) incoming first-year students who are offered four-year research experiences and institutional assistance. These students are matched with a faculty mentor on the basis of their résumés and their stated research preferences. These students become involved in multi-semester research projects, although the limitations on their funding restrict the program to fall and spring semesters only. A second group is drawn from the university’s Chancellor’s Student Aide program. These students, also high performing, are offered four-year placement at approximately 15 hours per week in units across
42 Chapter VI Actions To Be Implemented campus, with many being assigned to repetitive office tasks. LSU Discover will initially transform 15 of these to a Chancellor’s Research designation and grow this number to 50 new students per year. This strategy provides entry into QEP activities for students who become interested in research. In 2013, 578 new Chancellor’s Student Aide positions existed at LSU, and LSU Discover targets less than 10% of this group to minimize disruption of student work on campus. A third cohort is developed by recruiting students enrolled in research-for-credit courses at LSU. We anticipate that this group will start at 15 students and grow to 50 per year over the course of five years, naturally spreading the impact of the program over a variety of different departments campus-wide. The fourth and final cohort of students is drawn from students within the “research-enabled” curricular sequences, introduced in Section VI.3.2, who start and continue in research-for-credit courses. Figure VI.A illustrates that the overall mentored research component is expected to start at 70 students in year one and grow to 420 in the five initial years of LSU Discover. The last two cohorts, however, introduce a scalable factor into the program such that it could grow (or contract), depending upon the mentor pool and other resources.
CFLR QEP Year 1 15 10 25
Research for Credit
QEP Year 2 10 40 35 65 Chancellor's Research
QEP Year 3 25 65 70 105 Curriculum
QEP Year 4 45 105 105 165
QEP Year 5 60 130 130 190
0 100 200 300 400 500 Number of Students
FIGURE VI.A: Anticipated Number of Mentored Students in LSU Discover Per Year.* * Enrollment for the CFLR and Chancellor’s Research (funded) categories will stabilize in year five, whereas participation in the research for credit and curricular transformation are scalable.
It should also be noted that the eventual majority of participants, the last two cohorts previously defined, is not pre-selected by high school standardized test performance, thus contributing to the goal of making participation accessible to a broad and diverse group of students. The second- through-fourth cohorts will be recruited partly through the co-curricular efforts, including LSU’s First Year Experience program and residential colleges as described in Section VI.3.1. Of these four cohorts, the first will be recruited by LSU’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships in an ongoing process through which information about the QEP is broadly disseminated both to applicants to LSU and to other recruitment contacts. LSU Discover also takes a broad approach to recruiting students for the other three cohorts. Students are recruited via courses that are “research enabled,” as described in Section VI.3.2, and through e-mail solicitations of students participating in the Chancellor’s Student Aid program, in research-for-credit, and in work-study programs at LSU. In addition, the OUR contacts all faculty members on the LSU mentor list once per semester by e-mail. An overarching recruiting goal is to elicit broad interest through each of the methods previously
43 Louisiana State University QEP delineated. Importantly, an oversight responsibility of the College Advisory Board (Appendix J) is to support the OUR in finding practical strategies for ensuring that mentored research activities do not have negative effects on participating students’ academic performance.
VI.3.2.4 Unifying the On-Campus Mentor Pool As a level VI SACSCOC institution, LSU has significant numbers of research-active faculty who arrange formal opportunities for undergraduates to work directly with them in their own research and/ or in the context of research courses, such as senior design courses. As the largest campus-wide program that provides multi-semester, one-on-one faculty mentoring as defined previously, the CFLR program solicits nominations of faculty mentors by departmental chairs on a yearly basis. This effort has resulted in the compilation of a database of 225 research-active faculty campus-wide over the period 2009-2013. Of these, 85% mentored CFLR students or students in one of the other research programs on campus, but all were nominated by departmental chairs specifically in the context of mentoring young undergraduates. More than 10 other programs with more specialized foci have independently developed faculty mentor lists at LSU, although to this point no institution-wide effort to unify the mentor pool, to recognize mentors, or to help develop mentoring skills for faculty has occurred. In developing the plans for LSU Discover, the planners made the first major attempt to develop a comprehensive faculty mentor database and identified more than 420 potential mentors on campus. Most of these faculty members have mentored students within their research groups in the context of one or more of LSU’s undergraduate research programs. The database shows that some members of the LSU faculty have mentored multiple students with obvious successes, such as production of multiple undergraduate coauthored publications and prestigious student awards. Other faculty members have mentored across several different programs. The latter two groups form an initial source from which to recruit volunteers for workshops, online tutorials, and other resources introduced in previous sections and in Section VI.3.3, which follows. Assuming an aggregate average of two undergraduate students in each participating faculty member’s research group for a period of four semesters, the data indicates that LSU’s institutional capacity to place new students in mentored undergraduate research experiences is in excess of 420 new students per year once a formal approach to undergraduate research has become institutionalized.
Kinesiology 51.38 Petroleum Engineering 41.58 Communication Sciences and Disorders 33.29 Biological Sciences 19.58 Management 16.36 History 11.33 Art 10.29 Architecture 6.07 Mathematics 3.18 Chemistry 2.94 Foreign Languages and Literature 1.92 Coast and Environment 0.98 0102030405060
FIGURE VI.B: Majors Per Tenure-Track Faculty Member by Selected LSU Academic Departments
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Figure VI.B is based on 2012 data and reveals initial insights into institutional capacity and need regarding mentored undergraduate research. While overall institutional capacity is comfortably greater than the sum of the initial student cohorts introduced in Section VI.3.2.3, many disciplines at LSU would not have an easy route to serve, through their faculty alone, significant fractions of their majors if the number of requests for mentored research grows significantly. For example, with 42 undergraduate majors per faculty member (tenure track) in 2012, LSU’s petroleum engineering department would be challenged to provide multi-semester mentoring of individual research projects for even 10% of its students, yet this academic discipline is a major workforce need of Louisiana.
VI.3.2.5 Off-Campus Research Experiences and Potential Research Experiences in Area Industries A distinctive feature of LSU is the proximity of a massive array of potential private sector, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), local and federal government partners whose business activities and expertise can be complementary to students’ achievement of the LSU Discover SLOs. Within the petrochemical sector alone, some 200 industrial sites are located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans (a distance of only 80 miles). As a Level VI institution, LSU has a significant number of potential faculty mentors involved with off-campus experts in a constantly evolving suite of collaborative research and scholarly activities. These relationships offer some students opportunities for deeper and more extensive learning through a project that integrates the academic and real-world aspects of a complex research problem. Students participating in LSU Discover are invited to work with their LSU mentors to identify an “aspirational off-campus” co-mentor to complement the mentoring provided in the on-campus relationship. This teaching strategy matches off-campus mentor expertise to a student’s research interests as approved by the student’s LSU mentor, with whose interests those of the off-campus mentor in some manner will align. Off-campus research will not be required and will not always be possible, but when feasible, it more generally will occur during the summer and after at least one semester of on-campus research. While not a requirement for all students, on-site research experiences strengthen SLOs by involving students in practical, real-world research. These triangular research projects buttress the university’s relationship with off-campus entities in the realms of business and industry in a manner that not only mirrors for students the role of such synergies in the creation of new knowledge, but actually makes students participants in the process.
VI.3.2.6 Pilot of Mentored Research In fall 2013, the OUR piloted a small, mentored research project. In this pilot, every incoming first- year CFLR awardee (N=38) was contacted by e-mail during the first week of classes.The goal was to recruit two students, and two quickly responded, so no further contact was attempted. The first two students and corresponding mentors were contacted and agreed to participate, although one student had to drop out due to conflicting academic constraints, so only one ultimately participated. The pilot student performed the activities introduced in Section IV and described in Table VI.C.1, and used a TaskStream DRF (the example in Section IV is from this student). The process suggested that students will navigate the DRF system with ease and that mentors most likely will readily support their students’ participation in these activities.
VI.3.2.7 Assessment of SLOs in LSU Discover Mentored Research The most direct and general evaluation of the extent to which LSU Discover supports students’ achievement of the SLOs occurs through electronic, rubric-based assessments of the tagged coursework as described in Section IV. For instance, in the first semester a student might be given this prompt as part of the research-for-credit course: “In 150-250 words, relate what you know about documenting the literature in your research area.” The schedules generally charted
45 Louisiana State University QEP herein by semester of participation indicate the manner in which this evaluation process evolves. Although resources allow only for summative assessments of representative samples of the cohort in semesters two and later, LSU Discover includes a formative assessment of each student at two points. After the first semester, evaluators analyze SLOs 1-literacy and 3-ethics and provide formative feedback to both student and mentor. SLOs 4-idea and 5-communication are assessed in the terminal semester, with the findings reported to mentors for formative use.
VI.3.2.8 Academic Credit and Tracking Because the cohorts of mentored students introduced previously will be performing their research broadly across the LSU campus, it is important for the LSU Discover leadership to track students and assess learning outcome gains over a multi-semester period and concurrently be unobtrusive to faculty mentors. Research-for-credit classes support this process. A survey of LSU academic department chairs (Appendix K) identified 128 research-for-credit courses associated with departments that span much of the university, but it is not clear that all of these courses involve research as described in Section VI.3.3, and the corresponding enrollments are modest. For example, the total enrollment in all research-for-credit courses in 2011 was 2121 students, or 7 % of the student body. LSU Discover promotes the value of participating in such courses and facilitates options for students.
The Honors College has piloted a special section of HNRS 3500 to allow students in the college otherwise unable to sign up via their home departments to have a route to research for credit, though it will only be used in a small number of cases because of the large variety of department-based courses. In an analogous manner, LSU Discover is collaborating with the university registrar to implement a zero-credit course and credit-bearing courses under the university-wide UNIV rubric to accommodate and track students unable to sign up for a credit-bearing course through their home department. The expectation of students is that they agree to submit in electronic format a standard set of assignments for rubric-based assessment, and in turn, they will be enrolled in LSU Discover. The assignments will provide a framework for assessing the multi-semester experience. Research for credit courses will give students a means, via their transcripts, to document multi-semester research experience and enhance their professional development. The courses will also facilitate communication of learning expectations to faculty mentors as well as to students.
Many departments have developed protocols to recognize one or more research for credit courses as part of their majors; others may opt to do so in the context of their application to the curricular transformation activities of Section VI.2. Because most departments have an internal system of centralizing a faculty of record for the administration of research courses, the administrative work to individual mentors can be minimized so that they can focus on the research with their students. To aid in obtaining comparable data, cohorts will be organized by the number of semesters of involvement in research. This arrangement allows for unifying SLO assessment that builds to a cumulative summative assessment of SLOs 1-5 in the terminal semester. Research-for-credit facilitates other common programming across the mentored research experience. As such, every student uploads half-page reflective statements to the DRF at the beginning of each semester, as well as regular half-page research progress summaries of their participation in co-curricular activities and of the creative/research elements that are distinctive to each of their projects, thus adding to the developing professional “digital self” introduced previously.
