Thirty-First International Conference on Learning

Abstract

Undergraduate research is one high-impact practice in higher education for student engagement, learning and retention. Research has been an integral component of the transformative education offered by the Biology Department at Andrews University over the years. Research opportunities have been available for students as the faculty of the department have remained active in research and thus have provided space for such experience. With the downward trends in college enrollment in the last few years, small colleges have struggled to retain and attract more students. Therefore, the need to implement and improve high impact practices is essential to the healthy functioning of smaller private institutions. Since formalizing the research program, there has been an increasing number of students becoming engaged in research. This paper includes the history and description of the program, data collected on the program, feedback from participants and also discusses implications for both student learning and loads for faculty mentors involved in the program.