Recommended Citation: Gibson, Caroline, Emma Barker, Jane Bryan. 2024. 3rd World Congress on Undergraduate Research, University of Warwick, UK. Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research 7 (3): 26-33. https://doi.org/10.18833/spur/7/3/7

The University of Warwick, located in Coventry, England, is a major research institution with an acknowledged reputation for excellence in teaching and learning, innovation and links with business and industry (University of Warwick 2023a). In 2019, staff in the Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning (IATL) at the university, an institution known for innovative, creative, and sector-leading student research initiatives, submitted a proposal to be the first UK institution to host the World Congress on Undergraduate Research (WorldCUR).

The WorldCUR was first conceived by a group of academics during the 2014 meeting of the National Conference for Undergraduate Research in the United States, with a goal of ‘bringing together faculty mentors, students, and staff with a focus on building lasting international collaboration’ (Rivera et al. 2018, 55). The first World Congress was hosted by Qatar University in 2016 and was supported by the Council on Undergraduate Research in the United States, which provided a link to its conference submissions platform and suggested panelists and moderators. The Congress was also supported by the Australasian Council for Undergraduate Research, which consulted throughout, and the British Conference of Undergraduate Research (BCUR) which drafted the Congress themes, provided abstract review, and developed the Congress schedule, among other roles (Rivera et al. 2018, 56). The University of Oldenburg successfully applied to be the next hosts for the event and the second World Congress took place there in 2019.

Warwick’s proposal aimed to bring WorldCUR together with the BCUR, to cross-pollinate each event with valuable aspects of the other. Anticipated advantages of this cross-pollination included bringing an existing national network and over a decade of pedagogic and conference organizing experience and adding to it elements of the first two WorldCUR events, including the complementary conference sessions and themed sessions, and the chance to bring new cultural and international perspectives from students around the world. BCUR originated in 2011 at the University of Central Lancashire, UK, and a group of institutions with a focus on undergraduate research support BCUR via representatives on the Executive Committee. BCUR is hosted annually by universities around the UK. Warwick staff have been involved with BCUR since its inception, as part of its Executive Committee and hosting the conference in 2012 and had been interested in submitting a proposal to host the conference for a second time. The decision to submit a joint hosting proposal for WorldCUR and BCUR was influenced by the strength of bringing an existing national conference together with a new international event, rather than competing with it. It was felt that, although there might be organizational challenges in hosting two large events together, overall, it would be advantageous to bring an existing structure and cohort of staff and students from BCUR to the joint events, and hosting concurrently would mean that students didn’t have to make a choice between attending a national or international conference in the UK in 2023.

Warwick’s proposal to host WorldCUR responded to the criteria circulated by the Alliance for Global Undergraduate Research (AGUR) steering committee, a committee formed for the oversight of WorldCUR, and reflected on Warwick’s position as a sector-leading institution in undergraduate research. It also foregrounded the IATL, where the conference organizing team was primarily based, and its status as a cross-faculty department with links throughout the university. The proposal highlighted IATL staff’s strong history of leading Warwick’s own undergraduate research programs and innovations, including conceiving of and hosting the International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR) (University of Warwick 2023b), a video-linked conference bringing together student researchers from a range of participating institutions, and establishing the publication of Reinvention: an International Journal of Undergraduate Research in 2007 (University of Warwick 2023c). Supporting a wide spectrum of students to apply to and attend WorldCUR-BCUR was prioritized. A suite of synchronous and asynchronous training opportunities, developed, organized and presented by the organizing team was proposed, and covered topics from abstract writing through to advice on attending conferences and writing presentations, to be offered at varied times to accommodate students in different time zones. IATL’s vision for WorldCUR and BCUR was one of critical interdisciplinarity, internationalization and innovation, aligning to Warwick’s institutional priorities, as well as emphasizing a commitment to co-creation by centering students at the heart of the organizing team. While ICUR virtually connects around 400-600 students from specific participating institutions from six continents around the world, bringing the WorldCUR to Warwick would give valuable experience of hosting an international in-person event to the IATL team and inform the continued development of our own hybrid event.

Warwick’s hosting of WorldCUR-BCUR was focused on diversity, in terms of the global scope of attendees representing a variety of institutions and countries, presentation styles and disciplines. These strategic aims hoped to give a broad spectrum of undergraduate students a meaningful experience and a new understanding of research culture and their place within it.

The Organizing Team

The main organizing team consisted of five staff members, including a Project Support Officer whose role was solely focused on the event (University of Warwick 2023d). Three Student Directors for WorldCUR-BCUR were also recruited, selected from students who had already worked with the IATL team on student research activities, bringing a wealth of experience to the role. Input from one of IATL’s Co-Creation Officers, also an undergraduate student at Warwick, was also sought, to bring a different student perspective and support the orientation program (University of Warwick 2023d). Additional support for the event was provided by IATL staff members, including the administration of the travel fund and website development. Before the event, a large team of around forty student volunteers from Warwick were recruited and trained to fill roles as session chairs, room stewards, and registration and information assistants. Applying students were asked to provide information about their previous experience of student-oriented support roles and their attendance at international events, as well as what appealed to them about the role.

Impact of the Pandemic

With plans for the joint WorldCUR-BCUR event to take place in the spring of 2022, preparations were underway when the global COVID-19 pandemic struck in early 2020. The pandemic had an enormous impact on the planning, organization and timing of the events. A decision was made in summer of 2021, in conjunction with the AGUR steering committee and the BCUR Executive, to postpone the events by one year, to April 2023. This was primarily to allow equity of access to the conference for delegates from countries with different pandemic experiences and responses, and to attempt to deliver an in-person event. Even once that decision had been made, conversations continued regarding whether it would be possible to hold WorldCUR and BCUR in-person or if all, or part, of the conferences would have to be online. Key to these discussions were the increasing frequency and familiarity with online events across the globe, as well as the complexities of delivering hybrid events.

As deadlines approached, it was decided that WorldCUR and BCUR would be hosted as two fully in-person events. Having spent months studying and working at home, the many benefits of interacting in person had been starkly highlighted. Stakeholders in the events felt that a significant appetite for in-person attendance had been building. The Call for Abstracts was pushed to August 2022, to give time for work and travel restrictions to begin to resolve in most countries. However, there was still a great deal of uncertainty as to whether delegates would be able or willing to travel, and on the financial impact of the pandemic on institutions’ ability to fund student participation. The organizing team pressed ahead, aware that IATL was ideally placed to pivot to a hybrid event delivery should the international situation alter, using their decade of experience in delivering ICUR – the institution’s own video-linked international undergraduate research conference.

Abstract Submission and Acceptance

The call for abstracts launch, hosted on the Oxford Abstracts platform, was delayed for as long as possible, opening in July 2022, to confirm that the decision to host an in-person event was feasible and to try to ensure equity of access. While the abstract submission window was held open long enough to try to ensure that the delays due to the pandemic didn’t negatively affect diversity, equity, and inclusion regarding who was able to apply to present their work at the event, the timeline for the abstract acceptance process was much shorter than had originally been planned. Abstract submission closed in November 2022, and the first round of abstract reviews were completed before the end of the calendar year, which put additional pressure on the organizing team. The call for abstracts was sent via a variety of channels, including to institutions where attendees at previous World Congresses had worked or studied, to relevant staff at large research institutions around the world, as well as embassies and NGOs, in an effort to circulate it as widely as possible. It invited students to submit an abstract specifically to WorldCUR or BCUR, or for consideration for both conferences. The submission process was derived from the format used for ICUR, which was designed to challenge undergraduates to consider their research work from an interdisciplinary and international perspective, and to construct an abstract accessible to an educated, but non-specialist audience (University of Warwick 2023e).

Over 750 submissions were received in total across the two conferences from 714 students (Table 1), demonstrating a renewed confidence in attending in-person events.

Those applying for either WorldCUR only or jointly to WorldCUR-BCUR were assessed via a double-blind peer review process, with participating reviewers being undergraduates, university faculty and staff from around the world. A call for reviewers was circulated to those who had served as reviewers for previous World Congresses and more widely. Interested undergraduate students were required to attend a training session on reviewing abstracts, hosted on Microsoft Teams, at which attendance by faculty/staff was desirable but not essential.

