Position Research in Your Course

How to Integrate Research into a Course

Research-based learning can be embedded in any course by aligning activities with students’ developmental stages and disciplinary norms.

Here are some highlights from our CTL teaching and learning at lunch discussions:

Attitudes/Mindset Needed for Research

• curiosity

• perseverance

• risk-taking

• global citizenship

• responsiveness to change

• responsibility

Common Challenges for Students

• evaluating research questions and estimating time and resources associated with a given question;

• discipline-based academic reading and writing;

• choosing an appropriate methodology that aligns with a research question;

• managing a project, etc.

Expectations and practices in different level courses:

• 100-level: basics fundamental understanding, train students on research methods

• 200-level: disseminating the information; read papers and demonstrate their understanding & come up with follow-up research questions

• 300-level: identify research gaps; come up with a good question and the research plan; independent research to execute the plan

• Grad EAP: develop qualitative skills for future research experience

Below are strategies for incorporating research in realistic and meaningful ways, based on both pedagogical research and DKU faculty experiences.

Scaffold Research Skills

Rather than assigning a full project all at once, break research into manageable skill-building steps across the semester:

• Find and evaluate sources: Teach students how to distinguish peer-reviewed articles from popular sources.

• Understand paper structure: Use Perusall or guided reading questions to walk students through academic papers—especially methods and results.

• Interpret data: Use simulated or real data sets; create repeated opportunities to analyze and present findings.

• Formulate questions: Use journals or mini-proposals where students develop and revise research questions over time.

Design Research-Infused Assignments

• 100-Level Courses

  • Focus on foundational research literacy: be realistic about the student competency and help students learn how to read and understand academic papers without being overwhelmed.

    • Example from Biology: Students read selected research papers using Perusall and are guided to focus on the methodology sections to inform their lab report writing.

    • Example from EAP: Introduce research paper structures and help students recognize genre conventions. Assign short writing tasks on data interpretation and crafting thesis statements supported by quantifiable evidence;

    • Example from Social Sciences: Use simulated data for hands-on activities. Incorporate tutorial videos and step-by-step prompts to support learning.

    • Example from Material Science: Assign students to read recent papers and extract relevant information that aligns with their personal or academic interests. Practice summarizing and presenting the content.

• 200-Level Courses

  • Emphasize method application and analytical reasoning.

    • Students should read academic texts, demonstrate comprehension, and generate follow-up questions that could lead to research projects.

    • Example from Biology: Lab courses can include linking experiments to research literature.

    • Example from Social Sciences: Repeat exercises to help students practice interpreting and analyzing data more independently.

    • Online tools, recorded workshops, or curated resources can support the increasing complexity of tasks.

• 300-Level Courses

  • Encourage independent research design and execution.

    • Students identify gaps in the literature, formulate research questions, and draft research plans.

    • Support can include peer feedback, targeted workshops, and mentoring sessions to guide the research process.

• Graduate EAP

  • Focus on qualitative and critical thinking skills to prepare for disciplinary research.

  • Activities may include designing interviews, practicing coding qualitative data, or conducting literature synthesis with a focus on conceptual frameworks.

Create Authentic Audiences

When students present to real or semi-real audiences, their motivation and engagement often increase.

• Presentations at class symposia or student research days

• Contributions to course blogs, zines, or open-source platforms

• Group projects where findings are shared with other sections, stakeholders, or peer groups

Support Through Resources and Community

• Online resources: Provide curated readings, databases, and video tutorials.

• Workshops: Collaborate with librarians, the writing and language studio, or the research office.

• Mentorship: Encourage informal mentoring from faculty or advanced students to help guide inquiry and build confidence.

Recommendations on Assessing Research Projects

Most students are new to research, so assessment should nurture and guide rather than penalize. Overly rigid criteria and emphasis on the end product alone can discourage creativity and risk-taking. By valuing the research process—questioning, exploration, and reflection—faculty can help students build confidence and engage deeply with inquiry. Here are some recommendations when you design your assessments:

1. Align Assessment with Learning Goals: Clearly define what aspect of research you’re assessing: Is it research skills (e.g., formulating a question), critical thinking, written communication, or domain knowledge? Expectations should vary depending on course levels. Use backward design and start from your research-related learning outcomes and design tasks and rubrics that support them.

2. Assess Both Process and Product

• Assess research process elements, such as:

  • Formulating and refining research questions

  • Searching and evaluating sources

  • Designing a method or framework

  • Data collection, interpretation, and ethical handling

  • Iterative thinking and problem-solving

• Assess final products, such as:

  • Research papers, reports, presentations, posters

  • Creative outputs or portfolios

  • Reflection papers or process memos explaining decisions

3. Use Transparent, Criteria-Based Rubrics: See our guide on Rubrics.

4. Include Reflection and Metacognition

• Have students submit research journals, annotated bibliographies, learning reflections to track their development.

• Include prompts like:

  • “What would you do differently next time?”

  • “What challenges did you face and how did you resolve them?”

5. Consider Formative and Peer Assessment

• Break the project into milestones and provide low-stakes feedback along the way.

• Use peer review for drafts, proposals, or presentations to support revision and foster a research community.