A RESEARCH-BASED LEARNING APPROACH
FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
The Internship Program in Research and Innovation Model
Nathalíe Galeano, Ruben Morales-Menendez
Tecnológico de Monterrey, Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Monterrey, México
Francisco J. Cantú Ortíz
Tecnológico de Monterrey, Monterrey, México
Keywords: Research at undergraduate level, Research-based learning, Research chairs, Innovative educational models,
Undergraduate education.
Abstract: World-class universities have usually been recognized for their intellectual contributions, and key ones are
the products of the research (publications, patents, innovations, technology developments, spin-offs, etc.)
they perform, and the impact these products have on the technological and economic development of
regions of influence. After a literature review process and the review of how research activities with
undergraduate students are promoted and coordinated in top ranked universities, the authors suggest three
different approaches a university can follow for integrating research-based learning into the undergraduate
curriculum: the stand alone approach, the attachment approach and the inserted approach. In the inserted
approach an undergraduate student is interested in doing research out of her/his personal interest and the
university supports these students by integrating them into research groups. The experiences and results of
designing and implementing the inserted approach in the Tecnológico de Monterrey are presented in this
paper, together with the integration of this program in the Knowledge-based Development model of the
University that integrates the Research Chairs and Incubation Cells initiatives.
1 INTRODUCTION
The need for developing and deploying adequate
research and innovation human resources as part of
any country’s economic development and long-term
growth is well recognized. To compete globally,
countries need a greater number of experienced
people that follow a career path in knowledge
economic research, with projects that seek the
development of technology and innovation in
universities and industry. Nevertheless, in the
current economic environment, motivating students
to do research and generate innovation is a great
challenge.
Research can be motivated in different phases of
university studies. Traditionally, research has been a
task for graduate students, but nowadays it is also
being introduced early in undergraduate programs.
Different initiatives around the world promote the
development of an undergraduate research culture
(Boyer Commission, 1998). Some of these
initiatives are: the Reinvention Center at Stony
Brook at University of Miami, the Reinvention
Center for Undergraduate Research at Warwick, and
the Council on Undergraduate Research.
The experiences and results of designing and
implementing the inserted approach (as proposed by
the authors) using Research-based learning
techniques through the Internship in Research and
Innovation Program (IRIP, Modalidad de
Investigación e Innovación, in Spanish) in the
Tecnológico de Monterrey is the case study that is
presented in this paper. Main results and experiences
during its seven years in operation (2004- 2010), and
how this program is being integrated in Tecnológico
de Monterrey’s Knowledge-based Development
(KBD) model (Bustani et al., 2006), together with
the Research Chairs and Incubation Cells initiatives,
is also described.
An action-research methodology was used for
designing the IRIP described in this article (Reason
and Bradbury 2004). The authors of this paper were
143
Galeano N., Morales-Menendez R. and Cantú Ortíz F..
A RESEARCH-BASED LEARNING APPROACH FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS - The Internship Program in Research and Innovation Model.
DOI: 10.5220/0003352601430147
In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Computer Supported Education (CSEDU-2011), pages 143-147
ISBN: 978-989-8425-50-8
Copyright
c
 2011 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)

responsible for a second cycle in the action research
methodology, starting in 2008, with the reflection of
the previous IRIP results, and planning, designing
and deploying new strategies and a new academic
program structure for the IRIP, which are presented
in this work.
2 BACKGROUND
The top eight universities around the world were
analyzed to identify the purpose and structure of
main programs introducing research activities to
undergraduate students, and the different approaches
these universities use for deploying this programs.
The top eight universities were selected using the
THE-QS Times Higher Education, World University
Rankings (QS-Quacquarelli- Symonds, 2009) and
the ARWU: Academic Ranking of World
Universities (Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, 2004).
The universities selected are the ones that appear in
2009 in one of the following top 5: THE-QS general
rank, the THE-QS citations per faculty rank.
These top universities (Harvard University,
Stanford University, University of California,
Berkeley, University of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, California Institute of
Technology, Yale University and University of
Oxford) offer their undergraduate students different
opportunities for doing research in different formats
using research-based learning concepts. Some
programs offer academic credits, scholarships or
student wages for participation in research projects
during an academic year or summer period; others
have available funding mechanisms that may be
requested either for the student or for the tutors.
