The research group maintains a profound commitment to studying and fostering the community-university mentoring of student researchers, creating and refining meaningful high-impact learning opportunities. Toward this end, and in partnership with Vancouver Island University and Bridgewater State University, Group members participated in the research symposium High Impacts in Undergraduate Research: Establishing Inclusive Possibilities in 2018.
We know that students of diverse nationalities, fields of study, racial and ethnic backgrounds, gender identities, and socio-economic classes benefit from participating in undergraduate research. Students involved in undergraduate research demonstrate higher rates of persistence and degree completion, campus engagement, academic achievement, self-efficacy, and analytical and communication skills. These benefits derive from supportive relationships with faculty mentors and the opportunities afforded by participation in undergraduate research, including conference presentations, co-publications, and community-engaged work with social agencies or municipal departments. Yet research indicates that access to undergraduate research still disproportionately favours economically advantaged students with family legacies of higher education and students in their final year of study who have proven themselves with high GPAs.
We are exploring ways to address this issue, to make undergraduate research opportunities more inclusive. An ongoing study employing Undergraduate Student Research Journey Mapping seeks to transform undergraduate research programs, bridging opportunities to graduate school and professional placement success. Our work also bridges into the development of TRU’s honours programming, including the introduction of TRU’s Honours College in 2026. Cultural Mapping provides an ideal introduction to qualitative research methods and research-informed learning; and the Research Group’s projects provide ready curricular and co-curricular, project based learning opportunities.