Comparing Undergraduate Research Experiences to a Multi-Mentor Lab : A Survey

Abstract

Undergraduate research has been shown to provide numerous benefits for undergraduate students. This study examines the benefits of undergraduate research within the Communication Sciences and Disorders department, more specifically for students who are participating in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Research Lab. The SoTL Lab utilizes a model with multiple student research teams and multiple faculty mentors working on a variety of projects at any given time. The purpose of this study is to identify how the SoTL Lab environment impacted undergraduate students, as compared to students with other research experiences, such as faculty-student collaborative projects or the undergraduate research in CSD course, and those who have no research experience. Results may indicate how these different types of research experiences impact research knowledge, professional development, student-faculty relationships, and team-based dynamics. Results may guide faculty to choose a specific type of lab model to facilitate both productivity and student outcomes.