Several programs are managed by the
Undergraduate Advising Office, others by the
student employment office, and still others
independently by each department in the university.
Different strategies are also deployed by these
universities to promote and display the information
related to undergraduate students. Useful
information is available on each web site, for
example: the information about the office for
undergraduate research, the list of academic
departments and research advisors, a list of research
opportunities (actual projects in and outside), a list
of introductory seminars for doing research,
information for getting funds, information about
journals for publishing research results, research
standards, and intellectual property rights policies.
Principal means for promoting undergraduate
research results identified in these universities are:
research newsletters, undergraduate research
journals, symposiums, conferences, workshops for
undergraduate research, undergraduate student
research associations, and different student groups
focused on research and innovation.
3 APPROACHES FOR
INTRODUCING RESEARCH
ACTIVITIES TO
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
From the literature review and the analysis of
different universities, the authors identify three
approaches that can be used in a university for
introducing research activities to undergraduate
students. These proposed approaches use Research-
based Learning techniques (RBL).
3.1 Stand Alone Approach
The research task is introduced to all students in a
classroom and promoted by the researcher. The
professor responsible for the course is the advisor,
and the students develop the research, generating a
research report. In some cases this report can be
formatted into a research paper and evaluated for its
publication in a formal research environment
(usually a conference). The main advantage of this
approach is student integration into research
activities, using a formal learning technique, but
limited to the restrictions of an academic course in
terms of time and resources. Research results may
vary depending on the abilities of a single student
for doing research by himself / herself. The stand
alone approach is commonly used in several courses
at different universities, and it is a common practice
in summer research programs.
3.2 Attachment Approach
The student has to do a research task as a requisite
for graduation and the task is usually based on a
research profile defined for the bachelor degree. The
student is “attached” to a professor developing a
complete research project in a specific topic (usually
within the professor’s main research interest). A
technical research report is generated by the student.
This report can generate a publishable work in the
format of a poster or an article in a conference. At
some universities, this is the case for some bachelor
degrees, such as the Bachelor of Science in
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Chemistry, where one requirement for graduation is
to develop a research project and turn in a formal
research product or report. Research results under
this approach may have a larger scope, but the
approach has limitations in terms of time, and
resources may be low, since the main objective is to
deliver a formal research report, usually in a thesis
format.
3.3 Inserted Approach
An undergraduate student is interested in doing
research out of her/his personal interest and the
university supports these students by integrating
them into research groups. The students gain the
experience of working in collaborative research
environments, in addition to developing different
research skills. A special certificate is given to the
student completing the research courses and work.
Research results are intrinsically generated, since
these are the logical outputs of research projects.
The main advantage of this approach is the
experience and the rapid integration of
undergraduate students in the research project when
working in a collaborative research environment,
where senior researchers, PhD students, and MSc
students are involved.
In the inserted approach researchers and students
can get results more rapidly, as they are participating
in well-established, long-term research projects
which usually can get financial support easily. Most
of the students who work under this scheme go on to
complete a master or a PhD degree.
The sum of research group efforts in the inserted
approach means rapid project results in the short
term because specific research areas are
consolidated. This contrasts with the “stand alone”
approach in which the results are diluted and usually
within a narrow scope.
4 INTERNSHIP IN RESEARCH
AND INNOVATION PROGRAM
(IRIP)
The IRIP began in 2004, supporting the KBD model
and using the research-based learning technique. The
main motivation of IRIP at Tecnológico de
Monterrey is the development of research abilities
and skills in undergraduate students through a
formal process (learning by doing) that involves
training in basic research skills and the opportunity
to gain experience through participation in a
research project, with specific responsibilities and
committed results. Thus, the students are integrated
to the Research Chairs and to the Incubation Cell for
Technology-based Entrepreneurship Program of the
University as described in the following paragraphs.
4.1 Research Chairs
and the Knowledge-based
Development Model
The Knowledge-based Development (KBD) model of
Tecnológico de Monterrey grounds the inserted
approach used by the IRIP. This model was created
with the objective to contribute to 2015 mission
statement and, specifically, one of its strategies, “re-
focus research and extension activities”. The KBD
model consists of six components: (1) an
institutional mission statement, which is the central
guiding element, (2) social, human and intellectual
capital, (3) research products, (4) research funding,
(5) entrepreneurial initiatives, and (6) the education
model (Cantú et al. 2009); and has been deployed
and implemented by means of the Research Chair
Program (RCP), and by the Incubation Cell for
Technology-based Entrepreneurship Program.
