Open AccessBeyond ‘Listening’ to the Student Voice: The Undergraduate Researcher’s Contribution to the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning
Author(s) -
Lee Partridge,
Sally Sandover
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of university teaching and learning practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.258
H-Index - 8
ISSN - 1449-9789
DOI - 10.53761/1.7.2.4
Subject(s) - internship , undergraduate research , active listening , authentic learning , institution , psychology , undergraduate student , mathematics education , pedagogy , teaching method , higher education , medical education , sociology , medicine , political science , social science , communication , law
This paper introduces a novel focus of undergraduate research of which there have been few similar reports. Examples of staff-student research partnerships in teaching and learning are starting to appear in the literature but pedagogic research conducted entirely by undergraduate students is exceptional. The Undergraduate Learning and Teaching Research Internship Scheme (ULTRIS) was conceived at The University of Western Australia (UWA) to introduce undergraduate students to authentic research outside their chosen discipline. By focusing their research on a teaching and learning issue of identified priority for the University, students were able to make significant contributions to the understanding of the problem and provide insights to inform future changes in policy and practice. Beyond the benefits to the institution and the individual students, the model of undergraduate research described in this paper heralds an opportunity for research into teaching and learning to gain acceptance and interest amongst a new and previously uninvolved cohort of investigators.