The goal of most researchers is to establish competence in one's profession; however, the degree to which this is measured in a research course is undetermined. The assessment of research competency usually involves the distinct measures of statistical ability, writing ability, and other skills that are quantifiable. Soft skills in research, on…

Courses: Research Methods (undergraduate or graduate level). Objective: The aim of this exercise is to optimize the ability for students to integrate an understanding of various methodologies across research paradigms within a 15-week semester, including a review of procedural steps and experiential learning activities to practice each method, a…

Readers can explore 13 teaching innovations presented at the 2019 Association for Business Communication annual international conference in Detroit, Michigan. These assignments are designed to add fuel to oral and written persuasion, including the practical use of rhetorical tools. Ideas to advance learners' professional development are presented.…

In this article, we contend that publically available, mass digitization projects, such as Google Books, present faculty, regardless of their specific institutional context, with an exciting opportunity to promote meaningful undergraduate research in the humanities. By providing a classroom case study and by proposing an institutional model, we…

This activity offers a way to use the informed consent procedure to help students better understand the responsibilities of research participants. During a class activity, students completed a brief study. The study included presentation of consent forms and questionnaires before a surprise quiz over material from the consent form and a discussion…

This paper explores the learning spaces associated with two geography undergraduate research journals. Wikis provide dedicated spaces for postgraduate reviewers to collaboratively develop constructive feedback to authors creating a supportive online learning environment. In becoming published authors, undergraduates reported that they gained not…

The first year course in Sociology at Mount Allison University introduced students to social issues via dynamic class interactions and assignments that are designed to build conceptual and applied skills. Developments to the course organization have maximized the opportunities for discovery learning and have made the class an enjoyable teaching…

Books and courses on research methods, statistics, or both, often necessarily focus on one topic at a time. This compartmentalized approach prevents students from seeing the big picture. To address this shortcoming, I developed an exercise through which students experience the whole research process in a single class period. From posing a…

Describes a class debate assignment that helps students prepare for writing their first research paper by making the research process a known entity. (SR)

Describes how students learn research skills by making "skinny books"--collections of photocopied articles made into a book with all the parts of a book added--on a topic a student wants to learn more about. Describes how skinny books have been used in a unit on the Holocaust. (SR)

Describes having students conduct micro-ethnographic research projects, in which students study how participants construct the meanings of social practices in the worlds of school, home, peer group, or various virtual worlds. Discusses research procedures, adopting a cultural perspective, selecting research topics, becoming a participant observer,…

Provides a step-by-step guide for teaching business communication students how to research public and private companies. Presents a sample assignment that provides a context for practicing these research skills. (SR)

Presents an instructional model for the library-based Evaluating Sources workshops in which students learn about bibliographic materials and how to use them to uncover the disciplinary context of a reading that is particularly important to the direction of a given course. Notes that this basic model can be used across the university curriculum.…

Describes a writing exercise with the "Oxford English Dictionary" that teaches students about research and attention to detail. Describes how the exercise, which involves the student in a set of serial tasks, makes students comfortable with the OED, teaches them how to extract full details of any word, and teaches students to take…

Describes a two-week class activity in which students attempt an extended definition of an abstract word, working collaboratively and using the library's reference material extensively. Notes that students take careful notes on both the information and their search processes, and integrate the information into a mini-research paper detailing their…