A Research Chair (Cantú et al. 2009) is a group
of researchers (professors, postdoctoral researchers,
PhD, MSc and undergraduate students) specialized
in a scientific domain and headed by a principal
researcher. This program is the trigger force that
activates research projects with institutional seed
funding. The Incubation Cell Program intends to
foster technology-based entrepreneurship among
graduate students of science and technology
disciplines. An incubation cell is proposed by a
professor and is leaded by a PhD student from a
research chair in which a technological product has
been developed. Members of the cell receive
institutional support which comprises tuition and
living expenses scholarships, business plan
formulation, intellectual property, office space at the
incubator facilities, as well as training and coaching
in legal, capital, fiscal or regulatory aspects on the
incubation process.
4.2 IRIP Academic Program Structure
The IRIP’s academic program structure consists of
four courses outside the curriculum and four
internships (courses within the curriculum). Courses
outside the curriculum are designed to develop basic
research and innovation skills, these include: 1)
methodology for research and innovation, 2)
comprehending, evaluating and structuring scientific
and technical documents, 3) intellectual property, 4)
A RESEARCH-BASED LEARNING APPROACH FOR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS - The Internship Program in
Research and Innovation Model
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development of technological entrepreneurial skills
and 5) qualitative research methods. Courses outside
the curriculum are equivalent to a four-hour a week
class (1.5 credits), while research internships are
equivalent to an eight-hour a week project (3 credits)
during one term (16 weeks).
During the internships, students develop a
specific research project monitored by a senior
researcher within a Research Chair. Besides the
experience gained when participating in research
projects, students are expected to have participated
in writing technical and scientific papers, drafting a
patent, and presenting their research results in
national or international events. Many students also
take the opportunity to participate in research groups
abroad, acquiring international research experience
and creating technology-based spin-off companies.
4.3 Main Results
After six years in operation, the IRIP has grown and
incorporated students from several disciplines.
From four students starting the program in January
2004, the number rose to 204 students registered in
the program in August 2010. On average each
academic semester 23 new students are registered in
the program, although during the last two years the
average of new students is 38. The number of
enrolled students (students taking courses in each
semester) has also grown: in both semesters of 2010,
between 79 and 98 students were enrolled in at least
one course or research internship, which means that
approximately half of the registered students were
taking courses during each semester.
In terms of preparation of researchers, the
number of graduated students has started to grow,
especially during the last year. The total number of
graduated students since 2004 is 72. It is important
to mention that there is a delay in the achievement of
results in this kind of program. Most of the students
who enter the IRIP are in the initial years of their
bachelor degree program and their insertion in
research projects is gradual, so the results they
achieve will be during their senior year. The authors
expect the number of graduated IRIP students to
grow during the next few years proportionally to the
number of new IRIP students.
From May 2008 to May 2010 graduated IRIP
students generated more than 92 scientific research
products. These research products are distributed
mainly as follows: participation in patents and
inventions, national research awards, participation in
international research competitions, papers in
refereed indexed journals, papers in international
conferences, posters in international conferences,
white papers published on internet sites, technical
reports presented in international internships, papers
in national conferences and master theses developed
during undergraduate studies. Besides these research
products, the IRIP has also promoted participation in
international and national research internships.
5 CONCLUSIONS
In this paper the authors have discussed the different
approaches that can be used in a university
environment to introduce research activities to
undergraduate students. Tecnológico de Monterrey
uses the “inserted approach”, showing a different
way to incorporate research into undergraduate
student curricula. This approach, implemented
through the Research Chair Program and the IRIP,
has demonstrated successful results that have
supported the deployment of the Tecnológico de
Monterrey’s Knowledge-based Development (KBD)
model, as part of one of the key strategies that is
transforming the university into a research university
recognized around the word. The development of
intellectual capital, the creation of research products
(technology developments, inventions and
publications), the promotion of entrepreneurship,
and the education of undergraduate students has
been enhanced by the different IRIP strategies
deployed together with the efforts of the Research
Chairs.
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