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Table VI.C.1: SLOs, First Semester of Mentored Undergraduate Research
Planned Learning Person SLO Content for Assessment Competencies Outcomes/Findings Experience/Activities Responsible
1 Mentors introduce Twice per semester; Students develop Development of a Mentor/R Duran student to reading guided essays in DRF understanding of literature database scholarly literature in include literature citations literature in their area for eventual capstone their area and analysis project
3 Research ethics training CITI or NIH certificate Responsible research Mentor/R Duran conduct
Table VI.C.2: SLOs, Second and Subsequent Semesters of Mentored Undergraduate Research
Planned Learning Person SLO Content for Assessment Competencies Outcomes/Findings Experience/Activities Responsible
1 Students read scholarly Biweekly reports in DRF Students will develop Development of a Mentor/R Duran literature in their areas include literature analysis understanding of literature literature database in their areas for eventual capstone project
2 Students learn a method Guided prompt in DRF Research method Research skills Mentor/R Duran or analysis technique development in their areas compilation in CV or digital self
Table VI.C.3: SLOs, Terminal Semester of Mentored Undergraduate Research
Responsible unit for Planned Learning SLO Competencies Content for Assessment Rubric analysis of student Experience/Activities produced works/reports
Students compile and Ability to find and evaluate Exam questions, quizzes, Mentor/Instructor//V. Wilson analyze scholarly literature in relevant literature surveys, or research reports and B. Matthews/QEP their areas coordinator
Students learn method or Demonstrate skills in Assessed by student-produced (same as above) analysis technique collection and analysis of lab reports, research reports, and data/results works
Students learn appropriate Recognize ethical issues Assessed by student-produced (same as above) behavior in their areas in research inquiry research reports and works; completion of ethics module
4 Students cite an original Identify or distinguish new Assessed by student-produced (same as above) research idea in their areas research or problems presentations at research day within the discipline
5 Students communicate their Scholarly and articulate Assessed by student-produced (same as above) own results communication presentations at Research Day
VI.3.3 Associated Activities for Enhancing SLOs and Incentives Participation in the annual Research Day and assistance integrating an off-campus research experience form two activities supporting a common cohort experience, but additional activities, awards, and incentives are crucial to facilitate recruiting, optimal participation of faculty mentors, and optimal learning gains. As such, upon enrollment in the program, participants in multi-semester research may compete for several additional awards that augment SLOs and reward their participation in LSU Discover. One of these awards will be a $500 travel stipend associated with the Research Day activities described in Section VI.4. The deans of many colleges at LSU have committed to adding complementary travel awards as part of Research Day to broaden participation
47 Louisiana State University QEP of their own students. Publication awards, awards for participation in proposals and prestigious awards applications, an annual recognition reception, and best presentation awards are several other examples of ways in which LSU Discover fosters student excellence in mentored research. Although LSU policies already allow advanced undergraduates to receive graduate-level credit on their transcripts with departmental permission, very few undergraduates enroll in graduate classes. Likewise, students can be a part of a graduate program while still an undergraduate, with an accelerated master’s degree as one example. In collaboration with the Dean of the LSU Graduate School, the LSU Discover program promotes this valuable option for advanced undergraduates.
In an analogous manner, mentor recognition, incentives, and training strengthen the culture of undergraduate research and, to the end of effective program assessment, form a critical method of encouraging participation. One program will be a $2000 mentor awards program on the basis of publication-quality and/or creative results. This program starts in year two and builds to a $4000 total by year five. Likewise, a series of up to three awards per year of $5000 each to faculty who incorporate results from undergraduates in research proposals encourages effective mentoring starting in year two. Faculty awards of $500 each to support travel with undergraduates to professional meetings start at $1,000 in year one and increase to $10,000 by year five. Starting in year one, two $1000 awards each year for faculty who most effectively mentor first-year students will establish a mechanism to recognize the early undergraduate focus of LSU Discover. Teaching credit for undergraduate mentees and research laboratory space assignments form two powerful but extremely challenging incentives at LSU. Neither of these has been solved; therefore, neither can form an institutional commitment. Nonetheless, LSU Discover will seek solutions for a way to sponsor teaching release and space assignment based on effectiveness and excellence in mentoring undergraduate researchers. Through support from the LSU Athletic Association, the 12 most research-active colleges each nominated an outstanding undergraduate researcher and her or his faculty mentor. The students were recognized as “LSU Discover Scholars,” and faculty and students participated in an on-field ceremony as a pilot during the Nov 29, 2013, LSU-Arkansas football game, with this activity to continue each year, as possible, during the annual Homecoming game.
Finally, mentor development activities form an ongoing activity within LSU Discover. One of these, annual workshops offered by Dr. William Wischusen of the LSU Department of Biological Sciences, is inspired by the highly successful “Entering Mentoring” mentor-training program designed by Jo Handlesmann and sponsored by HHMI and the National Academies. A second approach involves online mentor training workshops designed by LSU faculty who have successfully mentored across multiple undergraduate research programs, with nominations coming from the College Advisory Board. Collaborating with the LSU Faculty Technology Center and with the Office of Communications & University Relations, these faculty mentors will devise and record 60-minute, online workshops focused on best practices on mentoring undergraduates in their areas of scholarship and in the context of LSU’s distinctive environment. The workshops will allow asynchronous and very broad delivery, and an integrated evaluation/certification screen will allow LSU Discover to track faculty who use the training tool. LSU Discover will work with the College Advisory Board (Appendix J) to make two $5000 faculty awards each year that ensure the constant development of these training tools. LSU Discover also will collaborate with the colleges such that each new hire at the assistant professor level is invited to participate in both forms of mentor training.
Mentored research is a crucial activity for connecting large numbers of LSU faculty to the multiple- semester research experience that is at the core of LSU Discover. The mentored research activities will systematize and unify the heretofore disparate and grant-driven “niche” research programs in the context of enhanced student learning. Moreover, mentored research as implemented through
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LSU Discover strongly integrates with the activities in Sections VI.1 and VI.2 as a logical next step. To summarize, mentored research is the broad context of the creativity, innovation, and scholarly development of new knowledge that generally will provide the basis of most presentations that constitute the Research Day described in the following section.
VI.4 LSU DISCOVER RESEARCH DAY Students’ participation in LSU Discover culminates with an event in which the undergraduate researchers formally present their work, demonstrating to a heterogeneous audience of research faculty, area professionals, and members of the community the quality and substance of their work and inspiring thereby the next generation of student researchers. Research Day includes poster and oral presentations, creative performances, and “research open houses” categorized by disciplines, especially to the end of introducing younger students to on-campus research opportunities. It promotes connections between disciplines, provides a tangible means for LSU to engage the community, and offers first-year students a broad view of possible research avenues. The event serves undergraduate researchers both as an opportunity, through preparation, to improve their ability effectively to communicate the results of their research—i.e., the execution of an original work of scholarship—and as a forum, by providing a formal stage for presenting the finished projects to a sophisticated audience. It therefore serves also as a promotional and recruiting event involving large numbers of students and the community, transcending LSU Discover by broadly benefiting undergraduate and graduate student recruiting.
VI.4.1 History/Overview of Undergraduate Research presentation events at LSU and Need for this Activity Research Day serves three purposes: (1) the event allows students to present the culmination of their research work as developed through their courses and mentored research; (2) it serves as an open house for academic departments to showcase their own research initiatives; and (3) it generally introduces first-year and second-year students to the research activities available across campus. This event allows mature undergraduate researchers to present their work and makes fledgling student researchers aware of opportunities across campus. Furthermore, departmental research “open houses” will facilitate networking among faculty, students, and the community.
This kind of event has been shown not only to assist students in “communicating the results of their research to others” but also “serves to excite and motivate additional students and faculty to get involved in undergraduate research.” Such “campus-wide celebrations encourage cross-disciplinary sharing and learning, opening students’ and faculty members’ eyes to the creative scholarship that occurs in other disciplines”.62 For more than 10 years, the University of Georgia Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities has held an annual symposium that attracts approximately 600 student presentations. The University of Washington Undergraduate Research Program has held the Annual UW Undergraduate Research Symposium for 16 years, with over 1000 participants in 2013. Members of the QEP implementation committee have visited both campuses to learn more about these programs and remain in contact with those offices. The aspiration is for LSU Discover to pave the way for the university to create similar opportunities for hundreds of LSU undergraduates to present research at various stages and levels, from poster sessions on junior-level work to full presentations of capstone research projects, such as theses.
The need for LSU to provide all students opportunities to present their work in a professional setting is clear. In spring 2013, the implementation committee conducted a campus-wide survey to determine campus interest in participation in Research Day. By a conservative estimate, a sufficient
49 Louisiana State University QEP pool of student presenters from which to draw for such a campus-wide event already exists. Of 24,000 undergraduates, approximately 400 already present research data and findings at the departmental, college, or regional/national levels. Many of these presentations appear to occur as part of capstone courses, presumably at a very high level of competency, in the respective disciplines (e.g., Honors thesis). However, only a fraction of our students have been given such an opportunity.
VI.4.2 Assessment of LSU Discover Student Learning Outcome 5 Broadly speaking, the expected outcome of an undergraduate research project in which the student explores a research question to its end includes the ability to analyze and synthesize information, to empathize and engage ethically, to problem-solve, to communicate effectively in a variety of modes, to utilize new and appropriate technologies, and to understand the fundamental components of the general research process. Working either independently or in partnership on complex problems, then communicating the process and findings to a diverse audience, effectively advances a student towards mastery of the competencies, as evidenced by presentations that demonstrate the ability to analyze a problem/question and hypothesize a solution/answer.
At Research Day, students participating either in mentored research or in one of the transformed LSU Discover curricula, after full exploration of a research question, present formally the results of the scholarly and/or creative work they have accomplished working alongside faculty mentors throughout the academic year. Most importantly, through their poster sessions, oral presentations, and creative performances/installations, undergraduates learn to explain and connect their work to a general audience. The resulting shared learning and discussion among faculty, staff, students, and community members is a valuable experience for many students and guests. While students’ development of SLOs informs this display at the highest level of their accomplishment, a campus- wide undergraduate research event provides students with the opportunity to present, explain, and justify their projects and conclusions, and offers the optimal opportunity for LSU Discover evaluators, using the rubric associated with SLO5-communication, to determine their level of attainment of this outcome.
VI.4.3 Pilot Programs Two “pilots” for Research Day informed the feasibility of the project and made possible practice application of the rubric-based assessment in use for SLO5-communication. One pilot occurred in August 2013, and the second will take place in March 2014. The first was a poster session that was entirely STEM based, while the second will include oral presentations from across campus. In year one of the QEP the event will be expanded to include creative performances.
A pilot assessment also was performed during the LSU Summer Undergraduate Research Forum Symposium held on August 2, 2013. This was a regional symposium composed of 155 posters presented by undergraduate STEM students from a variety of universities in the region. Eight LSU faculty volunteers participated as evaluators to score 10 posters each using the QEP Poster Rubric. Only posters presented by LSU students were chosen for evaluation. The design was developed to be random, with every poster having at least two evaluators. The scores were compiled and analyzed. The final score for each poster was the average of two or three evaluation sheets (rubric in Appendix L).
In March 2014, LSU Discover will launch a second pilot initiating Research Day for undergraduates on this campus. All departments and colleges on campus will be invited. Approximately 150 participants are anticipated. Although these initial presentations will not reflect the changes instituted through the other facets of LSU Discover (first-year orientation, curricular change, or mentored
50 Chapter VI Actions To Be Implemented research), they will provide data outside the STEM disciplines that will make possible further refinement of the goals and formal strategies of LSU Discover. Furthermore, the event will “kick off” LSU Discover and bring attention and interest to the institutional commitment to undergraduate research.
VI.4.4 Research Day/Week — Organization Research Day will recognize students’ scholarly and creative innovations across all disciplines, and in year two, this event will be expanded to a Research Week, showcasing open houses by each academic college. The event will include student presentations, keynote speakers, job fairs, and networking opportunities with faculty, students, and community partners.
Participation: To introduce all students to research opportunities on campus, and to connect the work of our most advanced students with our entering students, several on-campus groups will participate in Research Day. The First Year Experience Program, Residential Colleges, Greek Life, honor societies, Student Government, and Campus Life will collaborate with LSU Discover to engage and inform students. Information sessions, student presentations, workshops, and events will be organized through these offices to invite students to participate as presenters, audience, and volunteers to help “stage” the event. In addition, the following groups will be invited to participate in Research Day: students engaged in mentored research (see Section VI.3); students enrolled in courses/programs focused on undergraduate research (see Section VI.2); and students attending co- curricular activities related to LSU Discover (see Section VI.1).
Academic colleges will be encouraged to host “open houses,” introducing all students to the research undertaken by undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. In this manner, Research Day will also serve as a means of making LSU students aware of the research opportunities on and off campus and of programs within departments, and it will allow them to meet faculty who may become their mentors. All upper-level administrators, faculty mentors, and advisory groups will also be invited, providing students with further opportunities to discuss research opportunities and hone networking skills.
In year two, faculty will be asked to present the work of undergraduate research teams, working together in labs, design teams, or performance groups. Groups that are interdisciplinary in nature will be particularly encouraged to present their work. Likewise, as the event transforms to Research Week, the organizers will attempt to align its timing with such major recruiting efforts as Spring Invitational to enhance impact.
Invitations to this event will extend beyond the LSU campus. To foster and promote research opportunities in the private sector, a variety of community and industry partners will be invited, and additional invitations will be extended to parents, recruitment visitors, and local high school students who have placed at academic fairs.