Abstracts were evaluated using a rubric that considered the effectiveness of conveying the research question, context, methodology, impacts, and overall presentation. Each abstract underwent review by both a student and a staff/faculty member. Abstracts from oversubscribed areas (primarily the United States and United Kingdom) were assessed by three reviewers. Full details of the abstract assessment rubric are available on the IATL website (University of Warwick 2023e).

Abstracts for WorldCUR were accepted based on a composite score from reviewers, while also considering the need for balanced representation across regions and disciplines. The submission deadline for BCUR was extended to align with its regular annual timeline. Some low-scoring WorldCUR applicants were offered a chance to revise and resubmit their abstracts following additional support from the organizing team, particularly where their abstract might represent the only submission from their country or disciplinary area. Abstract writing workshops were made available via MS Teams meetings, with timings designed to be accessible for students in different time zones.

Crucially, the University of Warwick followed previous WorldCUR precedents by allocating funds for delegates from low-middle income countries (as defined by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development [OECD]). In the abstract acceptance process, a key focus was identifying top-scoring submissions from delegates studying in these specified countries. They were eligible to apply for the WorldCUR travel fund, provided by University of Warwick central funding, the International Office, academic departments and IATL itself. A total of 35 students received the opportunity to attend the conference through the travel fund from 15 countries, resulting in 30 presenters from 13 countries eventually obtaining visas and traveling to the event. The countries students attended from were Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Egypt, Ghana, Columbia, Uganda, Malawi, Kenya, Thailand, India, Nepal and South Africa. Unfortunately, five students selected for travel fund sponsorship could not attend due to rejected visa applications and they subsequently participated remotely. All accepted delegates were given comprehensive information about the need to hold a current passport and to apply for visa entry to the United Kingdom to attend the event. Letters of support were available on request through the Oxford Abstracts registration platform. Each individual application was dependent on both the individual’s country of residence and country of birth, as well as the associated visa requirements of the UK’s government. A small number of prospective delegates, including the previously mentioned travel fund applicants, were unable to obtain entry visas, for a variety of reasons, including a lack of clarity or errors when completing forms, international sanctions against their country of origin, or failure to meet required deadlines. In general, students expressed excitement regarding the process of obtaining passports and visas for international travel, particularly after such a long period of isolation.

WorldCUR-BCUR 2023

The joint WorldCUR-BCUR events took place between April 3-6, 2023, at the University of Warwick campus. The date selection was influenced by the pandemic, as rescheduling a year later limited venue and accommodation options. This posed challenges, including scheduling events around major religious holidays. The organizing team addressed these challenges by collaborating with Warwick’s multidenominational chaplaincy, which welcomed delegates during the events, offering venues and opportunities for religious observance or celebration. Over 700 delegates from across the world attended across the two events (see Tables 2 and 3).

A map on the IATL website indicates the countries represented by delegates (University of Warwick 2023e), with WorldCUR delegates mostly attending for all three days of presentations from April 4-5, 2023 and BCUR delegates choosing to attend from April 5-6, 2023 or a single day if they preferred. WorldCUR and BCUR had separate spoken presentation sessions arranged in parallel streams across each day, in their own separate venues in proximity on the Warwick campus. Large joint poster sessions, as well as a joint keynote and closing plenary brought all the WorldCUR and BCUR delegates together, and were hosted in the Warwick Arts Centre, where all delegates also came together for catering and additional events such as a Next Steps Fair.

Delegates arriving for WorldCUR on the 3rd April were invited to attend orientation activities to local areas of interest, as well as a welcome reception that evening. Orientation trips took delegates to local places of interest, including Warwick Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Coventry Cathedral. A varied social program was devised and accessible to all delegates throughout the event to ensure attendees felt welcome and supported in the UK, recognizing many delegates were visiting for the first time and that pandemic travel restrictions had kept so many at home for so long. Events included games, e-sports, mixers and a movie screening, alongside the opportunity to attend the formal conference dinner on 5th April.

The joint WorldCUR-BCUR keynote speaker was Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter, a renowned academic, who spoke about communicating complex knowledge to nonspecialist audiences. The joint closing plenary was chaired by Dr. David Metcalfe, a Warwick alumnus who shared his experiences as an undergraduate researcher and then chaired an Alumni Panel comprised of former University of Warwick students, who discussed undergraduate research and the impact it had had on them during and after university.

Student Presentations were organized by seven conference themes, Sustainability, Health, Power, Data, Create, The Future, Community. Full details of each theme can be found on the IATL website (University of Warwick 2023f). Delegates were encouraged to select themes they felt applied to their research when submitting their abstracts, and, taking that into account, a theme for each presentation was then allocated by a staff and student team at Warwick. This meant that spoken sessions brought together presentations from different disciplines under the same chosen theme to encourage interdisciplinary discussion. Overall presentation numbers for each theme are listed in Table 4, as a percentage of total presentations given at each event.

Replicating a successful aspect of the Oldenburg conference, separate ‘Theme Sessions’ were created to bring together all student presenters allocated to each theme. In these larger sessions, hosted by a staff delegate alongside a student organizing team member, delegates were given the chance to interact with other researchers in their theme area and discuss areas of similarity and divergence. Delegates also had the chance to contribute to a Padlet created for each Theme Session, with prompt questions provided. A Padlet is essentially an online wall of post-it notes – a resource that allows all participants to contribute comments, questions, resources and links in one easily accessible page.

A significant development for WorldCUR 2023 was the International Student Research Projects (ISRPs), a new pilot program, bringing together students from several institutions to complete joint research projects in the months before the Congress (University of Warwick 2023g). The students were recruited by members of the AGUR steering committee, from their own institutions, in order that the pilot could be more easily monitored and managed, resulting in student researchers from different universities and countries being formed into seven interdisciplinary, international teams. Each team was supported by two co-supervisors – one an established academic and one a postgraduate doctoral student – and met regularly online. The innovative ISRP model enabled students to undertake international research projects and build international connections and intercultural awareness despite restrictions to their mobility in the lead up to the Congress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The projects developed the skills of student researchers and novice postgraduate supervisors, as well as giving them experience to take into employment or further academic endeavors. The students within each ISRP were then invited to present their work together at WorldCUR. The pilot program included sixteen students from the US and the UK and serves as a model for larger scale implementation at future congresses.

Impacts and Outcomes

Of the 302 student presenters at WorldCUR, 24 percent responded to the event evaluation survey. The survey was based on previous evaluations the IATL team had carried out into student research activities. It included a focus on the connections made by students during the event, the impact on delegates’ academic confidence and identity, and the influence of the event on students’ plans to continue their academic journey beyond their undergraduate degree.

Overall responses indicated that delegates derived many positive outcomes from their participation. 100 percent of respondents indicated that attending the Congress had added value to their overall university experience and 96 percent said they would recommend it to another undergraduate student. Comments included “All in all it was an incredibly valuable experience, one every aspiring researcher should have” and that the best aspect of WorldCUR was “being able to share my research with a large and diverse range of people… it made me so confident in my research projects and has made me believe that I can achieve great things even at a young age.”

Feedback from student delegates in the evaluation survey seems to support the decision to hold the event in-person, giving delegates the chance to interact with like-minded students from around the world, and experience international interactions and different cultures. Delegates highlighted the greater potential impact on attendees when meeting face-to-face in comments such as “in-person conferences allow you to make direct connections and physical interactions with others that you just cannot online.” Benefits such as the ability to network and to fully immerse oneself in the real-world experience also featured in delegate comments, “in-person is 10 times more experiential and effective…[allowing] me to set aside time to network and focus on the conference as a whole” and “in-person is superior…you get to interact with other people and truly dedicate time to it instead of dividing your attention between the conference and other things.” While only 17 percent of respondents were traveling outside of their home country for the first time, almost half of respondents were experiencing their first visit to the UK. Many commented that the opportunity to travel to a different country was “exciting,” “a life-changing experience” and that the conference was “a transformative experience that I wouldn’t have been able to gain anywhere else.” How much these responses were influenced by delegates’ pandemic experiences is difficult to know, but, again, the feedback seems to vindicate the decision to hold the conferences in person.

