Background

1. Seeking Integration: Co-op Work Terms and the Development of Undergraduate Research Skills Nicola Simmons, Centre for Teaching Excellence & Jolyn Lee, undergraduate student, University of Waterloo Background 21st century education must develop high level critical thinking, inquiry, and problem-solving skills (Varty, 2006). For many University of Waterloo students, such skills are developed in alternating academic course terms and work term ‘placements’, or what is referred to as co-operative education, or co-op. We focus on opportunities for research skill development inherent in the co-op program. Heinemann (2005) advises that co-op students “should function as ‘applied researchers’” (p. 7). Rowe and Ricks (n.d.) surveyed Canadian graduate co-op programs but did not outline research skill development; Hu, Kuh, & Gayles (2007) report on the increase in undergraduate research skills development opportunities in US post-secondary institutions but do not identify co-op programs as a site for such skill development. We present some preliminary findings to address these areas. • Levels of Research Skill Development • Not surprisingly, where co-op students articulated research skill development as indicated above, the work fell primarily within Levels 1 and 2 of this framework. • Suggested by a supervisor (teacher-focused)(Willison & O’Regan, 2006) • At a level I or II of Willison and O’Regan’s (2006) framework – a closed inquiry with at least some structure and guidance • Stages of Research Skill Development • Students embark on inquiry and so determine a need for knowledge/understanding • Students find/generate needed information/data using appropriate methodology • Students critically evaluate information/data and the process to find/generate this information/data • Students organize information collected/generated • Students synthesize and analyze and apply new knowledge • Students communicate knowledge and the processes used to generate it, with an awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues (Willison & O’Regan, 2006) • Seldom do our students experience a process of skills development or fall into Healey and Jenkins (2009) “research-oriented” (p. 7) quadrant, although the research assistant on this study, Jolyn Lee, took the lead on several aspects, and wrote in her co-op term report: Research Skills in Canadian Co-op A web search was conducted to determine which, if any, of 86* Canadian co-op programs explicitly state that undergraduates will develop research skills during their co-op program. A three-tier rating system was created (see Table 1). • My main responsibilities consisted of: transcribing audio tapes of interviews that were previously recorded, performing web-based research, analysing work term reports to find themes, drawing conclusions and suggesting recommendations for the issues, writing ethics proposals, assisting with the writing of a research paper, presenting findings at conferences, organizing data into Microsoft Word and Excel documents, analyzing literature to find quotes to connect to research projects and linking qualitative and quantitative data. Table 3. Level of Inquiry (Willison & O’Regan, 2006) Student Conceptions of Research Skill Development Student Conceptions of Value of Research Skill Development “You should be able to filter the information and draw conclusions from it. It’s more than just gathering information. It’s gathering information and making use of it.” “I’m not entirely convinced that doing research is important in undergrad. I just think in undergrad, it should be about getting the skills to go in the workforce and do a good job. If you’re still interested and you finish, you go to grad school and improve on what you already learned.” “The stuff you find on Google … you may find a lot of biased opinions or biased advice, and if you don’t have proper research skills … you wouldn’t be able to see the bias…. one of the important aspects of fundamental research is you have to filter out the bias.” “It’s like knowing how to learn for yourself.” Connecting Work Terms and Academic Research Skills “Work reports are standard and jobs aren’t and they’re expected to mesh.” “If you’re going to make the work term report a bridge between the study term and work term, then it needs to be very flexible. It’s very inflexible [If they’re connected] “you’ll see a lot of insight. You’ll start to see the mentality behind the students and they’ll be more engaged, the work that they want to show that they learned, how they want to show their skills. By giving them flexibility, you can get a lot of things out of that and you might build a bridge.” • Recommendations • Development of research skills as required for the 21st century economic an intellectual context should be an explicit expectation in line with the University of Waterloo’s 6th Decade Plan (2006). • Encourage students to make trans-disciplinary connections by articulating how co-op placements have contributed to their personal growth and academic development • Attend to how skills developed during co-op work terms (as well as other experiences outside of class) can be integrated into academic courses • Amend work term reports, particularly around giving students choice in format and topics, allowing examples of workplace-specific writing in a portfolio format. • This would support learning integration across co-op and academic terms, resulting, we believe, in co-op students graduating with a stronger, clearly articulated research skill set. *2 French sites were not included in the report Table 1. Focus on research skills development in Canadian co-op program websites Co-op Work Term Reports: Research Skill Development Co-op students at the University of Waterloo (summer and fall 2009 terms) were invited to submit work term reports for analysis of specific mention of development of research skills. 29 students submitted work term reports to the study. References Healey, M.,& Jenkins, A. (2009). Developing undergraduate research and inquiry. York: HE Academy. www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/publications/DevelopingUndergraduate_Final.pdf Heinemann, H. (2005). Is work-integrated education really “education”? Paper presented at the WACE annual conference, June 13-17. Hu, S., Kuh, G. D., Gayles, J. G. (2007). Engaging undergraduate students in research activities: Are research universities doing a better job? Innovative Higher Education, 32, 167-177. Rowe, P. M., & Ricks, F. (n.d.). Cooperative graduate programs. Accepted for publication in R. K. Coll & C. Eames (Eds.), International handbook for cooperative education. Downloaded on March 23, 2008 from http://www.watcace.uwaterloo.ca/publications/Coop_Graduate_Programs_-_2.pdf University of Waterloo (2006). 6th decade plan. Downloaded on March 18, 2008 from http://www.secretariat.uwaterloo.ca/sixth_decade/theplan.html Varty, J. (2006). Designing experiential education strategies for the 21st century. Paper presented at the WACE annual conference, June 13-17. Willison, J., & O’Regan, K. (2006). Research skill development framework. Adelaide, Australia: Centre for Learning and Professional Development, University of Adelaide. We are very grateful for a University of Waterloo WatCACE grant in support of this work. For an electronic copy of the complete paper please sign the sheet or leave your business card (please write “co-op paper” on the back) *Applied Health Science (1), Arts (5), Engineering (5), Environment (1), Mathematics (12), Science (5) Table 2. Work term report evidence of undergraduate research skill development