Student Preparation: To participate in Research Day (and later, Research Week), students are asked to submit an application to the OUR. The application includes a brief abstract describing their work along with a faculty recommendation. Successful abstracts will be printed in the event program and held in the digital archives for all events in the OUR. The applications and abstracts will form a searchable database for campus use and will be used to target departments, colleges, and other guests, alerting them to presentations in their own areas of interest. Prior to the application deadline, students should attend two of the LSU Discover Workshops pertaining to Research Day (Section VI.1.2.2, Initiative Two).
The QEP implementation committee will establish a Research Day advisory board charged with reviewing the applications and steering these efforts. The Board includes representatives from all
51 Louisiana State University QEP academic colleges, career services, and student affairs, as well as the director and the coordinator of LSU Discover and a representative from the Office of Communications & University Relations. Once applications have been reviewed and students have received notification of their participation, they will have the opportunity to attend additional workshops based on their methods of presentation (see also Section VI.1.2 and associated tables for workshop information).
VI.4.5 Institutionalizing Achievement Following Research Day, the QEP Advisory Committee will select a group of participants to showcase their work for admissions previews, new student orientations, and various programmed weekends, such as Parents’ Weekend.
The abstracts from all presentations will be held in a digital repository of student scholarship held by the OUR. This repository, envisioned as a searchable database of student scholarship, may expand to include additional scholarly works by students. Elements of this scholarship will be featured on the LSU Discover Website, as well as in ORED publications. On-campus locations for regularly showcasing the results of student scholarship in the LSU Library, in Residence Halls, and at sites identified by the College Advisory Board (Appendix J) will be determined.
VI.4.6 Assessment Students will present projects in a variety of media, requiring differing modes of assessment. For example, a poster describing a project in environmental sciences will require a method of assessment different from that for a dance performance, or even for an oral presentation on the same subject. Rubrics designed for evaluating posters and oral presentations were noted in Section VI.4.3.
The LSU Discover assessment committee (Appendix E) in coordination with the LSU Assessment Office will evaluate graduating seniors who uploaded documents in the LSU Discover folio in previous years while participating in one of the facets of LSU Discover for student learning progression.
VI.4.7 Timeline Planning for Research Day in the context of LSU Discover began with the assessment of the first pilot in 2013 and will continue with a second pilot in 2014 (year zero). In year one the first comprehensive Research Day will occur, including an application process, introductory workshops, and student awards. In year two, Research Day will expand to a multiple-day event and include faculty research team presentations, college open houses, Graduate School presentations, and career fairs. Workshops for students on effective presentation skills also will be implemented, and student presentations/abstracts will begin to be archived. By year three, visiting judges will view presentations and award prizes to participating students.
52 Chapter VI Actions To Be Implemented
Table VI.D: Research Day Timeline
2012- 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 2018-2019 2013 Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
# Students 35 150 150 300 400 500 500 Assessed
Event Pilot I Pilot II Research Research Week Research Week Research Week Research Week Day
College open College open College open College open houses houses houses houses
Graduate school Graduate school Graduate school Graduate school fairs fairs fairs fairs Career fairs Career fairs Career fairs Career fairs
Student Workshops: Workshops 1 and Workshops Workshops Workshops Preparation 1. Event 2; add poster 1 and 2; 1 and 2; 1 and 2; info 2. How presentation, add poster add poster add poster to write PowerPoint presentation, presentation, presentation, abstract presentation, PowerPoint PowerPoint PowerPoint oral/creative presentation, presentation, presentation, performance oral/creative oral/creative oral/creative performance performance performance
Awards Student Student awards Student awards Student awards Student awards awards
Faculty mentor Faculty mentor Faculty mentor Faculty mentor awards awards awards awards
Institutionalization Archive abstracts Archive Archive Archive abstracts in digital abstracts in abstracts in in digital repository digital repository digital repository repository
Faculty Faculty Faculty Faculty Faculty Participation research team research team research team research team presentation presentation presentation presentation Visiting judges Visiting judges Visiting judges
VI.4.8 Resources Research Day is organized and administered by the OUR with assistance from the Research Day Advisory Board. In anticipation of expanding the event to include the academic open houses during Research Week, several academic colleges have established sub-committees to organize the programs. Preparatory workshops will be available through the library, the CxC program, and some academic colleges.
This section delineates the summative role of Research Day in the sense that this event provides students with a valuable capstone experience through which the multi-semester interventions that constitute LSU Discover are effectively integrated. This event brings into focus, for the first time, the research outputs of individual LSU students in the context of both the university learning competencies and the specific learning outcomes of LSU Discover. Besides being an invaluable means of recruiting LSU students for participation in the preceding activities of LSU Discover, and thus for improving their learning exponentially, Research Day communicates to Louisiana families and to the massive private sector community of the region the generation of new knowledge and the impressive workforce development that inform undergraduate education at LSU.
53 Louisiana State University QEP
Breakfast honoring the LSU Discover scholars
VII. Timeline: The Logical Calendaring of All Actions to Be Implemented A timeline for activities in LSU Discover has been established. The timeline of main activities in Table VII.A includes pilot efforts in year zero and illustrates the planned implementation of activities across the succeeding five years. The curricular transformation activities implemented as pilots will continue in year one.
Table VII.B illustrates a timeline of the program by SLOs and includes the activities that are to be assessed. This necessarily focused assessment allows for the effective use of available resources and accentuates quality through simplicity of structure. As it assesses aspects of LSU Discover across time, the assessment committee will undertake continuous evaluation of the assessment plan and make adjustments as warranted in observation of the actual details of implementation and in the assessment results. The QEP implementation team will document formal adjustments to the plan.
54 Spring Year 5 Year Fall Spring Year 4 Year Fall Spring Year 3 Year Fall Spring Year 2 Year Fall 2x per year + on demand, virtual Monthly Fall semester for posters; Science Café when available Offered 4 times per year Offered Fall--winners of previous year Spring--winners of previous year Before the Fall Semester of each year Spring Research Week Year 1 Year Fall 2-8 times per Fall/Spring semesters Pilot Fall of each year 1x per semester /hall OR Presentation "Reality Chat" per year Two 2-3 Sessions per year Call for proposals in Fall of each year/ Evaluations Spring Begins early in student's curriculum Each year prior to application deadlines Once a semester/ twice year Spring Pilot Pilot Pilot Year 0 Year Fall Each year of first-year and senior students Year Each Year Each , Activities G and K) VI.A.2 , Table , Activities H and I) VI.A.2 , Table , Activity J) VI.A.2 , Table , Activities N and O) VI.A.3 , Table , Activities L and M) Activities L VI.A.3 , Table , Activity C) VI.A.1 , Table , Activity F) VI.A.1 , Table , Activities D and E) VI.A.1 , Table , Activity P) VI.A.3 , Table , Activity A) Activity VI.A.1 , Table (see Section VI.4.4) , Activity B) VI.A.1 , Table (see Section VI.4.7) Student Awards Student Awards Faculty Mentor Archive abstracts in Digital Repository Institutionalization – Table VII.A: Timeline by Activities by VII.A: Timeline Table Activities/Components Communication and Info Literacy workshops online tutorials (see RAs to discuss LSU Discover opportunities (see Training Residential college presentations (see Display posters/participate in ORED Science Café (see to research facility (see Visit LSU Discover: How to Get Involved, What Expect (see One credit and on-line courses (Ethics LSU 1001/LIS 1001) (see tutorial (Scientific Method & Ethical Conduct) (see Workshop/online Information and Practice sessions for Research Day (see Senior Student and Discipline-centric support-group meetings ( Mentoring workshops for peer mentors ( Curricular Transformation Architecture and C&E Pilots Call for curriculum or course transformation proposals/proposal evaluation Curricular and course changes developed First run of curriculum/course Mentored Research Mentorships LSU Discover the Office of Undergraduate Research Pilot Assessment Pilot Faculty mentoring Workshops Research Day Research Day Pilots/Event Presentation Team Faculty Research Judges Visiting Year 0 = July 1 2013 – June 30 2014, etc. Year Assessment Surveys (employers/boards/students/faculty/staff) QEP National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) Assessment University Learning Competencies Assessment of Digital Response Folio Activities Co-Curricular
55 Louisiana State University QEP Spring Year 5 Year Fall Spring Year 4 Year Fall Spring Year 3 Year Fall Spring Year 2 Year Fall Several new starts per year Several new starts per year 2x per year + on demand, virtual Several new starts per year Spring Year 1 Year Fall Once a semester/ twice year twice a year 2-8 times per Fall/Spring semesters on-demand on-demand Spring Pilot Year 0 Year Fall , Activity J) VI.A.2 , Table , Activity G) VI.A.2 , Table , Activity B) VI.A.1 , Table , Activity H) VI.A.2 , Table , Activity I) VI.A.2 , Table (see Table VI.A.2) Table (see Table VII.B: Timeline by SLO (continues on next page) VII.B: Timeline Table Activities 0 = July 1 2013 – June 30 2014, etc. Year SLO1 – Literature Activities Co-Curricular LSU 1001/LIS 1001 courses (see facilities (see Field trips to off-campus by CxC and Libraries (see Workshops Curricular Transformation Architecture pilot Coast & Environment pilot Develop Curriculum and stand-alone course number Mentored Research Mentorships Semester 1: Intro to Literature Mentorships Semester 2: Read Literature Analyze Literature Mentorships Final Semester: SLO2 – Methods Curricular Transformation Architecture pilot Coast & Environment pilot Develop Curriculum and stand-alone course number Mentored Research Mentorships Semester 1,2, and Final: Learn method SLO3 – Ethics Activities Co-Curricular Research Ethics Training On-line courses (ethics) (see tutorial (Sci. Method & Ethical Cond.) (see Workshop/online Curricular Transformation Architecture pilot Coast & Environment pilot Develop Curriculum and stand-alone course number
56 Chapter VII Timeline Spring Year 5 Year Fall Spring Year 4 Year Fall Spring Year 3 Year Fall Spring Year 2 Year Fall Several new starts per year Several new starts per year Spring Year 1 Year Fall Spring Year 0 Year Fall Table VII.B: Timeline by SLO (continued) VII.B: Timeline Table Activities 0 = July 1 2013 – June 30 2014, etc. Year SLO3 – Ethics (continued) Mentored Research Mentorships Semester 1: Intro to Ethics Mentorships Final Semester: Recognize Ethics Research Day Research Day: Ethics SLO4 – Original Idea Curricular Transformation Architecture pilot Coast & Environment pilot Develop Curriculum and stand-alone course number Mentored Research Mentorships Semester 1: Intro to Original Idea Mentorships Final Semester: Recognize an Original Idea Research Day Research Day: Idea SLO5 – Communication Curricular Transformation Architecture pilot Coast & Environment pilot Develop Curriculum and stand-alone course number Mentored Research Mentorships Final Semester: Communication Research Day Research Day: Communication
57 Louisiana State University QEP
School of Veterinary Medicine
School of Coast & Environment 58 VIII. Project Management Housed in ORED, LSU Discover will report also to the Office of Academic Affairs. In 2008, having established an Office of Undergraduate Research, the university hired Randy Duran to an endowed professorship and appointed him to direct this office. Dr. Duran, who holds joint or adjunct appointments across several academic units, will serve as QEP director, with the charge of overseeing all aspects of implementation, evaluation, and reporting to ensure success and sustainability. Several new positions have been (or will be) supported under LSU Discover. Additionally, four newly established advisory committees will provide support and be the primary conduit for broad-based institutional feedback.
Vice Provost VC Research & Economic Development
Advisory Committees (College, Student, CCA)
Assessment Lead Director Operations Committee (Implementation)
Dean LSU Libraries Coordinator Librarian
University Relations Director LSU Assessment Office
Website GA Assistant Student Workers Grad Student (GA) Assessment GA
FIGURE VIII.A: LSU Discover Project Management
LSU DISCOVER DIRECTOR: RANDY DURAN The director oversees the operations and staffing of all four activity areas and associated assessments. In particular, he works with the lead operations committee member on curricular transformation and with the College Advisory Board (Appendix J) on refining the request for proposals and processing proposals for curricular transformation. He holds primary responsibility for all aspects of Research Day and, working with the LSU Discover graduate student (GA), recruits judges for Research Day. He also works with the LSU Discover assessment committee to develop and optimize prompts for the digital response folio (DRF) and rubrics for evaluation of student learning. Many of the director’s duties pertain to mentored research, including coordinating peer mentoring workshops, overseeing student transitions from enrollment in curricular grant courses to participation in mentored research, identifying mentor workshop leaders, and working with Associate Professor William Wischusen to identify online mentor training awardees. Together with
59 Louisiana State University QEP the assistance of the coordinator and GA, he provides support and logistics to students who wish to participate in mentored research. He serves as the main point of contact for the off-campus mentor pool and for off-campus research development. He also serves as instructor of record for UNIV courses, and faculty of record for UNIV research-for-credit courses. He is responsible for annual performance evaluations of all LSU Discover staff.
