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Undergraduate Research in Australia

Objectives and Deliverables

Intended outcomes

The overall aim of the project was to enhance student engagement in learning through supporting the development in Australia of undergraduate research and inquiry. To do this it:

  1. Identified national needs in terms of moving forward practice in engaging undergraduate students in research and inquiry.
  2. Established a set of readily available resources and protocols designed to bridge gaps between current and future practice, and disseminated these through a website and Regional Roundtable discussions. View more resources
  3. Enhanced debates concerning engagement of undergraduate students in research and inquiry by bringing together academics, academic managers, and policy makers with international and national experts. View upcoming events
  4. Provided the foundation for the establishment of a national centre for the integration of research, teaching and learning.

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Deliverables

  1. A set of practical resources (models, strategies, protocols for action) that have been trialled in different institutions available in hard copy and online that facilitate Australian academics, course teams, schools and faculties, and institutions in implementing undergraduate research schemes and integrating research and inquiry within undergraduate curricula. View more resources
  2. Report on the current state of undergraduate research schemes in Australia [PDF - 619k], and sources of funding Australia-wide. The reports were the result of supervised undergraduate research.
  3. Five Regional Roundtables where Pro-Vice Chancellors Teaching and Learning and Research discuss with experts, issues related to undergraduate research and its implementation and are introduced to the practical resources for implementation. View upcoming events
  4. A National Summit on the Integration of Research and Teaching bringing together national and International Experts and leaders and managers of Australian institutions.
  5. A web site on enhancing student engagement through undergraduate research and inquiry linked to the ALTC Exchange.
  6. A progress report (DOC, 276kb) and an overall Fellowship report [PDF - 787k].

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ALTC objectives

The Fellowship will contributed to the objectives of the ALTC in the following ways:

  1. Promote and support strategic change in higher education institutions for the enhancement of learning and teaching, including curriculum development and assessment by providing opportunities for the exchange of ideas, resources and expertise in engaging students in research and inquiry within curricula;
  2. Raise the profile and encourage recognition of the fundamental importance of teaching in higher education institutions and in the general community by initiating and supporting debates about the role of research in students' learning and the ways in which that can be supported regionally and nationally;
  3. Foster and acknowledge excellent teaching in higher education by building on excellent work already being carried out in relation to the integration of research and teaching in Australian universities (some through existing ALTC projects);
  4. Develop effective mechanisms for the identification, development, dissemination and embedding of good individual and institutional practice in learning and teaching in Australian higher education through the establishment of a set of resources and protocols to develop practice in ways to engage undergraduate students in the joy of learning through inquiry;
  5. Develop and support reciprocal national and international arrangements for the purpose of sharing and benchmarking learning and teaching processes through the involvement of national and international experts in the integration of research and teaching; and
  6. Identify learning and teaching issues that impact on the Australian higher education system and facilitate national approaches to address these and other emerging issues through a series of Regional Roundtables and an Australian Summit on the integration of Research and Teaching and the continuation of debates in the proposed National Centre for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning.

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