Exposure to different cultures and countries of origin during in-person networking was highlighted as a key feature, including that “meeting intelligent and innovative international students was by far the highlight of my experience,” as well as the opportunity to interact with people “from diverse academic and social backgrounds” and “learning about similarities and differences in lifestyle and research.” Many delegates also commented on how they were exposed to a different culture of academia and were able to compare and contrast to their own experience of learning at their home institutions, gaining a “broader perspective on worldwide academia,”enabling them to “compare the types of research done in other institutions… and [learn] how can I improve the research skills at our university” and to “witness how learning and research is done in international settings.”

The benefits of attending undergraduate research conferences have been described in various studies (Douglas et al. 2018, Kneale et al. 2016, Walkington et al. 2017), and a number of these benefits were underscored in the delegate feedback. The practical experience of attending a conference and how it developed skills that delegates did not have regular access to as part of their degree studies, for example: “my studies in Germany are more about learning than doing and the conference allowed me to experience academic practice” and that attending gave them “an overview of how the job of scholar looks like, what are the different tasks in those jobs.” 80 percent of respondents said they felt more connected to the research work in their departments after attending, with comments such as participating had “increased my interest in taking research and understanding the impact of research studies.” Additionally, 89 percent of respondents said that after attending WorldCUR they felt more like a researcher and part of the academic community, with one delegate saying that this new perception of themselves as a researcher was the best thing about the conference overall.

Crucially, forums for students to present their research to peers in the research community are an opportunity for undergraduates to build their confidence in a supportive and inclusive environment. 100 percent of WorldCUR respondents said that attending had increased their confidence to attend another conference in the future, while 96 percent said it had increased their confidence in presenting their work to others. Delegates highlighted that the conference was a “learning, sharing and a connection platform,” where “everyone is at the same level academically” and that participating encouraged them to talk about their research generally, and specifically to do this with both international and interdisciplinary audiences. These ideas were reflected in one delegate’s reasons for recommending WorldCUR to future attendees, “This experience has made me so confident in my research, public speaking skills, and has made me feel more connected with others. I think that WorldCUR is a great opportunity for those wanting to meet fellow undergraduate researchers and to expand their own experience and opportunities.”

Reflections from our Student Director Team

Co-creation with undergraduate students forms a crucial part of IATL’s pedagogy. As previously stated, several students were included in the core organizing team for WorldCUR-BCUR. Their reflections provide further insight into the impact of the joint conferences.

Student Director Elvire de Thomasson was struck by the opportunities the events presented for networking “I was very privileged to have been able to meet various students from all over the world, from Colombia, to the United States and even Kenya. I also learned a lot from the research that each participant presented, reminding me that diversity is what makes interdisciplinary research so beautiful.” Student Director Fernando Conde Nodal’s observations reflected these comments saying that “It showed me what research looks like (and how it’s communicated) across different disciplines and different communities… which I can now apply to my own research endeavors: from ideation, to methodology, to communication.”

IATL’s Co-Creation Officer, Alice Khimasia was struck by a particular comment from a parent of a presenter and reflected on how it seemed to sum up the aims of the events, “…they said, it is truly inter-cultural. This was a very significant comment, because contributors were welcomed from all over the world, given the stage and the microphone to share their diverse research projects on an international platform, all equally valid and esteemed. In that sense, Warwick was not inviting people to our space on our terms, but truly sharing our space with students invited to share on their terms.”

Next Steps and Future Events

During WorldCUR-BCUR, delegates were encouraged to visit the Next Steps Fair, where opportunities for further study at Warwick were showcased. In our evaluation survey, attending the conference motivated 75 percent of respondents to apply for a Masters or doctorate program and 61 percent said that attending had confirmed their interest in their field of study, while 44 percent strongly agreed that it helped clarify which field of study they would next like to pursue, statistics that are underscored by comments such as “ it definitely confirmed my heart to pursue further studies and academia,” with one delegate stating that the addition to their CV had already helped them to gain a place on their preferred Master’s program. Our website encouraged delegates to join an alumni group post-conference and highlighted postgraduate opportunities at Warwick (University of Warwick 2023h). At the conclusion of WorldCUR-BCUR, delegates were also encouraged to submit a research paper to Warwick’s journal, Reinvention in which a selection of papers will be peer reviewed and published, alongside the WorldCUR Book of Abstracts.

Conclusion

The hosting of the third World Congress of Undergraduate Research was influenced by the iterations of the event that had come before it, the University of Warwick’s and IATL’s strategic priorities for undergraduate research and education, and by the substantial impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Key components of the previous World Congresses were carried forward into Warwick’s event, such as the thematic organization of the sessions, the support of delegates from mid-to-low-income countries and the orientation activities prior to the Congress opening. New elements of the conference were included that aligned with IATL’s strategic priorities, such as incorporating an extended abstract submission format and related review process, providing support and training sessions prior to the event and introducing the ISRP program. In our initial vision for the event, it was suggested that the event was likely to benefit from Warwick’s experience of hosting ICUR, with hybrid options offering accessibility to students unable to travel. However, the pandemic’s impact, and the resulting proliferation of online events, increased the value attributed to the in-person nature of the Congress. This led the organizers to limit the opportunity for hybrid presentations, because it was felt that the pandemic’s normalization of hybrid events would have resulted in a disproportionate amount of online attendance, affecting the conference experience for those who did travel. An additional emphasis was placed on elements of the Congress that supported delegates’ in-person experiences, including interactive complementary sessions, a full student-hosted social program, a high-profile keynote speaker, and opportunities for networking. The ability for students to travel to events such as the World Congress is always at risk of being impacted by a multitude of factors, however the experience of hosting the Congress as a fully in-person meeting, underscored the benefits of these types of opportunities for student collaboration and networking. Recommendations to future hosts of similar events would be to learn from the challenges and successes of others, but also to incorporate local initiatives, pedagogy and experience to make each event distinctive.

Data Availability

The data, critical questions used in the scripts, and instruments underlying this study are available within the text.

Institutional Review Board

Not required as the research did not involve human or animal subjects or samples.

Conflict of Interest

All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

References

Douglas, Caroline., Yearsley, James., Scott, Graham. W., & Hubbard, Katharine. E. 2018. “The student thesis conference as a model for authentic and inclusive student research dissemination”. Higher Education Pedagogies 3(1): 331–353. doi:10.12973/ijem.6.2.285

Kneale, Pauline., Edwards-Jones, Andrew., Walkington, Helen., & Hill, Jennifer. 2016. “Evaluating undergraduate research conferences as vehicles for novice researcher development”. International Journal for Researcher Development 7(2): 159–177. doi:10.1108/IJRD-10-2015-0026

Rivera, Julio, Maher Khelifa, Bushra Abu Hamdah, Aisha Mohammed Al-Hamadi, and Emma S. Zdgiebloski. 2018. “A Global Conversation: Reflections from the First World Congress on Undergraduate Research.” SPUR 2(1): 55–59. doi:10.18833/spur/2/1/4

University of Warwick. 2023a. “Ranking”. Accessed December 21, 2023. https://warwick.ac.uk/about/profile/ranking.

University of Warwick. 2023b. ““ICUR Portal”. Accessed September 1, 2023. https://www.icurportal.com/

University of Warwick. 2023c. “Reinvention Journal”. Accessed August 7, 2023. App.alchemer.com/login/v1

University of Warwick. 2023d. “WorldCUR-BCUR Team”. Accessed January 12, 2024. https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/iatl/student-research/bcur_worldcur_2023/teampage/

University of Warwick. 2023e. “Delegate Processes”. Accessed August 4, 2023.  https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/iatl/studentresearch/bcur_worldcur_2023/teampage/

University of Warwick. 2023f. “Themes”. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/iatl/student-research/bcur_worldcur_2023/themes/

University of Warwick. 2023g. “Programme Highlights”. Accessed August 7, 2023. https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/iatl/student-research/bcur_worldcur_2023/highlights/

University of Warwick. 2023h. ““Next Steps”. Accessed September 1, 2023. https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/iatl/studentresearch/bcur_worldcur_2023/next/

Walkington, Helen., Hill, Jennifer., & Kneale, Pauline. E. 2017. “Reciprocal elucidation: A student-led pedagogy in multidisciplinary undergraduate research conferences”. Higher Education Research and Development 36(2): 416–429. doi:10.1080/07294 360.2016.1208155

Caroline Gibson
University of Warwick, c.a.l.gibson@warwick.ac.uk

Caroline Gibson is Deputy Director in the Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning at the University of Warwick. She has a strong interest in undergraduate research and is the co-designer and developer of the International Conference of Undergraduate Research and established Reinvention: an International Journal of Undergraduate Research in 2007. Caroline supports many diverse and innovative teaching and learning projects across the University of Warwick in areas such as internationalization, co-creation and interdisciplinarity.