QEP/ LSU DISCOVER COORDINATOR: SARAH FERSTEL In anticipation of LSU Discover, Sarah Ferstel, a full-time coordinator, was hired in September 2013 to assume responsibility for day-to-day operations of LSU Discover; in this role, she has been an integral part of developing and authoring this proposal. With respect to the implementation of LSU Discover, the coordinator assures that the mentored research activities function optimally, is the primary point of contact with students and mentors, compiles results on assessment and other QEP- related activities, and, via 50% support of ORED, supports grant proposal development related to LSU Discover. The coordinator is responsible for programs, projects, and tasks related to all four activities of the QEP and the assessment thereof.
Working with the director on co-curricular activities, the coordinator identifies mentor-student pairs to participate in residential college presentations, schedules and coordinates visits to off-campus research facilities twice a year, and conducts information sessions about Research Day. The coordinator initiates, tracks, monitors, and organizes peer mentor meetings and, working with the compliance director, tracks participation in the Responsible Conduct of Research CITI online courses.
With regard to the activities in the curricular transformation component, the coordinator oversees grant competitions and directs the gathering of secondary data associated with the grants, such as academic performance, retention, and other data of interest to each participating department. In support of the mentored research component, the coordinator provides support and logistics to interested students. The coordinator works with the director and the assessment committee to triangulate assessment data and serves as the primary contact for students in using the DRF. The coordinator provides administrative support for the assessment components of curricular pilots, and compiles results for reporting to the assessment committee. Additionally, the coordinator works with staff in the OAA and with ORED’s business manager to track the QEP budget and prepare regular reports.
LSU DISCOVER ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT A half-time administrative assistant will be hired in year one of the program. The assistant is responsible for assisting the coordinator by interfacing with the assessment effort and compiling results from the four main foci of LSU Discover. Additionally, the assistant is responsible for day- to-day support, including gathering supplementary data from grant awardees; reporting this data to the coordinator for triangulation with other program data; and disseminating, gathering, and compiling assessment data from Research Day. The assistant is responsible for the procurement and distribution of the DRFs and for maintenance and monitoring of this aspect of LSU Discover assessment, including tracking uploaded guided reflections, artifacts, and other content in the DRFs. The assistant maintains the database of mentors/mentees and tracks student performance and enrollment in research enabled-courses campus-wide. The assistant works with Faculty Technology Center (FTC) to implement the online training programs associated with mentored research.
60 Chapter VIII Project Management
LSU DISCOVER LIBRARIAN A full-time librarian will be hired in year one to provide library instruction, including the development and delivery of workshops and online tutorials that support the QEP. A graduate from an MLIS program accredited by the American Library Association is required. The librarian schedules and coordinates awareness activities and develops and delivers workshops associated with Research Day. Working closely with the CCA committee, the librarian helps to integrate fall-semester discussions of RAs with students about LSU Discover. The librarian coordinates workshops and their subsequent transformation into Web-based content on library research methods and critical thinking skills. The librarian is the instructor of record for LIS 1001 and coordinates LSU 1001 in collaboration with residential colleges. The librarian performs information literacy support for the curricular transformation grants.
ASSESSMENT GRADUATE STUDENT (AGA) An assessment graduate assistant embedded in the LSU Office of Assessment and Evaluation disseminates, tracks, and compiles assessment materials. The AGA, who aids the assistant with DRF tasks, is the primary point of contact for students. In the execution of these tasks, the AGA reports also to the OAE director. The AGA works with the LSU Discover coordinator and with the assistant to gather secondary assessment data associated the curricular transformation grants. The AGA also assists the coordinator with development and delivery of summative and formative assessment reports to mentors/mentees and other LSU Discover constituents. The AGA will works with OAE director and staff, through the assessment committee, to develop and revise rubrics and to compile data for reporting to the committee.
LSU DISCOVER GRADUATE STUDENT (GA) The GA primarily assists the coordinator and assistant with tasks related to the four main QEP activities. In support of co-curricular activities, the GA assists the coordinator with the discipline- centric support group meetings and organizes practice sessions for Research Day participants. The GA is responsible for tracking and compiling information on students interested in mentored research for disclosure to the director and the coordinator. The GA serves as a resource for the curricular change competitions and supports the preparation and set-up of Research Day activities. The GA works with the implementers of pilots and with awardees of curricular transformation grants to initiate their participation in Research Day. The GA works also with the registrar to track research-for-credit participation campus-wide.
WEBSITE GRADUATE STUDENT (WGA) A Website graduate assistant shared with the Office of Communications & University Relations will maintain the LSU Discover Web and social media presence. The WGA is an important liaison for developing and disseminating publicity related to LSU Discover in collaboration with the LSU Office of Communications & University Relations. The WGA maintains a database of regional, national, and international research opportunities and works with the Faculty Technology Center to post the electronic workshops to the Website. The WGA works with the coordinator and with the registrar’s office to tag and track student records. The WGA also works with the coordinator to compile a database of student presentations, peer-reviewed presentations, and awards.
61 Louisiana State University QEP
LSU DISCOVER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT WORKERS (SW) Two undergraduate students at 10 hours per week assist the coordinator and the assistant in day- to-day tasks of LSU Discover. They help organize the peer mentor meetings, track and compile information on LSU Discover alumni, and compile the registration information of Research Day participants. They gather, compile, and maintain the digital database of abstracts, posters, and presentations from Research Day. They support the physical setup for Research Day, including setting up tables, poster stands, and projection equipment. They work with the coordinator to maintain the social media feeds.
The preceding sections and appendices show that LSU Discover is supported by several committees that broadly represent the LSU community. The first and most important of these is the QEP implementation committee (Appendix G), which transitions into the operations committee in fall 2014. This committee, which sets policy for LSU Discover, includes one or more faculty that advocate for each of the four main activity foci of LSU Discover and for the major assessment activities of the QEP. A college advisory board (Appendix J) assures representation and optimal interaction with each of the major research-active colleges at LSU. A student advisory board (Appendix M) with membership from each of the major research active colleges, from student government, and from the major college and grant-funded undergraduate research programs at LSU is the primary means for obtaining student input. An assessment committee (Appendix E) oversees implementation of assessment methods and interpretation and reporting of results, both periodically as indicated in the results and annually to the LSU administration. This committee works with the QEP director and operations committee to develop the fifth-year summative report on the success of LSU Discover in improving SLOs. The Council on Co-curricular Activities (Appendix I) introduced in Section VI.1 advises on LSU Discovery activities that impact large numbers of early students. Finally, Research Day subcommittees in each of the participating colleges coordinate the nature and scope of each unit’s participation. Importantly, the funding for LSU Discover staff described herein and for the scoring team of faculty (budgeted at $16,500 in year one and increasing to $55,000 in year five) frees these students, faculty, administrators, and professional staff from otherwise necessary constraints, making them more available to provide the consistent, thoughtful support effective implementation of the activities and heuristic interventions of LSU Discover require.
62 LSU Discover Scholars and their mentors were honored in an on-field ceremony during the Nov 29, 2013, LSU-Arkansas football game.
IX. Resources As evidenced by the establishment of LSU’s OUR, the hiring of a full-time coordinator, the significant investment into year zero and pilot activities, and the budget delineated below, the LSU Discover initiative is a major priority for LSU. The QEP implementation committee’s persistent and methodical study of details of the projected activities and associated resources informs the budget. Via a combination of in-kind and significant new cash resources, the university is committing approximately $5 million, including pre-QEP investment into pilots and planning, with more than $2 million in new cash committed to enhancing the learning outcomes of students in the area of undergraduate research. As the project proceeds, all budget-related expenses will be administered, tracked, and evaluated by the OUR and reported to the LSU administration through an annual report.
63 Louisiana State University QEP
Table IX.A: Budget Year 0 = July 1 2013 – June 30 2014, etc. Year 0 Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 0-5 Total 1-5 Total New Resources Co-curricular activities LSU Discover presentations $0 $3,800 $3,800 $3,800 $3,800 $3,800 $19,000 $19,000 Student posters/displays $0 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $10,000 $10,000 Workshops/online tutorials $1,000 $10,500 $8,000 $8,000 $5,000 $5,000 $37,500 $36,500 Other $0 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $2,000 $2,000 Co-curricular activities subtotal $1,000 $16,700 $14,200 $14,200 $11,200 $11,200 $68,500 $67,500 Curricular Transformation Architecture Pilot $3,000 $37,500 $0 $0 $0 $0 $40,500 $37,500 Coast and Environment Pilot $2,000 $30,000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $32,000 $30,000 Curricular Transformation Grants $0 $0 $20,000 $60,000 $80,000 $80,000 $240,000 $240,000 Course grants $0 $0 $5,000 $10,000 $15,000 $20,000 $50,000 $50,000 Curricular Transformation subtotal $5,000 $67,500 $25,000 $70,000 $95,000 $100,000 $362,500 $357,500 Mentored Research Workshops $0 $14,500 $14,500 $14,500 $14,500 $14,500 $72,500 $72,500 Travel $1,000 $2,000 $10,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $73,000 $72,000 Awards $0 $14,000 $21,000 $26,000 $33,000 $33,000 $127,000 $127,000 Mentored Research subtotals $1,000 $30,500 $45,500 $60,500 $67,500 $67,500 $272,500 $271,500 Research Day/Week Facilities and supplies $4,531 $4,200 $14,821 $18,125 $22,425 $19,500 $83,602 $79,071 Awards and Travel $200 $2,200 $2,400 $7,400 $8,400 $8,400 $29,000 $28,800 Research Day subtotal $4,731 $6,400 $17,221 $25,525 $30,825 $27,900 $112,602 $107,871 Staff (includes fringe benefits and raises)(LSU Discover Coordinator and Year 0 faculty stipends included in ‘Existing staff’ line) LSU Discover Librarian $0 $31,050 $64,584 $67,167 $69,852 $72,647 $305,300 $305,300 LSU Discover Administrative Assistant $0 $24,150 $25,116 $26,120 $27,165 $28,251 $130,802 $130,802 Faculty summer stipends $0 $39,536 $41,116 $42,760 $44,432 $46,207 $214,051 $214,051 Graduate Assistants $0 $83,790 $87,141 $90,624 $78,543 $73,516 $413,614 $413,614 Student workers $1,813 $7,250 $7,750 $8,250 $8,750 $9,250 $43,063 $41,250 New staff subtotal $1,813 $185,776 $225,707 $234,921 $228,742 $229,871 $1,106,830 $1,105,017 Assessment Salary/payment $1,500 $16,500 $28,000 $41,500 $42,500 $55,000 $185,000 $183,500 TaskStream $3,086 $18,625 $26,250 $36,250 $33,750 $25,000 $142,961 $139,875 Assessment subtotal $4,586 $35,125 $54,250 $77,750 $76,250 $80,000 $327,961 $323,375 Other Other subtotal $91,305 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $141,305 $50,000 New Resources Totals $109,435 $352,001 $391,878 $492,896 $519,517 $526,471 $2,392,198 $2,282,763 In-kind, existing, and Year 0 resources In-kind $233,508 $307,941 $374,391 $471,891 $621,891 $696,891 $2,706,513 $2,473,005 Existing staff $141,000 $64,584 $67,167 $69,852 $72,647 $75,552 $490,802 $349,802 Year 0 resources (taken from Year 0 total) $109,435 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $109,435 $0 In-kind, existing, and Year 0 resources $483,943 $372,525 $441,558 $541,743 $694,538 $772,443 $3,306,750 $2,822,807 subtotal New, Existing, and in-kind Grand totals $483,943 $724,526 $833,436 $1,034,639 $1,214,055 $1,298,914 $5,698,948 $5,105,570
* The national average of over 200 QEP efforts in the SACSCOC region for level 6 institutions is approximately $500,000 per year.
