Emphasis Three: Undergraduate Education

The College's proposal to increase research opportunities for undergraduates builds upon two traditional strengths of a Dartmouth education the commitment of excellent faculty to undergraduate instruction and the flexibility of the calendar and curriculum. As Dartmouth balances its obligation to preserve a liberal arts teaching environment and its desire to augment the faculty's research profile, while recognizing the modest role played by graduate instruction, a greater focus on undergraduate research is appropriate. Many excellent practices and means of support are detailed in the College's self-study. If meaningful undergraduate research experience is to be more fully integrated into the curriculum, however, several challenges will need to be met.

Because "research" means many things in the many different disciplines of the College, students must be able to carry out projects in numerous venues. In one case, the research experience may entail work in a laboratory, while in another it may be an artistic performance, and still another the quantitative analysis of a data set. Both students and faculty need to recognize the broad range of independent, mentored inquiry that can enliven students' education. In addition to traditional departments and programs, research centers and professional school faculty should be used to the greatest extent possible. In those cases where faculty teaching obligations, the structure of the major, or other institutional impediments exist, the administration will want to consider innovative incentives, especially in those departments where faculty participation to date has been minimal.

The committee has noted that while the "culminating experience" provides a valuable capstone research experience for many students, it has proven less satisfactory for others. It may be appropriate to put more emphasis on sustained research opportunities throughout the student's career at Dartmouth and less on a single concluding experience. The Dartmouth Plan provides unique flexibility, but the irregular pattern of enrollment creates discontinuity that can disrupt the formation of mentoring relationships that are central to directed research (see Standard Four). Strengthened advising about the coursework and skills that are prerequisite to sophisticated research, as well as a more focused use of the Sophomore Summer, would enable students to better plan their on-campus and off-campus schedules in preparation for advanced research.

Although existing resources are considerable, they fall somewhat short of providing the rich array of supportful terms of independent research; travel to archives or fieldwork sites; laboratory materials and other equipment; and so on needed to support a larger number of students. New investments in support of students and faculty alike will need to be considered. We applaud this initiative, and we encourage the administration, faculty, and students to undertake a wide-ranging conversation about how best to achieve what has been envisioned in the self-study. If approached creatively, new support for undergraduate research will help to address an issue of concern for the entire Dartmouth community the cultivation of a pervasive climate of intellectual inquiry and a passion for learning.