Sometimes, when I have a few spare moments, I find the time to dash off some comments about one of interests. Today, it's the issue of undergradate research. I am an evangelist when it comes to this topic. I firmly believe that all undergrads should be involved in original research before they graduate. And I do mean all.
Why? Because of the vast array of educational benefits, which could all be lumped into the "I made this!" effect. So much of what a student creates has actually been explored over and over again by former students. Where, and how, does the average student take what they've learned and apply it in the creation/discovery of something new?
Okay, true, art students often create portfolios of original work, but what about everyone else? It's time we recognize the merit of research, as a separate component in a student's education, and work towards ways of making this a reality.
Nuff said!
This is great. I have found that many of my undergraduate students out perform some graduate students. Well, great undergrads make great graduate students!
ReplyDeleteEven as applied to industry, undergraduates should learn research principals as this will help them succeed if they end up working in facilities like Digital Domain, Sony Pictures Imageworks and Pixar.