64 X. LSU Discover Assessment The success of the LSU Discover initiative is informed by systematic assessment at every level of implementation. The details documented in the previous sections comprise the complete assessment plan that, summarized here, describes the means for determining the intended advances in undergraduate student learning. To summarize, the SLOs are assessed throughout the undergraduate experience, with emphasis on selected SLOs at different stages of students’ college careers (as described in Table X.E: SLOs and Assessment).
X.1 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF QEP ASSESSMENT Formal assessment of LSU Discover is the responsibility of the LSU Discover assessment committee (Appendix E), with direct support from the LSU Office of Assessment and Evaluation. However, students, faculty, and staff participate at all levels of the program. Data are collected from the student participants under the direction of faculty and staff in each formal component of the program: co-curricular activities (the embedded librarian, CCA, and QEP coordinator), research-intensive courses (faculty PIs of QEP-supported grants), transformed curricula (deans, department chairs, and instructors of QEP supported grants), mentored research (faculty mentors and the QEP coordinator), and Research Day activities (faculty, OUR staff, and students). The diagram shown in Figure X.A demonstrates the organizational structure and the feedback loop to guide and ensure the success of formal evaluation efforts.
Provost/Academic Affairs
Faculty/Student Advisory Committees
QEP Team QEP Director Assessment Chair
Implementation/Operations Committee
QEP Coordinator QEP Assessment Committee LSU Office of Assessment
Co-Curricular Activities
Curricular Transformation
Assessment Measures Mentored Research
Research Day
FIGURE X.A: Organization of LSU Discover Assessment
65 Louisiana State University QEP
X.2 ASSESSMENT OF SLOS Primary assessment pertains to evaluation of advances in the QEP SLOs. Table X.A provides an overview of how this assessment is organized across LSU Discover activities via a general schedule; SLO1 is used as an example in this table, and SLOs 2-5 appear in Appendix N. The level of success in each student’s achievement of each SLO is the most important indicator of the overall success of the QEP. As noted in Section IV, determination of student achievement is based on a comprehensive rubric for each SLO. Determining levels of student achievement for each outcome for each category of student participants involves rubric-based evaluation of authentic course assignments that students upload into the LSU Discover Primary folio. Students’ participation in this aspect of the process, however, involves significantly more than the simple uploading of completed assignments. LSU Discover posits an integral relationship between student achievement and assessment of SLOs, and this emphasis is stressed in the expository information presented to students as part of a formal initiation into program participation and reinforced through such repetitions as periodic correspondence from program administrators housed in the OUR and formal indications of faculty working with students in mentoring or curricular contexts. Consistent documentation of learning is a shared responsibility among students, faculty, and LSU Discover Program coordinators. Tracking student learning across six years (years zero through five), LSU Discover documents evolution of participating students’ achievement of the SLOs, with the culminating points of evaluation being students’ communication of the details and results of their efforts in presentations on Research Day and through digital self-representation.
Section VI.1 introduces a group of co-curricular activities that, offered on a modular basis to a large number of undergraduates, present information designed to introduce students to fundamental concepts of formal academic research. As noted in Section IV, these activities reside at the lower levels of Bloom’s hierarchy of learning domains and are assessed accordingly. As an example of the formative assessment, in addition to those noted in Table X.A, students are invited to complete discipline-oriented online training courses in the responsible conduct of research. Completion of the courses, which include built-in assessments, indicates advancement toward achievement of SLO3- ethics and documented by a certificate of completion. First-year students participating in the available co-curricular activities are assessed primarily for advances in SLO1-literacy and SLO3-ethics. In addition to these activities, each fall and spring semesters some first-year students will take either LSU 1001 or LIS 1001, and some eventually take both. These courses will emphasize information literacy (SLO1-literacy) and the responsible conduct of research, such as providing appropriate citations, references, and quotation where appropriate (SLO3-ethics). Assessment of SLO1-literacy and SLO3-ethics in some instances may be performed by course exams administered by the instructors. Using the rubric provided in Table X.B, instructors compile the assessment data and provide a report each semester to the QEP coordinator, who uploads this assessment data into the LSU Discover overall planning module located in TaskStream. The OUR compiles a summary report of this assessment annually, by early summer, for the consideration of the assessment committee in its preparation of the annual report to the provost. Through the OUR, with the support of the Center for Academic Success and the Council on Co-curricular Activities, students are encouraged to participate in a range of workshops and online tutorials that will enhance the training of first – and second-year students in SLO1-literacy, SLO1-methods, SLO3-ethics, and SLO5-communication (see Section VI.1). Surveys administered as part of the workshops and online tutorials contribute to the body of data that informs annual reporting and continuous improvement of co-curricular processes across the span of LSU Discover.
66 Chapter X LSU Discover Assessment
A pilot assessment of student poster presentations performed in August 2013 by members of the QEP implementation committee, supported by additional faculty, made transparent the usefulness of particular student interventions as described in Section VI.4.3. Results from this pilot reinforced the plan for enhancing exposure of students to SLO interventions in the early years through designated co-curricular activities, in later years through prescribed transformed curricula and mentoring, and in the ultimate year, through workshops for students preparing to present at Research Day. A second piloting of the assessment strategy planned for Research Day will take place in March 2014.
Table X.A: General Schedule of Assessment and Related Artifacts (SLO1; Appendix N contains SLOs 2 through 5)
Co-curricular Curricular Research Day Mentored Research activities Transformation Poster Talk
SLO1 Identify and effectively Participation/ Research Written works; poster and/or oral evaluate essential supporting completion of project(s) and presentations; digital e-portfolio (see information and/or literature activity course(s) QEP Written Communication Rubric, sources associated with a assessment QEP Critical Thinking Rubric, QEP research project. Poster Rubric, and QEP Spoken Rubric)
Table X.B: Student Achievement in SLOs Rubric* (SLO1; Appendix O contains SLOs 2 through 5)
Developing Competent Accomplished
SLO1 Identify and Discipline Does not recognize Recognizes key works or Demonstrates the ability effectively evaluate Specific previous works or theoretical frameworks to recognize key works essential supporting Framework theoretical frameworks associated with the research or theoretical frameworks information and/or associated with the question, but cannot associated with the research literature sources research question differentiate, select or adapt question, and can differentiate, associated with a them to other subjects select or adapt them to other research project. subjects
Exploration Does not recognize, Recognizes or selects Demonstrates the ability to select or apply supporting information and/or consistently recognize and select supporting information literature, but does not apply supporting information and/or literature in appropriately to research discipline associated question with research question
Information Does not distinguish Distinguishes between scholarly Demonstrates the ability to Literacy or critically evaluate resources and popular works, distinguish scholarly resources scholarly resources; but does not consistently use from popular works and uses inappropriate discipline appropriate sources consistently applies them to the sources for inquiry for inquiry research inquiry
* The rubrics for each of the SLOs are under development. In some cases, they are adapted from American Association of Colleges and Universities VALUE rubrics as well as from the undergraduate student learning outcomes rubrics from Florida Atlantic University. An example for SLO1 is shown above; SLOs 2-5 are in Appendix O.
X.3 ALIGNMENT OF LSU DISCOVER SLOS ASSESSMENT WITH ONGOING ASSESSMENT EFFORTS AT LSU The LSU Discover assessment committee (Appendix E) recognizes the usefulness of triangulating LSU Discover assessment with ongoing annual outcomes assessments at the degree program level and of the university learning competencies (general education competencies). The committee will coordinate this alignment through an integrated report based on a review of annual statistical and narrative reports in TaskStream.
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X.4 USE OF RESULTS TO IMPROVE PROGRAM COMPONENTS Assessment data and associated information are formally and systematically reviewed by the LSU Discover assessment committee (Appendix E). Formal dissemination of results through the OUR and the assessment committee provides information to faculty participants and program implementers at all levels of the process. Of particular interest is the evaluation of data pertaining to the relation of LSU Discover interventions to student performance on the prescribed learning outcomes. Important, too, is the functionality of the various administrative aspects of LSU Discover activities. The assessment committee is responsible not only for systematic formal evaluation of the ongoing components of the general program, but also for making strategic determinations about reporting the results, including when and to whom, and making recommendations to implementers about potential revisions in ongoing course and curricular interventions, mentoring activities, and co-curricular processes associated with LSU Discover.
Compilation, analysis, and interpretation of results by the assessment committee inform and guide the overall improvement of the QEP program through reports to faculty and administrators after each instance of formal rubric-based scoring. Student scores are tabulated and maintained longitudinally in order to optimize understanding of student growth. The scores of representative samples of students participating in relative aspects of LSU Discover are evaluated and the results meaningfully correlated to disclose discrepancies in student learning and to identify areas for potential improvement. Each June, the assessment committee begins a focused analysis and evaluation of assessment results from each of the four facets of LSU Discover that culminates in an annual summary report to the provost before the beginning of the following fall semester.
X.5 TABLE OF ASSESSMENT METHODS The particular assessment designs for each of the four facets of the QEP are presented in Tables X.C through X.E.
Table X.C: Overview of QEP Activities (continues on next page)
Student Impact Mechanisms QEP Activities Purpose Alterations (What) Timing (When) (Who) (How)
Co-curricular Introduce large First- and second- Building student Years 1-5; Incorporation Activities numbers of students year students research-based emphasis on into LSU 1001, to research learning skills development of LIS 1001, First through courses, these activities will Year Experience, workshops, online be on the front end Residential tutorials, and other College, CAS, and events development of workshops and tutorials
Curricular Promote research- Students in degree Increased Years 1-5; pilot Departmental/ Transformation intensive course programs, from first- availability of programs in college QEP- availability and year students to research-intensive architecture funded, integrated develop multi- graduating seniors courses and and coastal curricular change semester, discipline- permanent changes environmental proposals; Faculty specific training in degree program science began in QEP-funded in undergraduate curricula that year 0 course change research enhance research proposals training
68 Chapter X LSU Discover Assessment
Table X.C: Overview of QEP Activities (continued)
Student Impact Mechanisms QEP Activities Purpose Alterations (What) Timing (When) (Who) (How)
Mentored Research Promote one-on- First year to Increased number Years 1-5; Development of one student mentor seniors, depending of students mentor workshops; relationships that last upon when the participating in increased multiple semesters student begins mentored research number of faculty and research-for- mentors; off- credit campus industrial mentorships; thesis/capstone student recognition
Research Day Expose large All student Organized campus- Years 1-5; it is Development of numbers of students presenters and all wide forum for anticipated that workshops on to research; forum for students visiting students to present Research Day presentation skills; students to develop the Research Day their research and will expand into forum for research presentations skills events, as well as network with other Research Week presentations; faculty visitors students, faculty, department and community research “open houses”
Table X.D: QEP Learning Outcomes & Related Interventions
Co-Curricular Curricular SLO Mentored Research Research Day Activities Transformation
1 Identify & effectively Introduction of students Introduction of students Mentors direct students’ evaluate essential to scholarly resources to research inquiry & development of literature supporting information through courses, scholarly resources in skills (2) Student’s &/or literature sources workshops, online initial discipline-specific formal reflection associated with a tutorials, & other events courses research project
2 Utilize tools & Students acquire skills Mentors direct strategies for gathering and experience in students to acquire & evaluating data, & research methods and skills and experience apply the results to the approaches to solving in discipline-specific solution of the research research problems research methods and problem approaches to solving problems
3 Demonstrate Expose large numbers In depth coursework Mentors reinforce Student display of awareness of of students to research devoted to ethical issues students’ commitment citations &/or scholarly responsible conduct of ethics through courses, & the citation of the to ethical conduct of references in oral, research workshops, online works of others in the research Poster or Performance tutorials, & other events performance of research based communication
4 Identify & describe Training & experience Students respond to a an original disciplinary in generating research protocol of questions research question questions in discipline on concept of original research
5 Articulate research Student scholarly Mentors guide students Student scholarly findings through written, presentations of presentations for communication of their visual, performance &/or research results in research day (2) research in an organized oral presentation Capstone course, student’s draft of digital campus-wide event Research Day events, self or portfolio and digital portfolio
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Table X.E: SLOs and Assessment (Curricular Transformation, Mentored Research and Research Day appear in Appendix P)
SLO Competencies Method(s) Responsible Unit Timing Processing
1 Identify & Demonstrates the Assessed by exam Administered Final exams in Assessment effectively evaluate ability to distinguish questions, quizzes, and collected by LSU 1001 & LIS data compiled & essential supporting scholarly resources and surveys course instructors 1001; quizzes reported to QEP information &/or from popular works of LSU 1001, and surveys in Coordinator, stored literature sources in the pursuit of LIS 1001, First workshops and on TaskStream, associated with a research inquiry Year Experience, tutorials and evaluated by research project Residential College, QEP Assessment workshops and Committee tutorials
2
3 Demonstrate Demonstrates Assessed by Administered Final exams in Assessment awareness of recognition of designed exam and collected by LSU 1001 & LIS data compiled & responsible conduct ethical problems questions, quizzes, course instructors 1001; quizzes reported to QEP of research and issues in and surveys of LSU 1001, and surveys in Coordinator, stored research inquiry LIS 1001, First workshops and on TaskStream, Year Experience, tutorials and evaluated by Residential College, QEP Assessment workshops and Committee tutorials
4 5
Overall, LSU Discover is poised to expand undergraduate research at LSU and to improve student learning outcomes by introducing students to the challenges and rewards of research.
