The Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry offers support to integrate development of research skills in the curriculum as well as support for faculty engaging as mentors for undergraduate researchers.
Curriculum Support
Pedagogy of Inquiry
Activating a student's curiosity can inspire learning beyond presentation of the material. Inquiry-based learning strives to do this by engaging students in asking and answering questions using the knowledge, methods, tools, and skills appropriate for their field. These experiences prepare students to excel in research and design projects, and production of scholarship and creative works.
Student Learning Outcomes
The focus of the QEP on facets of inquiry is directly seen in the student learning outcomes. Through their courses at Rice, students gain, reinforce, and apply the skills of each facet. These outcomes also provide students a map of opportunities in inquiry-based learning and research. A commitment to excellence in inquiry pedagogy requires measurements of student growth in these skills so that the pathways that prepare students can be evaluated and modified to ensure that our students meet the needs of invention, critical thinking, and communication in their professional careers.
Inquiry and Research Curriculum Planning Grant
Rice University’s Experiential Inquiry and Research Fund awards competitive grants of up to $10,000 to departments/units that oversee the curriculum of a major, area major, or interdisciplinary major/minor.
Research Rich Courses & Curriculum Grant
OURI awards two types of Research-Rich Courses and Curriculum (R2C2) grants, which differ based on funding amounts and scale of proposed interventions. These grants support integration of research skill development into classroom-based teaching activities for individual courses or for a larger effort within a major/minor.
Developing an Inquiry-Rich Curriculum
The following materials empower departments and programs to evaluate existing opportunities for experiential inquiry and research. These materials should be used as a resource when applying for Inquiry-Based Learning Planning Grants or Development and Enhancement Grants to summarize strengths and areas for enhancement of an inquiry pathway within a curriculum.
Library Support for Inquiry-Based Learning
To develop autonomy as researchers, students need experience and, often, instruction in the skills of finding, understanding, evaluating and communicating information. The library’s instructional programs, teaching information literacy, data literacy, digital scholarship, the use and creation of digital media and more, can helpfully intervene at various points in students’ paths to autonomy as researchers and learners.
Rubrics to Assess Inquiry in the Curriculum
To align assessment of inquiry-based learning with competencies in critical thinking, scholarly work, and communication, OIE, OURI, and PWC have developed program evaluation rubrics that assess a student’s competence in a given area across Rice University’s five facets of inquiry-based learning: framing, methodology, evaluation, synthesis, and dissemination.
Undergraduate Research Support
Promoting Your Opportunity
Promote your opportunity in-person or online with OURI's events and access to Handshake.
Faculty-Mentored Research Programs
Faculty-mentored research programs support students who are engaging in a research project under the guidance of a Rice University or Texas Medical Center faculty mentor. Together, these programs support students at different stages of the research process, from identifying a research mentor to planning for advanced research in graduate school. These programs typically require an application so be sure to check websites for upcoming deadlines.
Support for Developing Mentors
OURI self-paced materials help developing mentors articulate a mentoring philosophy to support effective mentorship of undergraduate researchers. Enroll in our Canvas site to access materials.