Emma Baker began her career in book publishing and previously held positions at the Association for Jewish Studies, New York University Press, Cassell & Co, and Continuum Publishing (now Bloomsbury Academic), before joining the Institute for Advanced Teaching and Learning, University of Warwick in 2013. Since then, she has managed a variety of projects focusing on undergraduate research including the International Conference of Undergraduate Research and Reinvention: an International Journal of Undergraduate Research.

Jane Bryan is a Reader in Law at the University of Warwick, with a research interest in dialogue to empower and connect. Jane is the Academic Lead for Warwick University’s Community Values Education Program and a Foundation Fellow of the Warwick Higher Education Academy. She has also achieved Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (UK) (its highest award) for her strategic leadership in areas of teaching and student support, in particular student research.

Recommended Citation: Bugiacca, Vanessa Barbagiovanni, Annalena Karweik, Susanne Haberstroh. 2024. 2nd World Congress on Undergraduate Research, University of Oldenburg, Germany. Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research 7 (3): 17-25. https://doi.org/10.18833/spur/7/3/8

Following the successful inaugural World Congress on Undergraduate Research (WorldCUR) in Doha, Qatar in November 2016, the second iteration of the World Congress took place at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg in 2019. Located in the Northwest of Germany, the University of Oldenburg was founded in 1973, making it one of the younger higher education institutions in Germany. It has around 16,000 students and offers a  wide range of study programs, providing students with a variety of options for their academic pursuits. (University of Oldenburg n.d.b)

A key goal of the university is the seamless integration of research and teaching, a commitment that is prominently featured in its mission statement, emphasizing the importance of research-based learning in academic education.

The organizers of the 1st WorldCUR chose the University of Oldenburg because of its established focus on undergraduate research and its experience in hosting student conferences, without a formal application process for the 2nd WorldCUR. In addition, the size of the University of Oldenburg and Germany’s reputation as a safe environment for international students, as well as the university’s participation in the 1st WorldCUR in Doha, made it an ideal choice.

From May 23 to 25 in 2019, the University of Oldenburg welcomed well over four hundred international students and scholars who came together to celebrate undergraduate research, foster the exchange of ideas on pressing global issues of the 21st century, and cultivate professional networks. The event focused on the presentation of student research within six overarching themes.

The primary goal of the congress was to bring together students of different nationalities and research disciplines, and to harness this diversity as a collective force to address global challenges by fostering worldwide networks and jointly exploring and discussing ideas for solutions. This aligns with the findings of several studies that highlight the benefits of undergraduate research conference participation, including skill development and enhanced academic and professional growth. (Chris 2020; Hill, and Kneale 2017; Hill and Walkington, 2016; Kneale et al., 2016; Mabrouk 2009). These studies consistently affirm that undergraduate research conferences are key to increasing student engagement, providing active immersion in their fields of study, and strengthening connections within their academic and professional communities. In addition to the scholarly dissemination of diverse academic endeavors through oral presentations and poster presentations, the organizing committee curated a variety of exchange and networking opportunities throughout the congress to ensure an enriching experience for all participants. These activities included a carefully planned two-day social program with excursions to various venues in both northern Germany and the Netherlands. In addition, faculty members and coordinators were provided with numerous opportunities to engage, network, and showcase their respective academic institutions.

Recognizing the importance of ensuring broad participation by students from around the world, extensive support initiatives, both financial and otherwise like the travel grants and the “beds for brains” program, were initiated in a timely manner. The significant investment of energy and time in these efforts proved successful, enabling numerous students from low-income countries to attend the congress.

Setting the Stage: Preparing for the 2019 World Congress of Undergraduate Research

Preparing for the World Congress of Undergraduate Research was an extensive undertaking spanning 26 months from the university’s decision to host the event to the event itself. The core team based in the Presidential Department for Study Affairs, consisting of chair and chief organizer, had primary responsibility for the congress and most of its areas. In the last six months before the congress, four highly involved staff members joined the core team, supported by additional staff members.

The student team consisted of nine senior students who were recruited two years prior to the congress to allow high involvement and the development of expertise. These seniors were specifically recruited for and given responsibility in the areas of public relations, travel support, room planning, social program, and tools & technology. They also formed the Student Congress Committee representing student interests throughout the development and preparation process. Finally, just before the event, the seniors helped to recruit and train another 20 “junior” students to help run the congress. These junior students were involved in various activities during the congress, such as monitoring and coordinating procedures, assisting attendees at the registration desk, serving as guides during the social program, and helping to prepare sessions.

The committee of the 2nd World Congress on Undergraduate Research consisted of partners from the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), the British Conference of Undergraduate Research, the Australasian Conference of Undergraduate Research, and the previous host institution (Qatar University). The committee was involved in all major decisions regarding the planning of the congress and coordinated arrangements for the organization, schedule, and promotional activities, which was very helpful for the success of the event. At the congress in Oldenburg, the host University of Oldenburg congress leadership and these partners founded the “Alliance on Global Undergraduate Research,” which aims to promote undergraduate research worldwide and support future hosts of the WorldCUR.

The Call for Participation emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary dialogue by inviting undergraduate students to submit research papers and creative works from a wide range of disciplines in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences. Submissions were called for according to six overarching research themes, which were intensively discussed and agreed upon by the Congress Committee. These were similar, but not identical, to the themes chosen at the Doha Congress. The research themes were complemented by visual branding developed in-house by a member of the core team and a media designer from the department for press and communication. The key visuals included not only the individual research theme icons (see Figure 1) colored in different shades of blue to match the university’s corporate design, but also the logo for the 2nd WorldCUR (see University of Oldenburg. n.d.c). These images were used across all print media, the website, social media channels, and various merchandise products.

The international nature of the Congress was evident in the review process, where 400 submissions were reviewed by an international panel of experts from various disciplines. Each submission was reviewed by an expert and a non-specialist in the respective discipline to ensure both scholarly accuracy and accessibility to a wider audience.

The World Congress on Undergraduate Research: An Enriching and Diverse Experience

From May 23 to 25 2019, 467 guests from 98 universities and institutions were welcomed to the main campus of the University of Oldenburg at the Auditorium Center, where the congress took place. More specifically, the participants comprised 252 student presenters; 59 supervisors, coordinators, and faculty members; 97 guests, either students or faculty; and 13 special guests, i.e., representatives, committee, keynote speakers, and the host; as well as the 46 members of the organizing team, including 29 students. Students came from 35 countries and all continents except Antarctica.

The World Congress program was designed to provide a platform for presenting student research and facilitating professional exchange, while allowing ample time for networking and exploring the northwestern region of Germany. The program consisted of several components designed to meet the diverse needs and interests of participants. During the congress days, 215 presentations – 133 oral presentations and 82 posters – were given on the six research themes environment, global health, economy, communication, politics, and the world we create (see Figure 2). More than 100 academic disciplines were represented. (University of Oldenburg. 2019c).

The World Congress officially began with an opening ceremony, that featured for the first time the passing of the baton from the previous organizer, Qatar University, to the University of Oldenburg. The baton, engraved with the hosts of the first and second World Congresses, symbolized the continuity and collective effort of the global undergraduate research community.

Following the opening ceremony, Dr. Lujendra Ojha from John Hopkins University, United States, delivered an insightful keynote speech, “Grand Challenges Related to Resources Scarcity in the Future: Synopsis, Solutions, and Undergraduate Involvement” addressing an important future challenge. The second day, Dr. Sonia Fizek from Abertay University, United Kingdom, and Dr. Anne Dippel from the University of Jena, Germany, engaged the audience with their inspiring keynote, “Playful Research by Design: Why the World Needs Thinkers, Tinkerers, and Team Players.” Both keynotes were filmed and provided via the congress YouTube channel (WorldCUR 2019).

