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Gaining recognition as a researcher: a ladder of student participation in disseminating undergraduate research. Helen Walkington Department of Social Science, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK. Email: [email protected] •‘I think it allows some sort of self-criticality … It has opened up areas of thought for me that I wouldn’t have considered otherwise’ •"that conference was fantastic … staff in the department recognised me as a researcher, as a result I was a guest speaker in one of the geography modules, I met with a photojournalist, I’ve gained a lot of key skills which are important for work as well." •"talking to people in a non-lecturer/student capacity, everyone was very much on equal terms, yeah that was the first time that has happened.” Abstract - This poster introduces a theoretical ladder of student participation in the research process, then considers undergraduate research dissemination in relation to the ladder. It focuses predominantly upon dissemination through two dedicated research (GEOverse - a national level online journal and Geoversity a linked departmental journal) and contrasts the student experience of becoming a published author with the experience of presenting a poster at an undergraduate conference. As a result of engaging with the journals and conferences, students achieve recognition as researchers; contribute to their discipline and develop critical skills. However, their experience differs significantly with respect to gaining feedback and the longer term impact of their work. While both dissemination routes achieve benefits beyond the curriculum student reflections point towards a more efficient and integrated approach to maximising dialogic approaches to feedback which still help students to feel part of an academic community. Step 5 - Student initiated, consulting university staff Potential for student to become ‘expert’ communicator Step 4 – Student initiated and directed Lacks dialogue with staff, high risk - a broken rung? Step 3 - Staff initiated research, decisions shared with students Research scholarships, possibility of co-publication Step 2 - Students are informed and consulted Group research project, shared with the class Step 1 - Students are given research problems Students told what to do every step of the way! Findings may already be known Student authors said: •“I had my own results to interpret and had to read other sources to get a background on the topic and help form an argument for why my results were what they were, even if it meant they didn’t agree with other sources.” •“I have learnt to be critical not only of others’ work, but also my own work. •“With the possibility of actual publication, it invoked a sense of pride and so I felt that the quality of my finished article was higher than usual.” •“I enjoyed the fact that I was not just regurgitating what someone else had written. I could draw on my own personal experience. [It] allowed me to go into more detail because it was my work and my findings.” •“I found it hard to change between writing as a learner to writing as a teacher.” What do students gain from writing for publication? 1. Sense of achievement 2. Understanding 3. The creative process 4. Sense of ownership 5. A more critical approach to sources 6. Synthesis of skills Student reflections on their learning: similarities and differences Writing an article – • Co-production: trust written advice of others • Detailed feed-forward • Critical skills • Recognition • LACKING A CONVERSATION Presenting at a conference • Critical thinking through dialogue • Instant feedback • Critical skills • Recognition • TOO LATE TO MAKE CHANGES • NO LEGACY Student conference presenters said: • ‘I've done a poster presentation before in the undergraduate programme, but it was to an audience that I knew really well, in a controlled environment that I was completely familiar with, with an academic that I knew, it was very much routine, whereas here every time I spoke to somebody I gave a slightly different approach to it, like I explained it a different way, depending on the knowledge they already had’ • ‘The job I'm going into I'm going to be doing a lot of presentations and meeting a lot of unfamiliar people and to a certain extent selling my ideas and my research, so it was good experience for me.’ Council on Undergraduate Research. Pre-ISSOTL Seminar, Hamilton, Canada October 2012 Summary - Students gain confidence as they become recognised as researchers. Students benefit from immediate in-depth dialogic feedback. Widening the dissemination exposure has the potential to move students up the ladder of participation. The way forward? A well timed undergraduate research conference allows student researchers to discuss ideas and findings before they have been graded with people from a range of disciplines but provides sufficient time for them to make a difference to their final work as a result and to consider writing this up for publication to maximise the legacy of their research endeavours References Healey, M. & Jenkins, A. (2009) Developing undergraduate research and inquiry. Available at http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/publications/DevelopingUndergraduate_Final.pdf Walkington, H. (2008a) Geoverse: piloting a National e-journal of undergraduate research in Geography, PLANET, 20, pp. 41-46. Walkington, H. (2008b) Quality enhancement of the student experience through undergraduate research opportunities - the impact of undergraduate research journals. Available at http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/events/conference/Ann_conf_2008_Helen_Walkington Walkington, H. 2012. Developing dialogic learning space the case of online undergraduate research journals Journal of Geography In Higher Education DOI:10.1080/03098265.2012.692072 Walkington, H., Griffin, A. L., Keys-Mathews, L., Metoyer, S.K., Miller, W.E., Baker, R., and France, D. (in submission) Embedding research-based learning and inquiry in the undergraduate geography curriculum. Journal of Geography in Higher Education. Walkington, H., & Jenkins, A. (2008). Embedding undergraduate research publication in the student learning experience: Ten suggested strategies, Brookes E-journal of learning and Teaching, 2(3), http://bejlt.brookes.ac.uk/article/embedding_undergraduate_research_publication_in_the_student_learning_experi/ Walkington, H. & Rushton, E. (2008) Undergraduate research conference. A first for the department of Anthropology and Geography, Teaching News, 2(2), pp. 11-12.