FSU’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Academic Engagement is charged with engaging undergraduates in research and other academic High Impact Practices. This expanded focus allows the integration of research experience within HIPs, especially global engagement, service learning, and innovation/entrepreneurship. While the CRE continues to bolster its community-engaged research efforts, this presentation details our current relationships with campus partners (Center for Leadership and Social Change), the Tallahassee and Florida non-profit and start-up community (UROP), and the global community (Gap Year Fellows/IDEA Grants). The audience will develop ideas for collaborating with partners engaged within communities to support research opportunities for undergraduates.

Florida Gulf Coast University started a work-study program to provide students with financial need the opportunity to engage in undergraduate research. Faculty working with students research facilitate the development of traditional skill sets, including discipline knowledge, interpersonal skills, methodology development, analytical skills for the discipline, etc. To accompany this traditional research experience, the WiSER Eagles program (Work-study in Scholarly Experiential Research) provides an opportunity to enhance the professional development of transferable skills. We will discuss the connection between undergraduate research and transferable skills, the incorporation of professional development in the program, enhancing this effort moving forward.

This session introduced participants to the concept of learning experience design and its implementation during the spring 2018 Undergraduate Research Colloquium at the University of South Florida to increase student engagement. Examples of technology uses and design considerations will be presented including: use of the Canvas LMS as a training and communication platform, transitioning from paper-based feedback forms to totally digital, redesign of traditional conference layouts and conference forms, and the introduction of augmented reality to student research posters. Participants will leave with ideas and tools they can implement to take their university’s research conference to the next level!