The centerpiece of the congress program were the student presentations focused on the six research themes delivered in panel, poster, and thematic sessions: First, each session of oral presentations featured three thematically complementary presentations which were followed by a dedicated 15-minute period for the audience to engage in discussion and direct questions to the presenters. At each session a faculty member (discussant) was present to provide a summary of the findings and contextualize them within the broader research landscape. Each oral session lasted 90 minutes, ensuring a comprehensive exploration of the research topics. In total there were 46 panel session containing 133 oral presentations.

In the two poster sessions, up to 40 students presented their research. These one-hour sessions created an atmosphere conducive to lively discussion and knowledge sharing.

At the conclusion of the congress, awards were distributed to recognize the exceptional quality of contributions across various research themes, applicable to both poster and oral presentations. Award winners came from Uganda, Argentina, Germany, Qatar, and the United States. The award selection was overseen by the six juries each consisting of three different members, including a faculty member, a student, and a committee member, ensuring a comprehensive evaluation from multiple perspectives. Up to five entries per theme were shortlisted based on stringent criteria outlined in the event’s rating scheme, encompassing relevance, theoretical depth, methodological soundness, understandability, clarity, presentation effectiveness, and audience engagement. These entries underwent an anonymous review by the juries to avoid bias and focus solely on content quality. Winners received a wooden trophy and 500€ funded by a regional foundation.

The thematic sessions were a highlight of the congress each with approximately 15 to 25 participants, providing a valuable platform for students to exchange ideas, engage in discussions, and foster collaborative projects. The sessions were announced and advertised prior to the congress but only open to student presenters. They were divided into groups based on their research interests, so that in total there were eight sessions, organized around the six research themes. The thematic sessions were hosted as well as facilitated by university teachers of the host institution. The results of these sessions were later shared via social media and presented at the closing ceremony, allowing all participants to benefit from the collective knowledge and insights generated.

Furthermore, undergraduate research coordinators and supervisors who accompanied the student presenters, were given the opportunity to share results, experiences and programs related to undergraduate research in a poster session with 20 posters dedicated to faculty and coordinators. The aim of this session was to promote international collaboration between colleagues who are involved in UR at their respective institutions worldwide.

At the Graduate Fair students could explore different Master’s programs offered by universities around the world.

The official program of the World Congress on Undergraduate Research concluded with a festive closing ceremony on May 25th, during which the previous days of the congress were reviewed by viewing video footage, closely examining and commenting on the graphic recordings of the thematic sessions, presenting awards for outstanding presentations, and honoring all those involved in the organization of the congress.

Social Program – Bringing People Together

In addition to focusing on intellectual endeavors, the Congress offered a social program that facilitated socializing opportunities, introduced participants to the cultural heritage of Northwest Germany and the Netherlands, and framed the official congress program. The social program included several pre- and post-conference tours and events that allowed participants to explore the region’s attractions. Excursions to Bremen, Groningen (Netherlands) and Papenburg (shipyard visit) provided insightful glimpses into the local culture. Furthermore, numerous tours within the city of Oldenburg, developed by both the student team and the city’s tourism office, provided opportunities for informal networking. Other informal networking opportunities, such as the Welcome Snack and Get Together, a mirror photo booth, called the Magic Networking Machine, and a Gallery for the photos taken, were organized over the course of the event. The World Congress concluded on a celebratory note with a grand party on the evening of May 25th, themed “98 Universities – one party.”

Through the social program, the Congress not only facilitated the dissemination of undergraduate research and interdisciplinary collaboration, but also fostered networking and cultural exploration.

Developing the World Congress on Undergraduate Research

The growing recognition of undergraduate research worldwide and the expanding importance of interdisciplinary and cross-cultural exchange of ideas were exemplified by the increased size and global participation at the 2nd World Congress compared to the inaugural edition in Doha which attracted about 200 participants from higher education institutions in 11 countries (Australia, United States, Europe, the Gulf region and the Middle Ease) (Rivera et al. 2018, 55). In this second edition, the congress grew significantly in the number of students and countries involved.

Another innovation of the conference was the introduction of support programs specifically aimed at facilitating the participation of students from low-income countries providing financial support. These programs played a crucial role in ensuring inclusivity and giving opportunities to students who otherwise would not have been able to attend. The Travel Support Program, supported by the University of Oldenburg and the Ministry for Science and Culture of Lower Saxony, enabled 60 students from low and middle-income countries to attend the conference by covering their transportation costs and congress fee. In this context a challenge was the timely issuance of travel visas, even with a travel grant. Not all participants who received a travel grant were able to attend the congress due to varying visa processing times.

Through the “Beds for Brains” program, in which students and faculty members from the University of Oldenburg offered free lodging to visiting participants were provided with free accommodation, strengthening intercultural connections, and promoting a sense of community. The university itself does not have any residences of its own, so that attendees had to stay in a hotel or other accommodation through the Tourism and Marketing Department of the City of Oldenburg, which had made a contingent of rooms available for this purpose, participants were able to book rooms at special rates. This information was communicated via various channels and was permanently available on the website (University of Oldenburg n.d.d).

For the first time students played a pivotal role in the development and organization of the World Congress, taking responsibility for various aspects of the program, including the social program. Their active involvement demonstrated the commitment and dedication of the student community in shaping and contributing to the success of the WorldCUR 2019.

To ensure comprehensive documentation, 19 video interviews were conducted with congress attendees to capture their perspectives and experiences during WorldCUR 2019. These interviews and other footage from the congress were compiled into a film (WorldCUR 2019b), providing a valuable record of the congress atmosphere, and further enriching the documentation process.

In addition, the event was supported and accompanied by a graphic recorder. Her drawings provide a unique form of documentation (for a detailed view of all graphic recordings see University of Oldenburg n.d.a). The graphic recorder attended several sessions for each research theme and captured the essence of the discussions and presentations on a large canvas in real time. These visuals were made available online. An animated version of the graphic recordings can be viewed on the 2nd World Congress YouTube channel, along with the other video content of the congress (WorldCUR2019 n.d).

Completing the Research Cycle – the Subsequent Publication

After the congress, participants had the opportunity to contribute to a special issue of “forsch!”, the Online Student Journal of the University of Oldenburg (Haberstroh and Bernhold 2021). Since its launch in 2015, this open-access online journal has served as a platform for students at the University of Oldenburg to publish their research findings.

Accepted submission formats included several options: research papers, research proposals, research posters accompanied by explanatory text, and experimental formats such as films or blogs paired with supporting text. Each submitted paper underwent an initial review and was then forwarded to subject experts for a more comprehensive review. A notable challenge was finding appropriate reviewers who were willing to take on the task. In addition to the student papers, the issue also includes reports from each session of the congress, mostly written by sessions discussants. This not only enabled the students to experience a complete research cycle culminating in publication, but also ensured thorough documentation of the congress sessions, thereby fostering accessibility and transparency.

Evaluation Results and Participant Feedback

The evaluation results and participant feedback from the 2nd World Congress on Undergraduate Research shed light on various aspects of the event such as organizational matters, the congress program, activities, and resources, as well as the personal experience (University of Oldenburg 2019d). Participants were also given the opportunity to provide unsolicited comments and suggestions. A total of 100 attendees participated, and the overall evaluation results were very positive, indicating a remarkable level of satisfaction among attendees.

An overwhelming 97 percent agreed/fully agreed that the team was always available for questions and support, indicating effective and responsive support throughout the event. In addition, all respondents agreed that the team was approachable, friendly, and willing to help, demonstrating the welcoming and supportive environment created by the organizers.

Evaluation of the Congress program, activities, and resources revealed generally positive responses (see Figure 3), with notable satisfaction levels for printed materials such as the congress booklet (99 percent) and the abstract book (93 percent). The congress booklet contained not only the congress schedule in detail, but also a lot of information about different aspects of the program and other useful information for participants (University of Oldenburg 2019b) while the abstract book featured abstracts of all presentations (University of Oldenburg 2019a). The congress website and the social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, were each rated as valuable/very valuable by 85 percent of attendees. A great deal of information was provided via social media prior to the congress, and these channels were an important means of communication during the event as well. Networking was supported by various measures, such as the Magic Networking Machine, and were considered valuable/very valuable by 79 percent. It was not only a way to capture memories in the form of images but was also used as a form of social networking and enjoyment at the conference.

