Direct engagement in scholarly activity can be a particularly valuable part of a student’s academic experience at The College of New Jersey. Such active learning enables students to gain a deeper understanding of both a discipline’s content and its methodologies. Faculty members may help their students engage in scholarly activity in many ways. There is no exhaustive list of those ways which vary by faculty member, by student, and by discipline. However, among the opportunities for scholarly activity that are available to students at TCNJ and that can be encouraged by faculty members are:
- An individual student may enroll in an independent study with a faculty member to pursue a topic beyond the regularly available curriculum.
- The Research (RSCH) course allows a small group of students to engage in a research project with a faculty member and receive three semester hours of credit. At the junior level, students are expected to write a paper and make an oral presentation; at the senior level, they are expected to take a leadership role in the research team and to submit their research for presentation at a regional or national professional conference or submit it for publication in a national or regional professional; at the graduate student level, they are expected to identify an independent researchable question based on faculty research data, analyze, discuss the findings, and report their conclusions at a national or regional professional conference or submit it for publication in a national or regional professional journal.
- The TCNJ Journal of Student Scholarship provides a vehicle for students to publish their scholarly work, and an annual Celebration of Student Achievement gives students an opportunity to demonstrate their research and creative activities to their peers and other members of the campus community.
- Departmental capstone courses and research courses provide students with opportunities for scholarship in depth.
- Assistantships may be available for graduate students to assist faculty members in their research.
posted 3/98