PWR majors are required to complete 2 sh of PWR 4998/4999 research experiences. Research hours can be taken at the same time or as 1 sh projects in two different semesters. Students, for example, can…

  • Complete 1 sh as a member of a research team and then propose a 1sh independent research project
  • Complete 1 sh as a member of one research team and 1 sh as a member of a second research team
  • Complete 2 sh (or more) as a member of one research team, working on multiple aspects of the research project over multiple semesters
  • Complete 2 sh (or more) completing an independent research project over multiple semesters

Although all projects have a designated contact, several of the projects represent research collaborations among multiple PWR and ENG faculty, so you might work with co-mentors or multiple mentors.

To learn more about any of these projects, contact the faculty member identified.

Highway 64/NC Climate Project

Team members will travel the breadth of NC, connecting with students at other universities, local officials, journalists, farmers, etc., to document how NC is preparing for and adapting to climate changes. Visit the Highway 64 website, and to learn more about research opportunities, contact Professor Michael Strickland (mstrickl@elon.edu).

Center for Writing Excellence Research Projects

You may work on your own or as part of a student research team, on one or more of the following projects:

  • Alumni writing: work with existing data; research and propose additional, more focused studies, such as writing in particular professional fields, or the kinds of professions students with particular majors tend to go into and the writing they do; how writing in particular professions have changed over time; how technologically-mediated writing occurs or has changed in specific fields; you could write your own questions as well, using the existing data and identifying interesting themes.
  • Faculty and staff writing groups: The CWE arranged and supports many faculty/staff writing groups every year, but these have not been studied. Research the scholarship on writing groups, design a study (surveys, interviews, or focus groups); write IRB; conduct studies (note: all of these phases may not necessarily be completed in one term)
  • Non-academic writing: Extending an existing CWE survey study, delve into more detail into a specific slice of this research (for example, study writing that occurs in internships, in student organizations, that is mediated through social media, etc.)

To learn more, contact Dr. Paula Rosinski (prosinski@elon.edu).

Writing Lives of Students Project

The Writing Lives of Students project is a multi-institutional research study of the types of writing that students most value and/or compose most often in their daily lives. Undergraduate researchers may analyze portions of the existing data set, collaborate on replication studies, or propose follow-up research to investigate new inquiry questions emerging from the project. To learn more, contact Dr. Jessie L. Moore (jmoore28@elon.edu).

HIP Peer Feedback

The HIP Peer Feedback Project builds on research that identifies frequent feedback from peers, near-peers, and faculty as a high-impact engaged learning practice. Team members can focus on subtopics like:

  • Strategies for preparing students to give helpful feedback
  • Professional and learning outcomes for undergraduate researchers participating in peer feedback in preparation for conference presentations

To learn more, contact Dr. Jessie L. Moore (jmoore28@elon.edu).

Open-Access Academic Publishing

The Center for Engaged Learning recently launched an Open-Access Book Series, extending its existing open-access resources (e.g., blog posts, videos, research summaries, etc.). The book series features concise, peer-reviewed books (both authored books and edited collections) for a multi-disciplinary, international, higher education audience interested in research-informed engaged learning practices. Team members will have the opportunity to conduct assessment research on open-access academic publishing strategies. Senior team members may propose related research topics that further extend what we’re learning about open-access publishing. To learn more, contact Dr. Jessie L. Moore (jmoore28@elon.edu).