In terms of funding, participants reported various sources of support (see Figure 4) for their congress attendance. The majority of respondents (51) received financial support from their home university or institution, while 29 student presenters benefited from the Travel Support Program offered by the University of Oldenburg and the State of Lower Saxony. Private funding accounted for 21 individuals, one respondent relied on a scholarship, and five relied on other means to finance their attendance.

The “Beds for Brains” program, which was designed to provide housing for participants, involved 25 individuals. All respondents who participated in this program rated the accommodations provided and the experience as good/very good, indicating a high level of satisfaction with this initiative.

Participants were asked to evaluate their personal experience and the impact of the congress on their development (see Figure 5). All respondents agreed/fully agreed that they felt able to meet the requirements of the congress and that the congress increased their confidence in presenting their research in public (95 percent). Similarly, 92 percent agreed/fully agreed that the congress increased their confidence in expressing their opinions about other research projects. In addition, 87 percent of respondents agreed/fully agreed that the congress provided them with new perspectives on their own research topic. In terms of future aspirations, 82 percent agreed/fully agreed that the Congress increased their interest in pursuing a professional career in research. The Congress was very effective in facilitating interaction among participants, with 92 percent agreeing/fully agreeing that they were able to exchange ideas about their research with fellow students, colleagues, and other researchers. In addition, 72 percent agreed/fully agreed that they made contacts for future research projects during the congress. The congress was praised for its pleasant atmosphere, with all respondents agreeing with this statement. Participants acknowledged the impact of the congress on their perception of themselves as researchers (90 percent) and on their research and careers (95 percent). Overall, all respondents agreed/fully agreed that they would recommend the congress to other students.

Critical Comments

The organizing team acknowledged the critical comments received from attendees, which were highly appreciated for their constructive nature. Feedback included suggestions for improving the clarity of the website, improving the food experience at the congress party, addressing concerns about the crowded and short duration of the poster sessions, facilitating student access to the faculty poster session, optimizing the length of the opening and closing ceremonies, ensuring transparency in the awards process, addressing the perceived excess of “giveaways” e.g., lanyards or notebooks, and exploring options such as an online abstract book or mobile app for comprehensive information. Thematic sessions received both positive feedback, with attendees considering them the best part of the congress, and negative feedback regarding the sessions perceived as too strictly structured. Participants expressed a desire for more networking opportunities for faculty and coordinators, and inquired about the possibility of sharing contact information for student presenters. While the atmosphere of the congress was generally praised, some attendees felt that networking at the event felt forced. The social program, especially the day tours, received positive feedback for its integration into the official program. A third of the respondents felt that there was sometimes too little information provided on certain topics in advance. This feedback highlights the importance of comprehensive and timely communication to ensure that attendees are well informed and prepared for the event.

The evaluation results and participant feedback provided valuable insights for improving future iterations of the World Congress on Undergraduate Research. The constructive criticism received was appreciated and will be considered to improve various aspects of the Congress, ensuring an even more enriching experience for participants.

Conclusion

The 2nd World Congress witnessed significant growth in both the number of students participating and the countries represented. A notable innovation was the introduction of support programs tailored to facilitate the engagement of students from low-income countries. This furthered the goal of the Congress to bring together students of different nationalities and research disciplines. At the same time, this diversity served as a collective force to address global challenges – the second goal of the congress – through the cultivation of global networks and the collaborative exploration and discussion of potential solutions.

Students played a central role in the event’s development and organization, particularly taking the lead in various aspects of the program, including the social program. This active involvement underscored the commitment and dedication of the student community in shaping and contributing to the success of the 2nd World Congress on Undergraduate Research. This was continued by the 3^rd World Congress.

The review of the experiences and the results of the evaluation led to the meticulous preparation of a comprehensive 29-page document that served as a valuable resource for the subsequent organizers of the 3rd World Congress on Undergraduate Research. This document provides detailed recommendations derived from lessons learned in planning and executing the 2nd World Congress components, including insights into the implementation of social programs, the necessity of travel support programs, the effectiveness of the “Beds for Brains” initiative, the pivotal role of an engaged student team, the importance of cultivating a reliable network of scientists, and the strategic use of early promotional tactics and social media activation. This documentation will be further developed by future hosts of the congress to continuously facilitate the organization of the event and improve the experience of future attendees.

Several major organizational priorities utilized at the 2^nd World Congress were adapted by the 3rd World Congress. Timely communication of important information (e.g., congress schedule) was even more important than we had anticipated and was improved for the third edition. The visual presentation of the event and of the research themes, which was provided by the organizing team itself in Oldenburg, has played an important role in students’ identification with the event and their contribution. For the third WorldCUR in Warwick, this aspect was given much more attention and very appealing logos and icons were developed for the congress and the research themes.

Also, the success of the thematic sessions was developed into the International Student Research Projects (ISRP), which brought together students from various institutions to work virtually on joint research projects prior to the congress.

Finally, the approach of supporting students from low-income countries was continued, although this was much more difficult during the pandemic than in 2019. As a result, the third edition was even more diverse than the second, despite the after-effects of the pandemic (e.g., less support for students from their own universities), which the event still had to manage.

Data Availability

The data used in this paper are openly available to the public at World CUR2019 Evaluation Detailed Results: https://uol.de/fileadmin/user_upload/lehre/flif/WCUR2019/WorldCUR2019_Evaluation_Results.pdf?v=1563892945.

Institutional or Ethical Review Board

The article deals with the ideas behind the second iteration of the World Congress on Undergraduate Research, the challenges in organizing it, and the results of the evaluation of the congress, and does not include research involving human subjects.

Conflict of Interest Statement

All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

References

Haberstroh, Susanne, and Pelle Bernhold, eds. 2021. “WorldCUR 2019”. Special Issue, forsch! no. 1 (December 2021) Accessed August 15, 2023. https://ojs.uni-oldenburg.de/journals/ojs1/ojs/index.php/forsch/issue/view/1

Hill, Jennifer, and Helen Walkington. 2016. “Developing Graduate Attributes through Participation in Undergraduate Research Conferences.” Journal of Geography in Higher Education 40: 222–237. doi: 10.1080/03098265.2016.1140128

Kneale, Pauline, Andrew Jones, Helen Walkington, and Jennifer Hill. 2016. “Evaluating Undergraduate Research Conferences as Vehicles for Novice Researcher Development.” International Journal for Researcher Development 7: 159–177. doi: 10.1108/ijrd-10-2015-0026

Little, Chris. 2020. “Undergraduate research as a student engagement springboard: Exploring the longer-term reported benefits of participation in a research conference.” Educational Research 62 (2): 229–245. doi: 10.1080/00131881.2020.1747360

Mabrouk, Patricia Ann. 2009. “Survey Study Investigating the Significance of Conference Participation to Undergraduate Research Students.” Journal of Chemical Education 86: 1335–1340. doi: 10.1021/ed086p1335

Rivera, Julio, Maher Khelifa, Bushra Abu Hamdah, Aisha Mohammed Al-Hamadi, and Emma S. Zdgiebloski. 2018. “A Global Conversation: Reflections from the First World Congress on Undergraduate Research.” SPUR 2(1): 55–59. doi:10.18833/spur/2/1/4.

