In an ever-changing educational landscape, finding different ways to help students learn outside of the classroom is important.
And there's a prime example of that concept at Vincennes University with its Center for Research and Technology.
Founding director Mike Drysdale, who has a doctorate in experimental and applied psychological science, has been informally running the center for two years. Last year he finally nabbed some office space in the Phillip M. Summers Social Science Center for faculty and students who seek out the research center as a resource.
There's also space in the office for students who want to work on research projects and within the next month or so, Drysdale hopes to expand to provide more room.
“Basically, it's a center dedicated to using research as a way of helping students learn,” said Drysdale, an assistant psychology professor. “(Studies) have found that students learn all sorts of things as they are engaged in conducting research.”
As of late there's been a big push to help students learn critical, ethical and integrative thinking, and actively conducting research is a proven method to boost students' skills in those categories, he said.
Drysdale and associate director Rob Evans, a sociology professor, are the center's mentors and consultants for students doing research projects. They're available to help students with any aspect of the research process, whether it's designing the research, collecting the data or presenting the findings.
The center is essentially a one-stop shop for anyone who needs assistance, and any student from any department is welcome to take advantage of it. In fact, one of Drysdale's goals is to engage more students from different disciplines other than his own.
“Presently it's very informal, it's not the formal classroom setting. We're just trying to engage students and let them know that there is this option,” he said. “I'd like to branch out because I know there are other students on campus who are doing research, too.”
Over the last couple years, several students have come to the center for assistance and Drysdale said now is the time when he's really ramping up efforts to get the word out that the center exists and can be a valuable resource.
“There have been about 10 different students who have been able to design and conduct research, and we've gone to a few regional conferences where those students have been able to present their findings,” he said. “That's part of my goal as well — to give them the whole research experience.”
Drysdale's own passion for research motivated him to get the center up and running. He's been at VU for four years, and when he first started teaching he realized how much he missed conducting research. After all, he did plenty of it during graduate school and while he was working on his master's and doctoral degrees.
“When I got here, I realized how much I loved doing (research) partly because I wasn't doing it anymore. But also in my research, I found that designing and carrying it out is a great learning opportunity,” Drysdale said. “So I thought, 'Why not take something I'm passionate about, which is research and helping students learn, and put that together in a place where I can engage students in that process?' ”
One of the ways he's hoping to get students involved in the research process is by hosting a series of public policy debates this fall. The first will focus on whether marijuana should be legalized and will take place at 11 a.m. on Sept. 15 in the Skelton Theater at the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center.
Arguing against legalization will be Knox County Sheriff Mike Morris and Evans, a certified drug and alcohol counselor. Arguing for legalization will be Mike Mullen, an English professor, and Stephen Dillon, an attorney and activist with the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws.
The debate will be moderated by Jessica Zellers, a social work professor.
Community members are invited to attend and participate. Input from the audience will be welcome during the debates, which provides students with the perfect opportunity to engage in the research process.
“When you debate, you have to do a lot of research into the topic,” Drysdale said.
If the debates go well, Drysdale hopes to have another series in the spring on different topics and continue the series every semester. He also aims to host a research symposium in the spring that would allow students in all departments to display the research projects they've been working on.
“It would be a day of posters and talks from students,” he said. “Any student across campus could be part of this and we could highlight their research efforts. I've spoken with some faculty about that, now it's just kind of figuring out the logistics of getting it set up.”
And in the future, Drysdale suspects there will be other events that the center will spearhead to get students and faculty involved.
“Anything we can do to promote critical thinking, research and learning — that's what we're about,” he said. “Who knows what other kinds of events and things we'll try to sponsor on campus as a way of engaging students?”