112 | JADE
CHRIS LITTLE
enable them. The following benefits for students and staff have
been found across much of the published literature.
Benefits of UR for students
Conferences can bridge the gap between research, theory and
practice for learners by giving time to question, debrief and explore
what they have seen (Hall, 2015).
Additionally, UR offers undergraduates the opportunity to practise
and develop discipline-specific skills, such as writing abstracts,
as well as more generic interpersonal and communication skills
(Beckman & Hensel, 2009; McGuinness & Simm, 2003; SpronkenSmith et al, 2013). The development of these skills can often help
to demonstrate graduate attributes to employers beyond higher
education (Caprio, 2014). Enabling students to learn through and
about research enables them “as producers, not just consumers of
knowledge” (Healey & Jenkins, 2009: 7) by including them in the
research culture of the institution.
Hill et al (2013) studied the impact of enabling students as active
participants in the research process by co-authoring a conference
paper and academic article. They found that in addition to the above
benefits, attending conferences and authoring papers allowed
students to see the other aspects of being a lecturer and afforded
them greater insight into the world of academia. Furthermore, it
may then allow students to mirror, and more fully appreciate the
processes staff enact (Lopatto, 2003; Walkington & Jenkins,
2008). UR can introduce students to the concept of selectivity and
exclusivity in being chosen to be published (Walkington & Jenkins,
2008). This may lead to an increased appreciation of the academic
texts which they use in their studies.
Benefits of UR for staff
Willison and O’Regan (2007) discussed student research as “a
continuum of knowledge production” (2007: 394). Progression
along this knowledge production continuum would benefit
both the students developing the skills required to produce
good quality research and the staff guiding and instructing this
development. Encouraging participation in UR can raise the profile
of the department hosting the conference and to give students an
experience that will demonstrate the value added by a university
degree by encouraging the exhibition of a range of skills developed
during study (McGuinnes & Simm, 2003).