University of Oldenburg. n.d.a. “Congress Impressions”. Accessed August 22, 2023. https://uol.de/en/worldcur2019/congress-impressions

University of Oldenburg. n.d.b. “Profile of the university”. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://uol.de/en/outline

University of Oldenburg. n.d.c. “Research Themes”. Accessed March 10, 2023. https://uol.de/en/worldcur2019/archiveworldcur2019/research-themes

University of Oldenburg. n.d.d. “Travel & Visa”. Accessed March 10, 2023. https://uol.de/en/worldcur2019/archiveworldcur2019/travel-visa

University of Oldenburg. 2019a. “Abstract Book.” Accessed August 15, 2023. https://uol.de/fileadmin/user_upload/lehre/flif/WCUR2019/World_CUR_2019_-_Abstract_Book.pdf?v=1558710988

University of Oldenburg. 2019b. “Congress Booklet.” Accessed August 15, 2023. https://uol.de/fileadmin/user_upload/lehre/flif/WCUR2019/World_CUR_2019_-_Congress_Booklet.pdf?v=1557762931

University of Oldenburg. 2019c. “Looking Back. Congress Impressions and Facts.” Accessed August 15, 2023. https://uol.de/fileadmin/user_upload/lehre/flif/WCUR2019/World_CUR_2019-Retrospect_web.pdf?v=1571934354

University of Oldenburg. 2019d. “World CUR2019 Evaluation Detailed Results”. Accessed August 15, 2023. https://uol.de/fileadmin/user_upload/lehre/flif/WCUR2019/WorldCUR2019_Evaluation_Results.pdf?v=1563892945

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Vanessa Barbagiovanni Bugiacca

University of Oldenburg, vanessa.barbagiovanni.bugiacca@uni-oldenburg.de

Vanessa Barbagiovanni Bugiacca is a member of the editorial staff of forsch!, the online student journal of the University of Oldenburg (Germany). As a member of the congress team for the 2nd World Congress on Undergraduate Research, hosted by the University of Oldenburg in 2019, she was responsible for the preparation of the conference proceedings and subsequent publications. She holds an MA in Cultural Studies and a BA in English and Cultural Studies, both from the University of Oldenburg.

Annalena Karweik has been coordinator of the research-based learning grant program, based at the Presidential Department for Study Affairs of the University of Oldenburg (Germany), since 2021. The program includes grants for instructional and student research projects, as well as funding for participation in conferences or material costs for implementing student projects. In 2019, she was a member of the congress team for the 2nd World Congress on Undergraduate Research, held at the University of Oldenburg.

Susanne Haberstroh is deputy head of the Presidential Department for Study Affairs at the University of Oldenburg (Germany), where she is responsible for the implementation of research-based learning with a focus on the publication of student research results. She is the initiator of the annual German Student Conferences, which took place for the first time in Oldenburg in 2016. In 2019, she hosted the 2nd World Congress on Undergraduate Research at the University of Oldenburg.

Recommended Citation: Khelifa, Maher. 2024. Connecting the World through Undergraduate Research. Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research 7 (3): 12-16. https://doi.org/10.18833/spur/7/3/5

About WorldCUR

WorldCUR is an international congress held every three years since 2016 in different parts of the world. So far, three WorldCUR editions have been organized; the First WorldCUR was held at Qatar University, Qatar in 2016, the Second took place at the University of Oldenburg, Germany in 2019, and the Third was held at the University of Warwick, UK in 2023 (one year behind schedule because of the Covid-19 pandemic).

WorldCUR aims to promote student research globally by bringing together undergraduates to celebrate their research engagement and to share their research discoveries. It seeks to provide undergraduates with collaborative research opportunities on themes representing significant challenges facing the global community across many different fields of inquiry. In three WorldCUR iterations, students from around the world came to share their research findings on select congress topics. They discussed in thematic sessions global issues and proposed future collaborative research agendas to address such matters (University of Oldenburg 2019; University of Warwick 2023). An essential WorldCUR aim is to offer undergraduates occasions to develop friendships, professional networks and research partnerships, and to enjoy the social and cultural sides of the event. WorldCUR also offers mentors, professionals and association members a chance to connect and to engage in a global dialogue with an aim to share knowledge and best practices and to generate collaboratively ideas that promote student research globally.

Internationalization of Undergraduate Research and the World Congress

National Undergraduate Research Councils were instrumental in the promotion of student research scholarship. The Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), founded in 1978, played a pioneering role in promoting and advancing an academic interest in student research. The National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), established in 1987, continues to showcase student research prowess annually. CUR and NCUR were initially two separate organizations, but the two officially joined and NCUR became part of CUR in 2010, so it is not, as a conference, equivalent to the other councils. Since CUR was the first Council, it has been inspirational in the establishment of both the British Conference of Undergraduate Research (BCUR) in 2011 and the Australasian Conference of Undergraduate Research (ACUR) in 2012.

These organizations have markedly influenced student research development within their respective borders as demonstrated through annual national student research conferences and sizeable membership enrollment (for more information about CUR, BCUR and ACUR, please refer to the following sites: https://www.cur.org/, https://bcur.org.uk/, https://www.acur.org.au/). They also have led the advancement of undergraduate research internationally. When these councils recognized the need to disseminate the value of student research scholarship globally and to promote its benefits worldwide, they joined forces to stage three World Congresses and establish the Alliance for Global Undergraduate Research (AGUR) in 2019. Figure 1 provides a historical overview of the creation of the different organizations.

The vision for staging an international student research conference began to take shape in 2001 during “The Undergraduate Students Research Symposia” at Zayed University, United Arab Emirates. However, the first discussions of an international event took place in 2010 with CUR executive leadership during the CUR Undergraduate Research Institute in Tampa, Florida in 2010. The idea was to bring together students and research mentors from all over the world to highlight the value of student research. Attending further CUR Institutes and NCUR conferences offered additional opportunities to discuss and develop the idea further. While the story of how the First World Congress came about has been well documented, (note -Rivera et al., 2018), it is important to acknowledge here that the most significant discussions were held during the April 2014 NCUR conference in Lexington, Kentucky, with Dr. Elizabeth Ambos, CUR Executive Officer; Dr. Maher Khelifa, Professor of Psychology, Qatar University; Dr. Julio Rivera, CUR President; and Dr. Stuart Hampton-Reeves, BCUR President. Following these preliminary talks, follow up emails and videoconference calls were regularly held with this core leadership group to shape the vision for the First WorldCUR. Dr. Angela Brew, ACUR Chair, joined the group in the early phases of the discussions. The WorldCUR Steering Committee was thus formed, and monthly conference calls were held until the First World Congress took place in November 2016. During the first meetings, the nature and scope of the event were considered, namely congress vs. conference. Given the global nature of the projected scientific gathering, the broader range of themes and topics to be covered, and the diverse nature of the targeted audience, the Steering Committee opted for congress rather than conference appellation. Following the event, the WorldCUR Steering Committee continued to meet to evaluate the impact of the Congress and to prepare the Second WorldCUR in Germany. Dr. Denise Wood, ACUR Vice-Chair represented ACUR at the First WorldCUR and in subsequent WorldCUR Steering Committee meetings.

The Doha Declaration: A Collaborative Vision for the Promotion of Undergraduate Research

In November 2016, Qatar University, CUR, BCUR, and ACUR organized the inaugural WorldCUR and signed the “Doha Declaration”. This Declaration was a partnership framework that led to the creation of AGUR in May 2019, an alliance for the advancement of global undergraduate research.

The “Internationalization” of student research scholarship was the driving impetus for the Doha Declaration. It broadly anticipated AGUR’s mission to “nurture and help coordinate the internationalization of undergraduate research, to facilitate the creation of new undergraduate research bodies, and to host periodic World Congresses around the world.” As it continues to develop, AGUR endeavors to stage more WorldCUR events in different parts of the world and to pursue its projected most significant role that of promoting student research globally.

Three WorldCUR Editions: A Global Undergraduate Research Presence

The First WorldCUR was held at Qatar University from November 13-16, 2016. More than 200 students, scholars, and administrators representing 12 countries, 4 continents and 56 institutions attended the event. Also in attendance were high-level representatives of CUR, BCUR, and ACUR, and a representative of the National Science Foundation, a US agency that funds fundamental research and education. The Congress offered an opportunity for undergraduate students from Australia, the Americas, Europe, the Gulf region, and the Middle East to share their research discoveries (Rivera et al. 2018). The Congress was also a forum for Councils’ delegates, faculty, and administrators from around the world to share their experiences, best practices and to work together to generate ideas for the promotion of student research globally. These encounters created a real momentum for the Congress and culminated in the historic signing of the “Doha Declaration. The First WorldCUR was also historic for planting the seed for the development of a global undergraduate research movement and the later creation of AGUR. During this Congress, the Steering Committee also approved the hosting of the Second WorldCUR by the University of Oldenburg, Germany in 2019.

In the Second WorldCUR, the momentum created by the inaugural event was noticeable with the documented significant increase in attendance of delegates and the number of oral and poster presentations (467 delegates, 252 students representing 35 countries and 98 universities). The event included 133 oral presentations and 82 poster presentations (University of Oldenburg 2019). During the Congress, the WorldCUR Steering Committee met to elect a board for the newly created “Alliance for Global Undergraduate Research.”

