Adding value to undergraduate research projects: An interdisciplinary proposal
Autores: Delgado-González, Loreto (Universidad de Sevilla. Departamento de Economía Aplicada I, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Avda. Ramón y Cajal nº 1, Sevilla, España.) | Gamero, Javier (Universidad de Sevilla. Departamento de Economía Aplicada I, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Avda. Ramón y Cajal nº 1, Sevilla, España.) | Martínez-Román, Juan A. (Universidad de Sevilla. Departamento de Economía Aplicada I, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Avda. Ramón y Cajal nº 1, Sevilla, España.) | Romero, José E. (Universidad de Sevilla. Departamento de Economía Aplicada I, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Avda. Ramón y Cajal nº 1, Sevilla, España.) | Tamayo, Juan A. (Universidad de Sevilla. Departamento de Administración de Empresas y Marketing, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales, Avda. Ramón y Cajal nº 1, Sevilla, España)
The mandatory undergraduate research project poses a challenge to the public system of higher education. This requirement was implemented with a view to the benefits society might reap from undergraduate students’ research. However, the initiative, if incorrectly carried out, will only be counterproductive: it could produce countless undergraduate research products, with a cost of thousands of millions of euros, but lacking any real value beyond the mere compliance with an administrative requirement. Given this danger, our paper seeks to frame the problem within the current university context. It warns of the potential hazard, diagnoses its causes and proposes a teaching-level solution of an interdisciplinary nature, which may contribute to palliating some of the system’s weaknesses. The use of training groups in seminars may improve the efficacy of our university without significantly affecting its efficiency. This interdisciplinary education would prepare the student to elaborate an undergraduate research project of greater value.