Methods of Engagement in Undergraduate Research

Helping undergraduate students develop their own research interests can be one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching college, but doing research at this level is often fraught with challenges. Undergraduate students typically conduct research solely in the context of class assignments, often under strict time constraints and with limited access to resources. How then do we, as educators, help these students develop their own lines of scholarly and creative inquiry? What resources can and do we provide them with to help direct their research? How do we create and/or scaffold assignments to get students to engage with the research process? And how can we be mindful of the limitations of our courses and campuses in encouraging students to develop their own scholarship? What is the role of the “research paper” in classes today? What alternatives exist that promote undergraduate research and what does it mean for non-majors to research art, design, or museum practices?

This panel welcomes papers that explore the variety of methods of teaching research used in art history, art education, museum studies, studio art, and design undergraduate courses. In particular, we are interested in considering how educators conceive of undergraduate research in their courses and how they have promoted the development of their students' scholarly and artistic practices inside and beyond the classroom.