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Appendices
Appendix A: Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Team (continues on next page)
Team Member Affiliation Time on Committee O’Neil Carol QEP Chair, College of Agriculture November, 2011-pres Albert, Katrice Vice Provost for Equity, Diversity, and Community Outreach November, 2011-June, 2013 Braun, Bernie Staff Member, Budget & Planning (ex‐officio) August, 2011-pres Brocato, Melissa Director, Center for Academic Success August, 2011-pres Connell, Casey Graduate Student Representative (ex‐officio) August, 2011-May, 2013 Delzell, Charles Associate Chair for Instruction, Mathematics, College of Science November, 2011-pres Duran, Randy Executive Director, Cain Center; Director of Undergraduate Research November, 2011-pres Feduccia, Mary Director, Career Services November, 2011-pres Ferstel, Sarah QEP/LSU Discover Coordinator, ORED October, 2013-pres Foster, Gaines Dean, College of Humanities & Social Sciences November, 2011-pres Franks, Stephenie Staff Member, Academic Affairs (ex‐officio) November, 2011-pres Galy, Kristie Director, Col of Human Sciences & Education November, 2011-January, 2012 Garrison, M.E. (Betsy) Associate Dean, College of Agriculture November, 2011-January, 2012 Henriquez, Julie Graduate Student Representative (ex-officio) November 2013-pres Ivey, Paul Executive Director, University College November, 2011-pres Jenny, Bruce Professor, College of Agriculture January, 2012-pres Jones, Khristen Graduate Student Representative (ex‐officio) May, 2013-pres Kenna, Erin Undergraduate Student Representative (ex‐officio) August, 2013-August, 2012 Landry, Matthew Undergraduate Student Representative (ex‐officio) August, 2012-pres Liggett, Sarah Director, Communication Across the Curriculum; Professor of English August, 2013-pres Lilley, Traci Assistant Dean of Field Education, School of Social Work November, 2011-pres Livingston, Lynn President, Staff Senate November, 2011-pres Matthews, Bobby Director, Office of Assessment & Evaluation November, 2011-pres MacGregor, Kim Associate Professor, Education November, 2011-pres McGuire, Saundra Assistant Vice Chancellor for Learning, Teaching and Retention November, 2011-May, 2013 Miles, Kenneth Interim Vice Provost for Equity, Diversity, and Community June, 2013-present Pecchioni, Loretta Associate Professor, Communication Studies November, 2011-pres Ray, Leonard Director, International Studies November, 2011-pres Reeve, T. Gilmour SACSCOC Liaison & VP for Academic Programs, Planning & Review November, 2011-pres Smyth, Elaine Interim Dean, LSU Libraries November, 2011-pres Solmon, Melinda Chair, Kinesiology, College of Education November, 2011-pres Waggenspack, Warren Associate Dean, College of Engineering November, 2011-pres Walker, Sandra Staff Member, Budget & Planning (ex‐officio) November, 2011-May, 2013 Wischusen, William Associate Professor and Undergraduate Advisor, College of Science November, 2011-pres
76 Appendix A: Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Team (continued)
Working Team Members Analysis of Existing Data Albert, Delzell, Duran, Matthews, McGuire, O’Neil, Walker, Wischusen Student Surveys Connell, Kenna, Livingston, MacGregor, Smyth Faculty/Staff Surveys Foster, Lilley, Pecchioni Employer/Advisory Board Feduccia, Ivey, Waggenspack Surveys Call for Proposals McGuire, O’Neil, Ray Review of Proposals Entire Team
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Appendix B: Original Two-to-three Page Concept Papers.
Title Department(s) of Individuals or Groups Submitting Concept Papers Academic Boot Camps for First Year Students BIOS (Biological Sciences), College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Science, Academic Affairs
Beyond the One-Shot and the One-Credit: Acknowledging LSU Libraries the Nexus between Information Literacy, Critical Thinking, and Academic Writing Course Redesign and Development University College; Mathematics; LSU Academic Technology Services, Faculty Technology Center.
Developing the Graduating Student Profile: Using General Education Committee (Chair, Theater), Office of Assessment High-Impact Practices to Forge Coherence across the and Evaluation, Office of Research and Economic Development Undergraduate Curriculum (Chemistry), Communication Across the Curriculum (English) Developing Global Competence across the Curriculum Academic Programs Abroad, International Programs
Developing Strategic Learning Skills to Transform Students’ Center for Academic Success Lives Dialogue across the Disciplines Intercollegiate Studies Institute at LSU Direct Admission to Senior Colleges Biological Sciences
Diversify Your Equation for Success: Exploring the University Recreation, Division of Student Life and Enrollment dimensions of wellness and its impact on student success
Enhancing Campus and Community Collaboration through Career Services Student Experiential Learning
Enhancing Undergraduate Learning and Engagement Communication Across the Curriculum/English through Communication-Intensive Pedagogy First Generation Student Services & Seminar First Year Experience First-Year Teachers Make a Difference English Global learning for the 21st century International Programs, Development and Outreach Great Books and Big Ideas History, English, Political Science, Philosophy
Increasing Persistence through Complementary Summer Office of Strategic Initiatives, STEM Education, Academic Affairs Bridge and Peer Mentoring Programs
Involving students in furthering the development of the Louisiana Museum of Natural History; Members of the Faculty Senate Louisiana Museum of Natural History (LMNH) at LSU into MPA Task Force (Physics and Astronomy) the research, education, and economic powerhouse it can and should be
Learning and Teaching Collaborative: Resources to Support Faculty Technology Center, Information Technology Services; Center for Faculty Development Academic Success; Communication Across the Curriculum; Academic Affairs; Career Services; CCELL On-Ramps to Increase Access to University Programs Mathematics
Sustainability Education for Quality Enhancement of LSU Campus Sustainability, Facility Services; Department of Kinesiology; Undergraduate Education and Research Biological Sciences; Chemical Engineering; Architecture; School of Plant, Environmental, and Soil Sciences (Horticulture); Civil and Environmental Engineering; the School of Coast and Environment; Louisiana Agricultural Extension Service
Undergraduate Creativity, Research, Teaching, and LSU Honors College (Department of History); College of Humanities Entrepreneurship LSU-CREATE and Social Sciences (Department of Psychology), Assessment and Evaluation, Office of Research and Economic Development (Chemistry)
Using service-learning and the scholarship of engagement CCELL, Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Office of Assessment to enhance student learning and Evaluation
78 Appendices
Appendix C: Rubric for Scoring Initial Concept Paper
Dimension Unacceptable 0 Acceptable 2 Exemplary 4
Problem Statement: Briefly Missing. Needs additional Well developed; appropriate Well developed; addresses a describe the area of student development or is too narrow for a large group of LSU current need appropriate for a learning this project is intended or lacks focus. Support data students. Has potential as a large group of LSU students. to enhance. Mention any are lacking or are incomplete. broad-based QEP. Institutional References higher-ed and available data indicating that Does not include defined evidence of need is presented. institutional evidence regarding students at LSU are deficient in groups of students. Not Sustainability possible. May student learning needs. this area. sustainable. be an extension of an ongoing Sustainable. New endeavor or Weighted Double effort, although adequate clearly a significant extension of evidence may be weak. an ongoing program.
Articulation with Flagship Missing. Not linked with Adequately linked with the Clearly and specifically Agenda: Indicate how these the LSU Flagship 2020 or LSU Flagship 2020 or has linked with the LSU Flagship activities will address elements generally inappropriate for the potential to be linked to 2020 agenda. Addresses of the LSU Flagship 2020. undergraduates. the Flagship 2020. Clearly a key element of need for appropriate for undergraduates. undergraduates.
Brief Description of the Missing. Fails to adequately Specific activities are Specific activities are well Proposed Activities: Briefly describe activities or their adequately described or have described and can be describe the proposed activities impact on student learning. No the potential to generate implemented. A feasible and and their expected impact on clear plan of action. such actions. Activities can fully developed plan of action. student learning. be implemented or have the potential to be implemented. A plan of action is provided, but it may not be fully developed.
Measurable Goals and Missing. The proposal includes Appropriately constructed SLO Clearly describes appropriately Outcomes for Student vague or student learning or the potential for appropriate constructed SLO that can be Learning: What are the outcomes (SLO) that cannot be SLO. assessed. measurable student learning assessed. outcomes associated with these activities? Weighted Double
Assessment Methods: How Missing. Assessment methods Assessment methods are Proposal provides multiple will the University assess are not complete or clearly clearly defined and contain at measures of SLOs and success whether these activities are defined; do not include direct least some direct measures of and demonstrates measures improving student learning methods of assessment; or do SLO. Proposal contains other are valid and reliable. outcomes? not include best practices. measures of overall success of Weighted Double the QEP. Descriptions have the potential to provide valid and reliable measures.
Rough Timeline for Missing. Timeline is vague, Timeline is clear and can be Timeline is clear and can be Implementation: What steps cannot be implemented or completed within the timeframe completed within the time or phases would be required to completed in an appropriate or has the potential to be frame. implement and assess these time frame. completed within the timeframe. activities? How long would this take?
Estimated Resources Missing. Poorly defined or Adequately defined and the Well defined, clearly able to Required: What additional clearly outside the scope of project has the potential to be support the project, and within staffing, faculty or staff training, possibilities. accomplished with available the scope of LSU. equipment, or other resources resources. would be needed to implement this plan? No weight—although scored
Since we want the strongest possible QEP for LSU, we will also be asking reviewers for strengths and weaknesses of the proposals, as well as anything that they think would improve the proposals. For those elements that are “weighted double,” please score according to the stated rubric—scores will be “weighted double” in the final analyses.
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Appendix D: Updating the University Community and Soliciting Feedback (continues on next page)
Date Event QEP Team Chair updated the SACSCOC Reaffirmation of Accreditation Steering Committee (Steering Committee) on the 01.17.13 process of selecting the QEP; feedback was solicited. QEP Team Chair and the Chair of the Steering Committee spoke to Student Government about the reaffirmation process; 01.25.12 feedback was solicited. QEP Team Chair and the Chair of the Steering Committee spoke to the Dean’s Council and the Faculty Senate about the 02.14.12 reaffirmation process; feedback was solicited. QEP Team Chair and the Chair of the Steering Committee spoke to the Staff Senate about the reaffirmation process; 02.14.12 feedback was solicited. 02.16.12 QEP Team Chair updated the Steering Committee on the process of selecting the QEP; feedback was solicited. QEP Team Chair and Chair of the Steering Committee spoke at the Chancellor’s Executive Staff Meeting to update them on 02.27.12 the reaffirmation process; feedback was solicited. 03.12.12 SACSCOC Reaffirmation Update in LSU Communiqué. QEP Team Chair spoke to the Undergraduate and Graduate Student Research Workshop about the QEP; feedback was 03.13.12 solicited. QEP Team Chair spoke to the Staff Foundation Meeting about the process and progress of each committee; feedback was 03.20.12 solicited. 03.28.12 Reveille Article on Reaffirmation Process Published 04.01.12 Solicitation for Concept Papers in LSU Communiqué. 05.01.12 QEP Team Chair updated the Steering Committee on the process of selecting the QEP; feedback was solicited. QEP Team Chair and Chair of the Steering Committee spoke at the Faculty Senate to update them on the reaffirmation 05.17.12 process and feedback on the QEP concept papers. QEP Team Chair and Chair of the Steering Committee met with the Provost to update him on the progress of selecting the 08.17.12 QEP. 08.31.12 QEP Team Chair updated the Steering Committee on the QEP; feedback was solicited. 10.02.12 SACSCOC Reaffirmation Update in LSU Communiqué. 10.05.12 QEP Team Chair updated the Steering Committee on the process of selecting the QEP; feedback was solicited. 11.01.12 SACSCOC Reaffirmation Update in LSU Communiqué. QEP Chair and Chair of the Steering Committee updated the Staff Senate on the reaffirmation process; feedback was 11.21.12 solicited. 12.05.12 QEP Chair and Chair of the Steering Committee updated the Faculty Senate on the QEP; feedback was solicited. 01.02.13 SACSCOC Reaffirmation Update in LSU Communiqué. 01.10.13 QEP Team Chair and the Chair of the Steering Committee met with the Provost to update him on the reaffirmation process. 01.14.13 QEP Chair updated the Steering Committee on the QEP; feedback was solicited. QEP Team Chair and the Chair of the Steering Committee spoke to the Dean’s Council on the reaffirmation process; formal 01.15.13 written feedback was solicited. QEP Team Chair and the Chair of the Steering Committee spoke to Student Government about the process and progress 01.16.13 of each committee; feedback was solicited. 02.05.13 QEP Team Chair updated the Provost on the QEP. 02.26.13 QEP Chair updated the Steering Committee on the QEP; feedback was solicited. QEP Team Chair and the Chair of the Steering Committee spoke to the Business Managers to update them on the overall 03.12.13 reaffirmation process and the QEP. 04.01.13 Announcement of the QEP topic in LSU Communiqué. 04.18.13 QEP Team Chair met with University Relations, re: QEP marketing.
