The research elective is a semester-long course intended to introduce students to conducting research in basic and clinical laboratory settings while fostering the development and reinforcement of responsible conduct of research concepts. Students become eligible to enroll starting in the second semester of their first year. The research elective is a credit/no credit course. For programs that charge by the credit hour, the cost for the course is equal to 1 credit. For other programs, the cost is included in tuition.
How to Enroll
1. Find a Mentor
Students must identify a faculty mentor who is willing to work with them prior to enrolling in the course. It is the student’s responsibility to find a mentor and the specific goals for the research project will be negotiated between the mentor and student and approved by the Office of Research. To connect with a mentor, students may consult the student research mentor list where available mentors and information on their work are listed. Students may also consult their advisors, ask a professor, or reach out to a department chair to inquire about willing and available mentors in a particular department.
2. Complete Paperwork
A course syllabus and the research agreement are available from the Office of Research. The research agreement includes a description of the project and the student’s responsibilities. Once the student has identified a faculty mentor, the student and mentor must fill out and sign the research agreement and submit it to the Office of Research for approval and enrollment.
3. Complete Training
Students must complete all training on the mentor’s laboratory profile, which will vary from one mentor to another. Laboratory profiles are available from the Office of Research.
The laboratory profile requirements may include any or all of the following:
- In-person safety training with Health and Safety Coordinator (Vickie Behrends),
- Online safety training in D2L (managed by Vickie Behrends)
- Online training in CITI (managed by Jill Hamilton)
It is the student’s responsibility to notify the manager of each training upon completion so that completion may be verified. Training may be completed before or after submitting the research agreement, but it must be completed before the Office of Research will approve enrollment.
Enrollment and Grading
Students may not directly enroll in the research elective. Once the signed research agreement has been submitted to the Office of Research and training completion has been verified, the VP for Research will review and sign the research agreement and the Office of Research will request enrollment by the Registrar
At the end of the term, the faculty mentor will report a grade of credit or no credit after the end of the term to the Office of Research.
Questions?
Contact the Office of Research, Ryan Hall 209