Hello and welcome to your 1-page long ePortfolio template for RESL 1500 Undergraduate Research Certificate! Below you will find headings and instructions to help you complete your ePortfolio – just remember this is a template; feel free to play around as much as you’d like!

INTRODUCTION.

Explain how you qualify for the Undergraduate Research certificate by providing a brief overview of your research experiences. The introduction should be approximately 300 words.

Remember that you have the freedom to make this homepage your own; feel free to change the image to fit your personality and research journey!

THE STANDARDS.

Research is a process, so students are asked to demonstrate evidence supporting their engagement throughout their studies. This process normally involves generating a research proposal, engaging in recognized research activities, and sharing results via disciplinary-appropriate forms of knowledge mobilization. Students may submit evidence of research from a single significant research project (e.g., Honors thesis, UREAP project, NSERC USRA, Graduate Exhibition) or from multiple research activities (e.g., class research projects, research assistantships, volunteer research activity with a faculty mentor, etc.). Other relevant experiences may include the Knowledge Makers, Research Apprentice Program, Research Coach Program, Directed Studies, service-learning involving research, capstone projects, and major public performances. 

Research at TRU takes many forms, so evidence that demonstrates students’ ability to understand the research process, evaluate existing research, analyze information, draw conclusions and disseminate new knowledge will vary by discipline. 

All written evidence submitted must be clearly structured in Standard English, with few if any errors, and reference given to appropriate sources such as regulatory, professional, and scholarly works.

It is likely that multiple standards will be met based on a single research project; however, students must provide separate forms of evidence in order to demonstrate they have met the standards, even if they are all from the same experience. 

Below you will provide detailed explanations of each criterion by editing the drop-down accordion, either directly pasting your evidence or by uploading PDF documents through the “file” block. That way, you will have all of your proof the way you want to showcase it and right here, on one concise page!

Possible examples of evidence:

  • Self-authored research proposal, project outline, or artist statement
  • Research methods courses taken

Possible examples of evidence:

  • Self-authored environmental scan 
  • Completion of a research methods course  
  • Self-authored literature review, a report, paper, or presentation that includes a significant discussion of secondary sources (any reference that is used in a student’s work that was not written or created by the student themselves is considered a secondary source) 

Possible examples of evidence:

  • Self-authored or co-authored report, paper or a summary that outlines the research method employed while conducting research.  
  • This can include, but is not limited to, methods such as interviews; focus groups; forms of mapping or visualization; arts-based methods; case studies; surveys; lab studies and field work involving descriptive, correlational, experimental, and causal-comparative and quasi-experimental methodologies. 

Possible examples of evidence:

  • Self-authored or co-authored research results and discussions provided via written reports, articles, recordings, performances, presentations, exhibitions, or other modalities 

Possible examples of evidence:

  • Presentations such as poster and conference sessions, honor’s defenses, exhibitions, or performance  
  • Publication or co-publication of articles, reviews, studies, or academic notes in journals or any venue recognized by the student’s discipline; report submitted to a formal academic or professional body; a juried performance or an exhibition  
  • Other modes of dissemination by students may include podcasts, YouTube videos, blogs, webinars, and infographics/mapping. 

REFLECTIVE ESSAY.

Instructions:

Write a 1000-word limit reflection on the knowledge, skills and/or attributes you have gained as a result of your research activities.

What you need to cover:

  • Describe your mindset and attitudes prior to your research involvement
  • How did participating in these research activities change or shift your way of thinking, behaving, or communicating?
  • Why are your research activities important?
  • How will your research experiences impact you in the future?

Formatting for the essay:

  • 12-point font, double-spaced, no more than 1000 words

What we DO want in the essay:

  • Use the knowledge, skills, attitudes and awareness section for reflection
  • Clearly communicate your learning or shift to us (the committee) by using explicit examples
  • Proofread essay
  • Follow the formatting guidelines stated above

What we DON’T want in the essay:

  • We do not want a list of accomplishments
  • We do not want anything exceeding 1000 words
  • Please do not simply repeat events that are evident in the portfolio

Note: All of the instructions listed above should be replaced with your personal writing or deleted prior to submitting