Purpose & Goals
- Pick a feasible research question connected to course content.
- Ensure the project is technically simple (REL1) but intellectually meaningful.
- Plan for data students can actually collect ethically and safely.
What Faculty Should Do (Step‑by‑Step)
- Brainstorm 3 candidate topics; score each for feasibility, interest, ethics, and cost (1-5 scale).
- Select variables and draft an operational definition for each (e.g., ‘blink rate = blinks/min’).
- Decide the unit of analysis (person, image, air sample) and sample size per student (3–10 typical).
- Create a one‑page ‘Project Brief’ for students (question, variables, protocol, due dates).
- Confirm IRB needs; if exempt, prepare classroom consent language and de‑identification plan.
Concrete Examples
- Criminal Justice: ‘Do people have exaggerated perceptions of homicide vs. property‑crime rates in their neighborhoods?’ (obtain data from 200 respondents).
- Nursing: ‘How does simulation lab exposure relate to self‑reported confidence?’
- Biology: ‘Screen time & eye fatigue pre/post task within‑subjects design.’
- Speech Science: Is Foreign Accent A perceived more favorably than Foreign Accent B by native speakers of English?
Troubleshooting & Tips
- If topic is too broad, constrain with one outcome and ≤5 variables.
- If IRB is required, start early; meanwhile, use public/archival or simulated datasets.
- If students cannot access targets (e.g., air sensors), pair with open data (EPA) or loaner kits.
Targeted Resources
- CUREnet library (browse for analogs in your discipline).
- Article: ‘Course‑Based Undergraduate Research Experiences: Current Knowledge and Future Directions.’
- KCC IRB guidance (template consent language for classroom projects).
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