Research Focused Course

KU has a storied history of impactful research, scholarship, and creative activity across a broad range of disciplines, consistent with its role as a major research university and member of the AAU. While research is a primary focus of faculty and graduate students, the introduction to research practice begins at the undergraduate level.

What is Undergraduate Research? 

Research is defined as an iterative process of inquiry that contributes to the creation of new knowledge. It can occur in the lab, the library, the archive, the studio, and beyond, and engages certain methodologies according to each field.

KU Center for Undergraduate Research provides guidance for two mechanisms for undergraduate student engagement in research: The Research Cycle and The Creative Cycle. 

The Research Cycle establishes a core research question or argument (the hypothesis) through critical observation of previous work. Once students have established the novelty of the question or argument, the students develop a disciplinary specific set of experiments. The results from the experiments are critically analyzed to evaluate whether the data supports or refutes the original hypothesis. Analyzed results are presented for feedback. See: The Research Cycle.pdf

The Creative Cycle engages in a process of discovery through iterative making, critique, and synthesis of broader intellectual and cultural frameworks, culminating in a public-facing exhibition or performance of the resulting creative artifact. Drawing on hybrid research methodologies ranging from literature review to archival or fieldwork and material experimentation, creative research often uniquely contributes to both disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge production. See: Annotated Creative Cycle picture-2019.pdf

 

What is a Research-Focused Undergraduate Course? 

A Research-Focused Course provides an opportunity for students to learn about and engage in the Research/Creative Cycle by:

  •  presenting research methodology applicable to the students’ field
  • developing critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and intellectual independence
  • using scaffolded assignments to familiarize students with the iterative process of the research/creative cycle
  • culminating in the students’ presentation of research or creative artifact to further contribute to knowledge in the field.

Are you developing or teaching a Research-Focused Undergraduate Course? There are resources available to help:

The KU Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships (CURF) brings together scholarship advisors and research mentors from across campus to serve KU undergraduate students and faculty. You can schedule an appointment or class visit.

Consult with a KU librarian to design learning opportunities that develop critical thinking, awareness of information sources, and an understanding of the research process. A librarian can help teach your students the research skills and understand information resources needed to complete research projects in your course.

Consult with the Instructional Design Librarian, Kelly Hangauer, to develop and incorporate assignment design, research skills, and online learning objects into your research-intensive course.

CURF offers Research Intensive Course Mini-Grants to support instructors interested in incorporating more intensive research and creative projects into their undergraduate classes.  Recipients develop a significant scaffolded research/creative assignment, receive $500, and get support from the Center through workshops and advising.

Apply for KU Libraries’ Sprints Week, a five-day intensive collaboration that supports KU faculty and academic staff 's research and teaching projects to produce a tangible outcome during the spring-summer intersession. Sprinters are awarded a $1,000 stipend. Read about the 2025 Sprints Week participants.

Undergraduate Research Awards (UGRAs) are $1,000 scholarships provided to undergraduate students pursuing original research or creative projects under the general guidance of a research mentor. The UGRA proposal guidelines can serve as a real-world teaching tool for faculty addressing project development or grant writing in the classroom. 

CURF holds an Undergraduate Research Showcase each Fall and an Undergraduate Research Symposium each Spring to provide a venue for students to share the results of their research and creative projects with the campus community. The presentation guidelines help provide a framework for students preparing to present their research/creative work. 

Help us identify your Research-Focused Undergraduate Courses at KU! 

Recognizing research courses helps support accreditation data and provide ongoing services for research-focused undergraduate efforts. It’s easy. If you are teaching a research-focused course, please toggle on the “Undergraduate Research-Focused Course” component on Simple Syllabus to include the text below:

This research-focused undergraduate course develops an understanding of research methodology applicable to the field; develops critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, and intellectual independence; utilizes scaffolded assignments to familiarize students with the iterative process of the research/creative cycle; and culminates in the students’ presentation of research or creative artifact to further contribute to knowledge in the field.