April 25, 2025History of Signature Work by Cici SalazarPrevious posts in this series have introduced “signature work” and explored the variety of engaged learning activities that could be classified as signature work. In this post, I look at the history of signature work and reflect on its impact…
April 22, 2025Collaboration in Creation: A Guide for Preparing and Presenting Research Posters – Part 2, For Mentors by Sabrina L. Thurman, Kenan Carter, Anna Grace Gilbert, Megan Parks, and Kyla ZeldinIn our previous post, we, the members of the Infant Development Lab, shared advice for students on how to prepare to present research posters. In Part 2 of this series, we will now share several ways faculty mentors can support…
April 18, 2025Different Types of Signature Workby Hannah SouthernAs discussed in the initial post in this series, signature work consists of student-driven, integrative projects that address complex, real-world problems by synthesizing knowledge across disciplines. In this post, I examine types of engaged learning activities that could be categorized…
April 11, 2025Understanding Signature Work: A Transformative High-Impact Practice in Higher Education by Carissa PotterSignature work represents one of higher education’s most innovative approaches to deep, integrative learning. As defined by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U 2015), signature work consists of student-driven, integrative projects that address complex, real-world problems by synthesizing…
April 8, 2025Collaboration in Creation: A Guide for Preparing and Presenting Research Posters – Part 1, For Students by Sabrina L. Thurman, Kenan Carter, Anna Grace Gilbert, Megan Parks, and Kyla Zeldin“No idea is fully formed until it can be communicated.” The Boyer Commission 1998 As we near the end of the academic year, many undergraduate research students and their mentors are planning to present research posters showcasing their accomplishments. In…
March 28, 2025Undergraduate Student Leadership through the Eyes of a Student by Alexa BerisfordThe past few blog posts in this student leadership series have explained what leadership is and provided some insights into the research behind it so far, but what does leadership look like through the eyes of a student leader? A…
February 28, 2025Is Leadership a High-Impact Practice?by Kate CampbellThe Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has defined high impact practices (HIPs) as experiences that promote student success which is determined by academic achievement, persistence, satisfaction, attainment of educational objectives, and acquisition of desired learning outcomes (Kuh 2017)….
January 3, 2025Why Is It So Different In College?: Individualized Education Plans vs. Accommodations by Kira Campagna and Caroline J. KetchamA common point of confusion in the world of special education, with a shoutout to transitioning from a K-12 system to higher education in the US, are the differences between an individualized education plan (IEP) (often discussed alongside 504 plans), and…
December 6, 2024What’s in an Undergraduate Research Space?by Sabrina L. Thurman, Kenan Carter, Anna Grace Gilbert, and Kyla ZeldinThis semester, we have found ourselves thinking about the importance of research spaces for undergraduate research mentoring and research productivity. Dr. Thurman recently returned from a post-promotion sabbatical and rebuilt the infrastructure for her lab. Her psychology research program centers…
December 3, 2024CEL Student Summer Experiences by Kira Campagna This was my first summer participating in the Center for Engaged Learning student scholar experience. In late spring, I applied to be part of the CEL Student Scholar program. For those who may not know, the program consists of a…