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Appendix D: Updating the University Community and Soliciting Feedback (continued)
Date Event 04.25.13 The QEP Chair updated the Steering Committee on the QEP. 06.05.13 QEP Chair updated the Steering Committee on the QEP. 08.27.13 QEP Chair and Chair of the QEP implementation committee updated the Steering Committee on the QEP. QEP update in LSU Communiqué and announcement of the Research Open House March 10, 2014 and the SACSCOC 09.04.13 site visit March 11-13, 2014. 10.02.13 SACSCOC Reaffirmation Update in LSU Communiqué. QEP Implementation Chair and the Assistant Vice Chancellor, University Relations updated the Campus Communicators on 10.10.13 the QEP. Through University Relations, a toolkit with materials to promote the QEP is available for this group.
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Appendix E: LSU Discover Assessment Committee
Name (pending appointment) Program/Department Faculty member Kinesiology Faculty member College of Science Faculty member Agriculture Faculty member Education Faculty member Economics Faculty member Accounting Faculty member Psychology Faculty member Theatre Faculty member Engineering Faculty member Art Faculty member Political Science Faculty member Child & Family Studies Faculty member Coast and Environment Bobby Matthews (ex-officio) Office of Assessment and Evaluation Sarah Ferstel (ex-officio) Office of Undergraduate Research
82 Appendices
Appendix F: LSU Discover/AACU Ethics Rubric
Score/ Benchmark Milestones Milestones Capstone Level
Understanding Student only names Student can name the Student can name the Student names the Different the major theory she/ major theory she/he major theory or theories theory or theories, can Ethical he uses. uses, and is only able to she/he uses, can present the gist of said Perspectives/ present the gist of the present the gist of said theory or theories, and Concepts named theory. theory or theories, and accurately explains the attempts to explain the details of the theory or details of the theory or theories used. theories used, but has some inaccuracies. Ethical Issue Student can recognize Student can recognize Student can recognize Student can recognize Recognition basic and obvious basic and obvious ethical issues when ethical issues when ethical issues but fails ethical issues and issues are presented in presented in a to grasp complexity or grasp (incompletely) a complex, multilayered complex, multilayered interrelationships. the complexities or (gray) context OR (gray) context AND interrelationships can grasp cross- can recognize cross- among the issues. relationships among the relationships among the issues. issues.
Application Student can apply Student can apply Student can Student can of Ethical ethical perspectives/ ethical perspectives/ independently (to a new independently apply Perspectives/ concepts to an ethical concepts to an ethical example) apply ethical ethical perspectives/ Concepts question with support question, independently perspectives/concepts concepts to an ethical (using examples, in a (to a new example) to an ethical question, question, accurately, class, in a group, or a and the application is accurately, but does not and is able to consider fixed-choice setting) inaccurate. consider the specific full implications of the but is unable to apply implications of the application. ethical perspectives/ application. concepts independently (to a new example.).
Evaluation Student states a Student states a Student states a Student states a of Different position but cannot position and can position and can position and can Ethical state the objections state the objections state the objections state the objections Perspectives/ to and assumptions to, assumptions and to, assumptions to, assumptions and Concepts and limitations of the implications of different and implications implications of and different perspectives/ ethical perspectives/ of, and respond to can reasonably defend concepts. concepts but does not the objections to, against the objections respond to them (and assumptions and to, assumptions and ultimately objections, implications of different implications of different assumptions, and ethical perspectives/ ethical perspectives/ implications are concepts, but the concepts, and the compartmentalized student’s response is student’s defense is by student and do inadequate. adequate and effective. not affect student’s position.)
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Appendix G: QEP Implementation Committee
Name College Affiliation Time of Appointment Clark, Nancy Dean, Honors College · Professor of History May 17, 2013—present Duran, Randy Director, Office of Undergraduate Research · Professor of Chemistry May 17, 2013—present Erdman, Jori Director, School of Architecture May 17, 2013—present Ferstel, Sarah QEP/LSU Discover Coordinator, Office of Research and Economic Development September 27 –present McDonald, Janet Associate Dean, College of H&SS · Professor of Psychology May 17, 2013—present Pasqua, Jason Office of Research and Economic Development May 17, 2013-- present Smyth, Elaine Interim Dean, LSU Libraries May 17, 2013—present Wilson, Vincent Professor, Environmental Sciences May 17, 2013—present
84 Appendices
Appendix H: Marketing Timeline
March 2013 Initial meeting with Academic Affairs to discuss marketing of the QEP April 2013 Development of initial design concepts and names for feedback June 2013 Selection of final name and design concept May 2013 Brainstorming of QEP promotional ideas in Communications & University Relations Development of QEP promotional items, including: • Writing, design of push cards for faculty, staff, students • Design of welcome banners • Design of LSU Discover table throw • Design of LSU Discover cup Aug.-Nov. 2013 • Design of LSU Discover T-shirts (4) • Design of screen shot for flat panel monitors • Design of ads for campus newspaper, The Reveille • Writing, design of table tents for dining halls • Design of window displays and elevator wraps Nomination, selection, promotion of LSU Discover Scholars: • Students videotaped, photographed and interviewed (one student per college) • Student bios written • Videos produced for each Discover Scholar Sept.-Oct. 2013 • Tickets obtained for LSU vs Arkansas game for students and mentors; Provost to accompany • Student on-field recognition at LSU vs Arkansas football game • Banner stands created for each college, featuring their representative student • Homepage highlight story to commemorate LSU Discover Scholars’ game experience and the QEP • Commemorative photos prepared for each LSU Discover Scholar Development of QEP promotional toolkits for colleges • Powerpoint template • Customized college logo October 2013 • Graphic standards manual • Web buttons • Assortment of official LSU Discover logos Student Government promotional assistance • Planning of QEP Free Speech Plaza event • QEP button on SG website October 2013 • Recognition of LSU Discover Scholars at SG meetings • SG tweeting about LSU Discover • SG promoting LSU Discover at their events Public Relations: • LSU Magazine feature • LSU Research magazine feature • Reveille stories Oct. 2013-Beyond • Academic Affairs Communique • Button on LSU Online Catalog, LSU Office of Research & Economic Development site, and Academic Affairs site • Information about QEP in student orientation and recruitment publications • Science Café featuring LSU Discover Scholars, mentors, faculty Sept.-Dec. 2013 Development of LSU Discover Website Jan.-March 2014 Campuswide QEP Communication Blitz Jan.-March 2014 Promotion of LSU Discover Research Symposium Meetings with grassroots audiences, Faculty & Staff Senates, Student Government, Campus Communicators, Ongoing First Year Experience, etc
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Appendix I: Council on Co-Curricular Activities
Name (pending appointment) Program/Department Faculty/Staff Advisor University Relations Faculty/Staff Advisor Greek Life Faculty/Staff Advisor Residential Life, Director Faculty/Staff Advisor Residential College, Faculty in Residence LSU Discover Librarian LSU Libraries SGA Representative Student Government CxC Representative CxC LSU Discover Coordinator Office of Undergraduate Research Faculty/Staff Advisor First Year Experience Faculty/Staff Advisor CAS, Learning Strategies Coordinator Greek Life Student Representative Greek Life Additional student Representative SAB, LSU Discover award winner, etc.