Building on the success of the two previous Congresses, the Third WorldCUR was jointly organized by WorldCUR and BCUR leadership and took place at the University of Warwick, UK from April 3-6, 2023. The event saw a growth in the number of participating universities and student presentations, as shown in Figure 2. It counted 440 delegates representing 101 institutions and 33 countries and included 260 presentations including spoken, exhibition, performance and poster presentations (University of Warwick 2023). The Third WorldCUR also pursued an innovative “International Student Research Projects” initiative by bringing together students based in various continents prior to the Congress to work collaboratively on a project from one of the Congress themes under the supervision of a faculty mentor. These students shared their research findings and experiences at the event.

WorldCUR, as AGUR’s flagship conference, succeeded this far to create a strong and sustained momentum for the internationalization of undergraduate research. A new request for proposals to host the Fourth WorldCUR is in progress, and AGUR looks forward to staging another global celebration of student research findings.

The Alliance for Global Undergraduate Research

The First WorldCUR was an initial effort to internationalize student research scholarship. For the first time, CUR, BCUR, and ACUR worked together with Qatar University to initiate beyond-ones-own-border reflections about student research development and promotion. These regional councils together played a historic role in creating AGUR as an international body to drive the effort of disseminating undergraduate research beyond their own geographic boundaries. The main aims of the Alliance were to promote student research globally and to connect the world through undergraduate research. During the Second WorldCUR, AGUR adopted the following important short and long-term objectives:

1. to promote undergraduate research globally,
2. to foster student research collaborations and partnerships around the globe,
3. to disseminate international best practices in undergraduate research and to encourage student research scholarship,
4. to offer summer research institutes around the globe for student research engagement,
5. to help fund student research projects on a competitive basis,
6. to help fund student conference attendance on a merit basis, especially students from low-and middle-income countries,
7. to publish a student research journal,
8. to create professional development opportunities for faculty, and
9. to create an international network of mentors for student researchers.

Spreading the value of undergraduate research internationally is thus a core goal and a main AGUR mission. Recognizing the benefits of students’ research involvement, AGUR will endeavor to extend these formative experiences to the highest number of students around the globe.

WorldCUR Impact

Throughout its first three editions, WorldCUR sought to support the internationalization of undergraduate research and created real momenta for a sustainable global undergraduate research movement. WorldCUR reached the following goals:

1. created occasions for undergraduate researchers to share, learn and excel through research discoveries,
2. prompted the next generation of scholars to begin to address some of the most pressing challenges the world faces and to open scientific diaglogues for knowledge sharing and exchange,
3. empowered undergraduate students to create international research collaborations and international connections and networks,
4. encouraged future scientists and scholars to travel abroad out of their comfort zones, to share and learn not only about research findings but also about other people and cultures,
5. enlarged students’ cultural experiences and awareness and removed few myths and prejudices along the way,
6. brought mentors and key administrators together from all over the world to share research expertise and best practices.

As the literature on undergraduate student conference participation shows (Hill and Walkington 2016; Kneale et al. 2016; Mabrouk 2009; Spronken-Smith et al. 2013; Walkington, Hill, and Kneale 2017), similarly WorldCUR student participants reported many positive take-aways from their research engagement (see Khelifa 2019; Rivera et al. 2018; University of Oldenburg 2019; University of Warwick 2023). Student informal reflections (Montana State University 2016; Qatar University 2023; University of Toledo News 2016) as well as their post-WorldCUR survey responses conveyed very encouraging feedback. In general, students reported gaining in self-confidence, a heighten ability to take risks, and to connect with people from other countries. A Third WorldCUR participant captured the transformative research experience best: “Beyond the presentation I did, I connected to more new people across different disciplines and places. Connections that am very sure are for a life time and of mutual benefit. I was challenged in many ways. Listening to amazing work undergraduates are doing across the world, I was energized to do much more.” (University of Warwick 2023).

Future Perspectives

The success of the three WorldCUR iterations have so far positioned AGUR to create global undergraduate research connections for students, faculty mentors, and administrators. However, AGUR still has challenges to address in moving from a steering committee to a larger association in fulfilling its promise as a global alliance to advance undergraduate research. This will require determining its structure and member requirements, addressing organizational legal and procedural issues, and establishing an official website presence. Presently, AGUR is preparing a new call for proposals for the hosting of the next WorldCUR that will feature a new worldwide celebration of undergraduate research.

Data Availability Statement

The data, critical questions used in scripts, and instruments underlying this study are available within the text. These data were also derived from sources in the public domain [University of Oldenburg. 2019. “Looking Back Congress Impressions and Facts”, https://uol.de/fileadmin/user_upload/lehre/flif/WCUR2019/World_CUR_2019-Retrospect_web.pdf?v=1571934354; University of Warwick. 2023. “The International Conference of Undergraduate Research, https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/iatl/studentresearch/bcur_worldcur_2023/].

Institutional or Ethics Review Board Statement

Not required, the research did not involve human or animal participants.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The author declares having no conflicts of interest.

References

Hill, Jennifer, and Helen Walkington. 2016. “Developing Graduate Attributes through Participation in Undergraduate Research Conferences.” Journal of Geography in Higher Education 40: 222–237. doi: 10.1080/03098265.2016.1140128

Khelifa, Maher. 2019. “Qatar University Students Attend the Second World Congress on Undergraduate Research.” Qatar University Research Magazine 12: 28-30.

Kneale, Pauline, Andrew Jones, Helen Walkington, and Jennifer Hill. 2016. “Evaluating Undergraduate Research Conferences as Vehicles for Novice Researcher Development.” International Journal for Researcher Development 7: 159–177. doi: 10.1108/ijrd-10-2015-0026

Mabrouk, Patricia Ann. 2009. “Survey Study Investigating the Significance of Conference Participation to Undergraduate Research Students.” Journal of Chemical Education 86: 1335–1340. doi: 10.1021/ed086p1335

Montana State University. 2016. “Recent MSU graduate to present at World Congress on Undergraduate Research in Qatar.” Accessed December 3, 2016. https://www.montana.edu/news/16320/recent-msu-graduate-to-present-at-world-congress-on-undergraduate-researchin-qatar

Qatar University. 2023. “QU’s College of Medicine Students Participate in the World Congress on Undergraduate Research 2023” Accessed 1/11/2023. https://www.qu.edu.qa/sites/en_US/about/newsroom/CMED/QU%E2%80%99s-College-of-Medicine-Students-Participate-in-the-World-Congress-on-Undergraduate-Research-2023

Spronken-Smith, Rachel, Jason Brodeur, Tara Kajaks, Martin Luck, Paula Myatt, An Verburgh, Helen Walkington, and Brad Wuetherick. 2013. “Completing the Research Cycle: A Framework for Promoting Dissemination of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry.” Teaching and Learning Inquiry 1: 105–118. doi:10.2979/teachlearninqu.1.2.105

Rivera, Julio, Maher Khelifa, Bushra Abu Hamdah, Aisha Mohammed Al-Hamadi, and Emma S. Zdgiebloski. 2018. “A Global Conversation: Reflections from the First World Congress on Undergraduate Research.” SPUR 2(1): 55–59.

University of Oldenburg. 2019. “Looking Back Congress Impressions and Facts”. Accessed September 3, 2023. https://uol.de/fileadmin/user_upload/lehre/flif/WCUR2019/World_CUR_2019-Retrospect_web.pdf?v=1571934354

University of Warwick. 2023. “The International Conference of Undergraduate Research”. Accessed September 3, 2023. https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/iatl/student-research/bcur_worldcur_2023/

University of Toledo News (UTNews). 2016. “Undergraduate Student Presents Cancer Research at Global Conference.” Accessed November 21, 2016. http://utnews.utoledo.edu/index.php/11-14-2016/undergraduate-student-presents-cancerresearch-at-global-conference Billau, Christine. 2016.

Maher Khelifa
Qatar University, Maher.khelifa@qu.edu.qa

Maher Khelifa is an associate professor at Qatar University. He holds an MS and a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. He served as assistant dean of the College of Family Sciences, Chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Chair of the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, Head of the Department of Social Sciences, and Chair of Qatar University Undergraduate Student Research Committee. Maher is currently the Chair of the Alliance for Global Undergraduate Research.