Where in the World Is This Research Taking Us? Collaborating on Publishable Research With Undergraduates Abroad

摘要

The value of undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research has been well-documentedin recent years (e.g., Hernandez et al., 2018), and as more colleges and universities recognizethis, the models by which it is accomplished have become more varied. Some studentsengage in collaborative research with faculty at their home institutions while others spendthe summer months researching at an institution other than their own. For students in thelatter category, engaging in collaborative research away from one’s home institution oftenexposes students to a greater variety of research questions and methodologies and facilitates thedevelopment of a professional network that often leads to important opportunities and futurecareer success. In our research, we take this idea a step further by offering students the opportunityto conduct a research project in another country. This model of undergraduate collaboration aimsto develop a more experienced, agile student researcher with a broader world view and a strongsense of global citizenship. In this paper we describe the benefits and challenges of collaborativeresearch while abroad, through the lens of our own field research with students conducted over thepast 10 years studying green monkeys on the Caribbean Island of Barbados.