What if my class was approved for a section-based Research Designation Approval, and I do not want my class to have a Research Designation anymore?
If a section of your course is approved as a Research-Intensive Course, and you would like to stop or take a break from teaching it as a Research-Intensive, you can communicate with your unit and the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS) about this change in status. Your unit can remove the Research-Intensive Course Designation from your course for one or more semesters. 

Would capstone, independent study, honors projects, or independent readings count as a Research-Intensive Course? What about Research Methods classes?
Capstone will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Research Methods courses will be considered for a RI course designation, as such courses are not universally designed with a research component at GVSU. 

How will the Research-Intensive Course Designation impact faculty workload?
The impact on Faculty Workload will be minimal. The Research-Intensive Designation will apply to existing courses at Grand Valley State University. Applying to have one’s course labeled with the Research-Intensive Designation is the choice of the faculty member who teaches the course section or the unit offering the course. If a faculty member seeks the Research-Intensive Designation, they must apply, which will take some time and resources. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS) will offer support through consultations and syllabus or proposal review to faculty or units who wish to apply for a Research-Intensive Course Designation. If a course is designated as a Research-Intensive Course, there will be some assessment work to be completed to make sure the course continues to comply with the Research-Intensive Designation parameters (the parameters are described on pp. 1-3 under Criteria). The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship will appoint a Faculty Fellow to this assessment work to assuage the impact on the instructor’s workload. Assessment is described in greater detail on pp. 7-8 of this proposal. In fact, offering a Research-Intensive Course Designation could reduce certain aspects of faculty workload. The approval of a Research-Intensive Course Designation will create a central repository of all courses that include undergraduate research. This will allow the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS) to better understand how many CUREs exist on campus. This will help OURS better direct resources toward faculty and units offering these experiences to students. More specifically, OURS will work with faculty to support developing and maintaining Research-Intensive Courses in several ways. OURS will provide resources to faculty members interested in developing Research-Intensive Courses through one-on-one appointments, as well as Learning Communities (LC), (for example, one LC focused on research intensive courses is occurring during AY 2023-2024 through Pew FTLC). This will facilitate relationships between faculty members to build connections with faculty doing similar work, allowing for the exchange of ideas and potential collaborations that could shift or reduce workload. OURS will also provide Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) memberships for faculty who currently teach/are interested in teaching Research Intensive Courses. CUR offers an annual meeting, workshops, discussion boards, and other resources for faculty who work in the field of undergraduate research. 

How will the Research-Intensive Course Designation be assessed? 
​​​​​​​Faculty will not be required to complete any additional assessments for Research-Intensive (RI) Courses beyond those that they assign as part of normal practice within the course. Moreover, faculty will not be required to use a particular rubric or submit scores on students’ work related to their research project. As noted earlier, faculty will submit a course syllabus to receive the Research-Intensive designation when they apply for a course. Each year, the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS) will seek confirmation that the requirements for the research project as described in the syllabus are unchanged or, when necessary, expect an explanation of changes with an updated copy of the syllabus. Program assessment of the Research-Intensive Courses will be completed through The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS). This assessment will involve compiling data from each syllabus to document the types of research products students produce and the number of CURES at GVSU. The registrar will provide data on the number of students enrolled in Research-Intensive designated courses to OURS. In addition, program assessment will include collecting data to capture the impact of the Research-Intensive Courses on students’ learning and agency in each CURE. This will include using research-based survey instruments or interviews and focus group protocols (e.g., Mantai et al., 2024; Shortlidge & Brown, 2016). The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship (OURS) will seek volunteers from enrolled students and faculty instructing Research-Intensive Courses for these data collection efforts. Participation in program assessment is not a requirement for students or faculty.