Our Work

Applied Undergraduate Research Skills (AURS)

Description

The aim of CETL-AURS was to put scholarship and enquiry at the centre of the learning environment by integrating research-based learning in to the undergraduate curriculum.  CETL-AURS focused on hands-on learning through students' active engagement with two major primary research resources:  fieldwork and the use of university collections and museums.

Contact: Dr John Creighton, CETL Director

Telephone: 0118 378 4451

Projects:
Our projects can be broken down in to five themed areas:
- Access to Collections
- Enhancement of Final Year Projects
- Curriculum Development
- Enhancing Fieldwork
- Placements and Industrial Training

Access to Collections
CETL-AURS sought to maximise the impact of the Collections and allow undergraduates and others the opportunity to use them during their time at the University of Reading.

Projects in this area focussed on purchasing equipment necessary for interactive teaching such as smartboards, visualisers and microscopes, and invested in sorting and re-housing some of the University's unique collections. Through its capital programme CETL-AURS funded the updating of teaching facilities both on the main campus and at some of the University's unique off-site facilities.

Enhancement of Final Year Projects
CETL-AURS funded a number of initiatives in different disciplines to enhance final year projects. In some cases the impetus for these initiatives came from employers nationally identifying certain skills gaps amongst current graduates. In other cases the projects encouraged students to become aware of the museums and archives at their disposal here to conduct active research on, adding knowledge and value to University collections.

Curriculum Development
CETL-AURS funded a variety of projects developing the hands-on student-focused aspects of practical learning. These included a range of discipline specific projects along with an inter-disciplinary project aimed at helping both students and staff.

New equipment has been purchased, and staff provided with additional staffing support to help develop teaching and learning materials.
On the larger scale we have developed methods to map the development of students' research skills across curricula. Skills mapping not only helped to identify where gaps needed to be plugged or modifications made to our degree programmes, but also helped convey to students themselves how their skills are growing and developing across their taught programmes.

Enhancing Fieldwork
Many undergraduates at the University of Reading attend fieldwork courses as part of their degree programmes, allowing them to gain practical research skills by undertaking primary research.

CETL-AURS funded the purchase of a raft of new specialist equipment across a number of disciplinary areas to enhance fieldwork teaching. This has allowed undergraduates to develop fieldwork techniques and to contribute to research projects working alongside staff. Other work has focussed on creating virtual learning environments to prepare students for field experience.

Placements and Industrial Training
CETL-AURS has funded projects that have developed opportunities for undergraduates to gain practical work experience, through:

• Summer placements on Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP) - the chance to engage in real research projects during summer www.reading.ac.uk/urop;
• The development of industrial placements within degree programmes;
• Creating volunteering opportunities within our museums and collections.

Organisations / Institutions

University of Reading

Related documents/URLs

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