Traditional Discovery Research
College Park Scholars
The traditional Discovery model was first developed at College Park Scholars and has been used at Scholars for the past twelve years. It is designed to teach you five primary research methods and give you the experience of implementing, analyzing and presenting a pilot study on a topic and research question that you choose.
Class sessions throughout the semester will provide you with the essential research skills you will use for your study. A friendly, peer-supported environment will also be present to brainstorm on approaches and to assist you in reflecting on your experiences in implementing the study.
During the course, you will complete a series of brief writing assignments corresponding to the steps in the research process, write three journal reflections addressing the process of research and the creation of knowledge, complete an annotated bibliography and produce a display poster that will be presented at the College Park Scholars Academic Showcase on April 30th. There are no tests or quizzes in this course.
You will complete the Discovery course with the following competencies:
- define a testable research question
- develop a scholarly research plan
- utilize one or more of five research methods
- identify and evaluate background and contextual secondary information in support of your research question
- implement and analyze a full primary research study
- communicate your research results to a general audience
Student evaluations of the course have been overwhelmingly positive. Some comments include: "I really like the chance to study something that I wanted to for a change", "You need to start early on in the semester, but it is worth it -- by the Showcase you have learned something that no one else knows".
For more information, please contact:
Greig Stewart
Executive Director
College Park Scholars
1125 Cumberland Hall
301-314-2777
gstewart@umd.edu
