Reinvention Center's Conference Proposal: Transforming the Culture: Undergraduate Education and the Multiple Functions of the Research University (November 8-10, 2006)

Suny At Stony Brook, Stony Brook NY

Investigators

Abstract

This grant provides support for a two-day conference on "Transforming the Culture: Undergraduate Education and the Multiple Functions of the University" to be held November 9-10, 2006 in Washington, DC. This is the third biennial conference on undergraduate research activities at research-intensive universities conducted by The Reinvention Center at SUNY Stony Brook. Both the Center and the conferences are rooted in the 1998 Boyer Commission report, "Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America's Research Universities." Using case studies in plenary and small-group sessions, the conference will consider a holistic view of the research university and examine links between undergraduate research and core functions of the university. The Intellectual Merit of the conference derives from its potential to advance knowledge and understanding in four interrelated areas: (1) establishing creative partnerships between undergraduate education and other core university functions; (2) translating principles of learning for ready accessibility and applicability to different disciplines and learning environments; (3) utilizing technology to facilitate development of student skills in question formulation, critical thinking, and development of high order cognitive skills essential to scientific inquiry; and (4) integrating disciplinary research with learning research in the classroom to more effectively engage students in the discovery process. Broader Impacts of the conference derive from planned wide dissemination of findings regarding synergy among core functions of the research university and undergraduate education, particularly that based in discovery-based learning.