| Course ID: | PBGG 4990R. 1-6 hours. Repeatable for maximum 8 hours credit. |
| Course Title: | Undergraduate Research Thesis (or Final Project) |
Course
Description: | Faculty-supervised independent or collaborative inquiry into
fundamental and applied problems within a discipline that requires
students to gather, analyze, and synthesize and interpret data.
Students will write or produce a thesis or other professional
capstone product, such as a report or portfolio that describes
their systematic and in-depth inquiry. |
| Oasis Title: | Undergraduate Thesis |
| Nontraditional Format: | This is a capstone course under the direct supervision of a
faculty member. This course may be the culmination of the 4960R-
4980R sequence. Students will write a thesis or other
professional capstone product, such as a report or portfolio,
that describes their systematic and in-depth inquiry into an
unknown, fundamental, or applied problem. The thesis or capstone
product is written in close collaboration with the faculty
member and must be approved by that faculty member and/or the
department. The student will apply understanding of the
discipline to identify or shape the research question and apply
skills and techniques learned to complete the research project.
The student will have gathered data, synthesized relevant
literature and materials, analyzed, and interpreted data. The
student will demonstrate in writing the contribution of their
work to the discovery and interpretation of knowledge
significant to their field of study. The student will have
presented results in the form of a properly formatted,
professionally rigorous thesis document or other appropriate
professional capstone product and through the formal
presentation of the thesis or product to faculty and peers
during an approved event. The student will receive feedback from
the faculty member on the overall execution of their thesis
project, the written thesis, and their presentation. |
| Prerequisite: | Permission of department |
| Pre or Corequisite: | PBGG 4980H |
Semester Course
Offered: | Offered fall, spring and summer semester every year. |
| Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
|
| Course Objectives: | The expected learning outcomes for a student in a directed
research course are:
1. The student will pose and test questions, hypotheses, or
problems drawn from concepts in their discipline.
2. The student will utilize foundational principles in planning
and executing a research project.
3. The student will carry out basic research techniques and
methods.
4. The student will conduct research according to the highest
ethical standards.
5. The student will demonstrate how a research program is
organized and carried out.
6. The student will engage in professional communication through
written and verbal participation in laboratory, academic, or
professional meetings or conferences. |
| Topical Outline: | Students must apply through a sponsoring faculty member to
conduct research. Each research experience is an independent
collaboration between the faculty member and the student. As
such there is no set topical outline. Instead, faculty mentor
and student should develop their own work plan and determine
course requirements and grading procedures (individualized
syllabus). A minimum requirement is that the student present
results in writing and through presentations in meetings with
peers and faculty and that they will receive feedback from their
papers or presentations. |