86 Appendices
Appendix J: College Advisory Board
M.E. (Betsy) Garrison Agriculture Associate Dean Lake Douglas Art & Design Associate Professor Frances Lawrence Business Associate Dean Vince Wilson Coast & Environment Professor Warren Waggenspack Engineering Associate Dean Ann Holmes Honors College Associate Dean Jennifer Curry Human Sciences & Education Associate Professor Janet McDonald Humanities & Social Sciences Associate Dean Andrea Miller Mass Communication Associate Dean Stephen Beck Music & Dramatic Arts Associate Dean David Donze Science Associate Professor James Miller Veterinary Medicine Associate Dean
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Appendix K: Survey of Academic Department Chairs
LSU has chosen undergraduate research as its QEP for the upcoming SACS accreditation cycle. The QEP implementation committee is gathering baseline data as part of its planning procedure and the required SACS report this fall. We need and will very much appreciate your answers to these questions by May 28, 2013. Our working definition of undergraduate research: An inquiry or investigation, conducted by undergraduate students, guided by faculty, that solves a problem, makes an original intellectual contribution, or makes a creative contribution to the discipline or practice. (Modeled on the national Council of Undergraduate Research definition) Name:______Department:______Undergraduate Research within the Classroom 1. Do you have a course (methods course, lab, capstone etc.) where undergraduates do research as part of the course? Yes __ No __ 2. If so, what is the course number(s)? 3. Is it/Are they a required course for your majors? Yes __ No __ If yes, which course numbers? 4. a) Is the research in the class(es) cookbook (i.e., preprogrammed, and similar every semester) or is it open ended, student driven or inquiry based (i.e., different every semester, students have choice in what is done, results not known)? Cookbook course number(s) ____ Inquiry based course number(s) ____ 4. b) Is research in the class(es) done in teams or as individuals? Team course number(s) ____ Individual course number(s) ____ 5. Further details or comments about these classes 6. If the QEP was able to provide modest support, would there be interest in your department from the faculty to embed undergraduate research into your curriculum in general or into specific courses? Yes __ No __ Maybe __ 7. Comments Undergraduate Research – Mentorship (outside the classroom) 8. Do you have any opportunities for undergraduates to work with a faculty member to perform independent directed research? Yes __ No __ 9. Do students receive either pay or course credit for this opportunity? Pay __ Credit __ Both __ Neither __ 10. Do faculty mentors receive pay or course release for their service? Pay __ Release __ Both __ Neither __ 11. Approximately how many students in your department would you estimate take part in undergraduate research opportunities per year? Majors ____ Non-majors ____ 12. Comments Presentation/Recognition of Undergraduate Research 13. Do students in your department who have done undergraduate research present their work at Departmental level forum Yes __ No __ If yes, estimated number ____ College level forum Yes __ No __ If yes, estimated number ____ University level form Yes __ No __ If yes, estimated number ____ Discipline specific regional or national meetings Yes __ No __ If yes, estimated number ____ 14. Are you aware of undergraduate research presentation forums at LSU? Yes __ No__ If yes, please name. 15. If the QEP developed a university-wide undergraduate research symposium, would your unit and students be interested in participating? Yes __ No __
88 Appendices
Appendix L: Research Day Poster Rubric
Poster Number ______Date ______Student Name ______Summer 1st yr 2nd yr 3rd yr Senior Criteria (1=weak; 5=strong) 1 2 3 4 5 Poster Research Question clearly identified (Title, Abstract, and/or in Introduction) SLO4 Appropriate methods/tools/strategies utilized for data collection and analyses SLO2 Poster items appropriately cited (pictures, figures, tables, etc. taken from other sources), and Literature cited in text – SLO3 References listed in appropriate format – SLO1 Poster elements appropriate; Ease of reading (font size, color contrast, high quality figures, graphs, etc.); Balances simplicity with coverage; Not too busy, not too lean – SLO5 Presenter (author & researcher) Can student clearly articulate how he/she came up with the project topic? SLO4 Did student explain the basis for their project with reference to background and supporting information (references)? – SLO1 Can student clearly explain, interpret, and state conclusions from his/her findings? – SLO2 Did the student allude to other people’s work (e.g. literature cited) or otherwise demonstrate responsible conduct of research? – SLO3 Can student respond to interview questions clearly and concisely? – SLO5 Did the student present his/her project in a professional manner? – SLO5 TOTALS GRAND TOTAL
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Appendix M: Student Advisory Board
Student Program/Department Markita Lewis McNair Vicky Kelly HHMI Hannah McLain Mass Communication Megan Arias Sea Grant UROP Sarah Odom Human Sciences & Education Matthew J. Landry Agriculture Eric Newberry Business Bruno Gabriel Beltran Honors College Morgan Hargrove CCT REU Mark DiTusa LA-SIGMA REU Aurora Vargas NIH IMSD Abigail Burcham CFLR Colleen Robichaux Noyce Scholars Tiffani Guerin ORED
90 Appendices
Appendix N: General Schedule of Assessment and Related Artifacts (SLOs 2-5; continued from Table X.A)
Co-curricular Research Day Curricular Transformation Mentored Research activities Poster Talk
SLO2 Utilize tools Research project(s); written Lab reports; Written and strategies works; oral presentations works; Poster &/or oral for gathering and (see QEP Critical Thinking presentations; digital evaluating data, and Rubric, QEP Poster Rubric, eportfolio apply the results to & QEP Spoken Rubric) (see QEP Critical the solution of the Thinking Rubric, QEP research problem. Poster Rubric, & QEP Spoken Rubric)
SLO3 Demonstrate Course Capstone Course (see Research day) Poster and Presentation awareness of quizzes/ assessment Presenter evaluation responsible conduct of exams (see QEP Written evaluation (see QEP research. Communication Rubric, (see QEP Spoken Rubric) QEP Poster Rubric, & QEP Poster Rubric) Spoken Rubric)
SLO4 Identify Capstone Course (see Research Day) Poster and Presentation and describe an assessment Presenter evaluation original disciplinary (see QEP Written evaluation (see QEP or interdisciplinary Communication Rubric, (see QEP Spoken Rubric) research question. QEP Poster Rubric, & QEP Poster Rubric) Spoken Rubric)
SLO5 Articulate Capstone Course (see Research Day) Poster and Presentation research findings assessment; course Presenter evaluation through written, visual, projects/assignments; evaluation; (see QEP performance and/or Digital portfolio digital portfolio Spoken Rubric) oral presentation. (see QEP Written (see QEP Communication Rubric, Poster Rubric) QEP Critical Thinking Rubric, QEP Poster Rubric, & QEP Spoken Rubric)
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Appendix O: Student Achievement in SLOs Rubric (continues on next page) (SLOs 2-5; continued from Table X.B)
Developing Competent Accomplished
SLO2 Utilize tools Technical Skills Technical skills Technical skills are generally Technical skills are and strategies are insufficient to sufficient in the use of materials, applied appropriately and for gathering and utilize materials, instrumentation, devices, consistently in the gathering evaluating data, and instrumentation, devices, or programs to gather data of data without errors apply the results to or programs to effectively appropriate to the research the solution of the gather data appropriate project, but errors are evident research problem. to the research project
Observation / Data, observations, and/ Data, observations, and/or Data, observations, Data Collection or collected works are collected works are mostly and/or collected works not relevant or sufficient relevant or sufficient to address are clearly relevant or to address the research the research question; some sufficient to address question extraneous material present; the research question; limited information about data no extraneous material obtained present; clear identification and information about data obtained
Analysis / Analysis of information, Analysis of information, data, Analysis of information, Interpretation data, observations is observations is mostly accurate data, observations is largely inaccurate or with some errors or mostly performed accurately and incomplete complete with minor omissions completely
SLO3 Demonstrate Academic Violates any aspect of Acknowledges and generally Consistently and awareness of Integrity LSU’s Code of Student follows LSU’s Code of Student independently follows LSU’s responsible conduct Conduct (e.g. plagiarism, Conduct with guidance, but does Code of Student Conduct, of research. proper citation of not articulate the value of doing and recognizes the value of sources, etc.) so doing so
Conduct Research inquiry is Research inquiry appears to Research inquiry fully performed without generally consider and follow considers and follows consideration or ethically ethical practices in the treatment ethical practices in the responsible treatment of of or impacts to humans or treatment of or impacts to or impacts to humans or animals, but documentation is humans or animals with all animals missing the necessary permissions and documentation
Ethics Does not identify ethical Recognizes ethical problems, Clearly recognizes ethical problems, questions or questions or issues relevant to problems, questions or issues relevant to the the research inquiry, but does issues relevant to the research inquiry not provide ways to alleviate research inquiry, and these issues presents/ describes methodologies to address these issues
92 Appendices
Appendix O: Student Achievement in SLOs Rubric (continued) (SLOs 2-5; continued from Table X.B)
Developing Competent Accomplished
SLO4 Identify Basic Skills Demonstrates limited Demonstrates a working skill Demonstrates a complex and describe an and basic skills in set and/or vocabulary in the skill set and/or vocabulary original disciplinary the discipline; limited discipline, but it is not advanced in the discipline that it is or interdisciplinary discipline-specific and may be used inappropriately advanced and consistently research question. terminology and/or used appropriately vocabulary
Creative /Novel Student cannot identify, Student identifies some Student identifies and distinguish or generate questions research questions, consistently distinguishes research questions, problems, or issues in the research questions, problems, or issues discipline, but does not generate problems, or issues that within the scope of the new ones or distinguish ones are within the scope of the discipline that are outside of the scope of discipline, and generates the discipline new ones
Logic / Rationale The logic or rationale The logic or rationale used in The logic or rationale used used in the research the research inquiry is generally in the research inquiry inquiry is flawed appropriate, but contradictory is clearly scholarly, and evidence or theory(ies) may be contradictory evidence or acknowledged but not integrated theory(ies) are integrated into logic or rationale into logic or rationale
SLO5 Articulate Clarity / Communication is Communication is generally Communication is clearly research findings Organization disorganized, incoherent, organized and clear with few focused and articulated, through written, vague or inappropriate errors or distractions that free of errors or distractions, visual, performance interfere with comprehension and easily comprehensible and/or oral presentation. Acknowledgment Communication Communication acknowledges Communication clearly and lacks recognition of works with quotations and/or consistently acknowledges works, quotations, citations in a suitable format, but works with quotations and/or citations in an is inconsistent and/or citations in an appropriate format appropriate format
Scholarly Communication Communication generally Communication consistently Presentation completely lacks follows the correct formatting, follows the correct format, scholarly base, employs is presented at the appropriate is presented at the incorrect or inappropriate level, or targets the appropriate appropriate level, or targets formatting, or targets the audience, but has errors or the appropriate audience, wrong audience unnecessary components without errors or interfering components
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Appendix P: SLO and Assessment – Curricular Transformation (continued from Table X.E)
SLO Competencies Method(s) Responsible Unit Timing Processing
1 Identify & Demonstrates the ability Assessed by Instructors and Timing dependent Assessment data effectively evaluate to distinguish scholarly designed exam departments/ upon research- compiled and essential supporting resources from popular questions, quizzes, college recipients intensive courses reported directly information &/or works in the pursuit of and surveys; or by of QEP-funding and program to TaskStream, literature sources research inquiry student produced for developing curriculum design and evaluated associated with a research reports research-intensive by QEP research project and works courses and degree Assessment program curricular Committee changes
2 Utilize tools Demonstrates Rubric-based (Same as above) (Same as above) (Same as above) & strategies appropriate use of evaluation of for gathering & discipline-specific student- produced evaluating data, and technical skills in the lab reports, apply the results to collection of data research reports the solution of the and observations, and works research problem and analysis and interpretation of the results
3 Demonstrate Demonstrates Rubric-based (Same as above) (Same as above) (Same as above) awareness of recognition of ethical Assessment of responsible conduct problems and issues student-produced of research in research inquiry; research reports Consistent adherence and works with LSU’s Code of Student Conduct in reporting research results
4 Identify & Demonstrates a complex Rubric-based (Same as above) (Same as above) (Same as above) describe an skill set identifying, evaluation of original disciplinary distinguishing, and student-produced research question developing new research lab reports, questions, problems research reports within the scope of the and works discipline
5 Articulate Demonstrates Rubric-based (Same as above) During Capstone (Same as above) research findings scholarly & articulate evaluation of course in senior through written, communication that is student-produced year; Research visual, performance clear, easy to understand research works Day &/or presentation & follow
94 Appendices
Appendix P: SLO and Assessment – Mentored Research (continued from Table X.E)
SLO Competencies Method(s) Responsible Unit Timing Processing
1 Identify & Demonstrates the Periodic Rubric- Assessment Spring Semester of Documents to effectively evaluate ability to distinguish based DRF Committee participating years be assessed are essential supporting scholarly resources evaluation of uploaded directly information &/or from popular works Written works; to TaskStream literature sources in the pursuit of Poster &/or oral by the student, associated with a research inquiry presentations; and evaluated by research project digital eportfolio; QEP Assessment Research Day Committee
2 Utilize tools Demonstrates Rubric evaluation Assessment During each Documents to & strategies appropriate use of of student- Committee semester student be assessed are for gathering & discipline-specific produced biweekly is participating in uploaded directly evaluating data, and technical skills in the research reports mentored research to TaskStream apply the results to collection of data and reflective by the student, the solution of the and observations, statements twice and evaluated by research problem and analysis and a semester, and of QEP Assessment interpretation of the work produced in Committee results response to course assignments
3 Demonstrate Demonstrates Rubric-based Assessment Spring Semester of Documents to awareness of recognition of ethical Assessment of Committee Participating Years be assessed are responsible conduct problems and student-produced uploaded directly of research issues in research research reports to TaskStream inquiry; Consistent and works by the student, adherence with LSU’ and evaluated by Code of Student QEP Assessment Conduct in reporting Committee research results
4 Identify & Demonstrates Student produced Assessment During each Documents to describe an original a complex skill biweekly Committee semester student be assessed are disciplinary or set identifying, research reports, is participating in uploaded directly interdisciplinary distinguishing, and and reflective mentored research to TaskStream research question developing new statements twice a by the student, research questions, semester and evaluated by problems within QEP Assessment the scope of the Committee discipline
5 Articulate Demonstrates Rubric-based Assessment During each Documents to research findings scholarly & articulate evaluation of Committee semester student be assessed are through written, communication that student-produced is participating in uploaded directly visual, performance is clear, easy to research works mentored research to TaskStream &/or presentation understand & follow by the student, and evaluated by QEP Assessment Committee
95 Louisiana State University QEP
Appendix P: SLO and Assessment – Research Day (continued from Table X.E)
SLO Competencies Method(s) Responsible Unit Timing Processing 1 2
3 Demonstrate Demonstrates Assessed by a Panel of faculty During the Assessment awareness of consistent panel of faculty assigned by the Research Day data compiled & responsible conduct adherence with by rubric driven QEP Assessment events reported to QEP of research LSU’ Code of evaluations of Committee Coordinator, stored Student Conduct in presentations on TaskStream, reporting research and evaluated by results (e.g. QEP Assessment plagiarism, proper Committee citation of sources, etc.)
4 Identify & Demonstrates Rubric-based Assessment Research Day describe an a complex skill evaluation of Committee original disciplinary set identifying, student-produced research question distinguishing, and lab reports, developing new research research questions, problems within the
5 Articulate Demonstrates Assessed by a Panel of faculty During the Assessment research findings scholarly & panel of faculty assigned by the Research Day data compiled & through written, articulate by rubric driven QEP Assessment events reported to QEP visual, performance communication that evaluations of Committee Coordinator, stored and/or oral is clear, easy to presentations on TaskStream, presentation understand & follow and evaluated by QEP Assessment Committee
96 College of Humanities & Social Sciences
97 College of Human Sciences & Education Louisiana State University QEP
98