NCUR 2019 Class Assignments

Overview

Kennesaw State University will be hosting the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) April 11-13, 2019. This is the largest conference of its kind - we expect 4,000 to 5,000 people to attend. Several hundred KSU students will present their research, and nearly 1,000 will volunteer in some capacity at the conference. 

Therefore, classes during this time period are being redirected to the conference (the schedule-at-a-glance for NCUR 2019 can be found here). This means that there will be no face-to-face classes during the conference; instead, students will participate in the conference. This is a great opportunity for KSU students to learn more about research and participate in an academic conference at no expense.

Assignment Ideas

KSU faculty are encouraged to integrate the conference into their Spring 2019 courses. Attendance at sessions is free for all KSU faculty, staff, and students -- this includes plenary sessions, posters, oral presentations, visual arts displays, and performances. 

Students can be encouraged to attend a particular number of sessions related to the course you're teaching, and then they can complete an assignment related to those sessions. For example, students can be encouraged to attend a small number of presentations related to the course and do one or more of the following:

• write a short reflection on what they learned at the conference
• make connections between research from the conference and course content
• critically evaluate research presentations they attend at the conference

Learning Objectives

Several learning objectives associated with participation in the conference are possible. A few examples are listed below.

After completing the NCUR assignment, students should be able to:

1. summarize research studies presented at the 2019 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR).
2. evaluate research studies presented at the 2019 National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR).
3. explain what happens at an academic conference.
4. integrate research from NCUR with concepts from the course.

Frequently Asked Questions About NCUR Class Redirection

• Is it optional or mandatory to redirect my class to the conference April 11-13, 2019?

  It is mandatory. The conference is using most of the space on campus, and students will be occupied with presenting and volunteering. 

• If I am teaching on the Marietta campus, can I still hold class as usual?

  No. Marietta campus students are presenting and volunteering at NCUR too.

• If I am teaching a graduate-level class, can I still hold class as usual?

  No. NCUR is using most of the classrooms on the Kennesaw campus.