The University of Delaware has been selected as one of ten recipients of the National Science Foundation's Recognition Awards for the Integration of Research and Education. The university has implemented a systemic and realistic approach to integrating research into the undergraduate curriculum. The university engages as many undergraduates as feasible in meaningful research projects with faculty, and an office of undergraduate research promotes broad participation. More than 60% of the total faculty and 90% of the science and mathematics faculty participate. Special efforts are made to engage students from underrepresented minorities in this program. Some students begin their research activities in their first year at the university, and most begin in the sophomore year. Opportunities for summer research internships in industry and national laboratories are offered following the junior year. All senior honors research theses are read and evaluated by a Faculty Board and are presented at a university-wide research symposium. Recognizing that not all students will have access to true research experiences, the university provides discovery-based courses for all students. These courses take varied forms, including research apprenticeships, group research projects, engineering design courses, and a set of new interdisciplinary courses that use Problem-Based Learning. The University of Delaware's efforts to integrate research and education were designed with specific outcomes in mind: enhancing the skills, understanding, and personal characteristics gained by students through a research experience; increasing the numbers of students engaged in faculty research; increasing the proportion of undergraduate research participants who go on to graduate study; maintaining high levels of faculty participation; and expanding the number of PBL-based courses. The university is being awarded $500,000 with the goal of expanding, documenting, and disseminating its exemplary practices over the coming three years. Plans for the use of the award funds include: creating a challenge grant to increase support for summer research projects; increasing staff support for the undergraduate research coordinating office; conducting a longitudinal study of a sample of students during their undergraduate research experiences; surveying undergraduate research alumni; producing a video on PBL methods for pre-service teachers; and disseminating information through conferences and Web-based resources.
