Natalya Watson said she loves her work as a neuroscience research assistant in the Voskuhl laboratory on campus and feels it is invaluable experience.
Soon, the university may require all students to complete work similar to work done by Watson, a second-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student, as part of their undergraduate curriculum.
Called the “capstone experience,” the proposal is part of the university’s plan for reaccreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and has been developed over the past three years, said Judith Smith, vice provost for undergraduate education.
“We get the best students in California, so we ought to give them the opportunity to challenge themselves. At a research university, this would include some coursework where they would actually invest themselves in a project, practicing creativity and engagement with knowledge,” Smith said.
It has already been approved by the Undergraduate Council of the Academic Senate and will be reviewed by WASC accreditors in 2008.
Smith said its implementation will unfold gradually over the next five to 10 years, department by department.
The capstone requirement could be met a variety of ways, Smith said, including an honors thesis or project, an upper-division contract course such as 199 courses, or a research- or project-based senior seminar.
One concern that has been expressed about the capstone experience is the amount of time and resources it would require, such as funds to establish programs and support research.
“I think it’s a noble idea, and I think it will be interesting to see how it plays out in a large public institution,” said Addar Weintraub, the undergraduate student government Academic Affairs commissioner.
“I worry about the amount of resources we have currently and how much it will require. I also want to make sure that UCLA students will be able to graduate on time,” Weintraub added.
Though Anna Alexandroni, a first-year economics student, said she supports the proposal, she added that she thinks the logistics behind it would be difficult.
“It would take a lot of organization and planning. It’s not something you could implement in a year or two.”
Since almost half of UCLA students already participate in these kinds of projects, Smith said, she believes that coming up with the resources to support the proposal could be challenging, but certainly not impossible.
“We would be the first major research university to do it. “˜We’re too big, don’t have the resources’ some say, but we can overcome this,” said Smith.
Alexandroni said she plans to do research in her field and believes this can benefit all students.
“I think it’s a great idea. Especially if you’re entering grad school, it’s important to have that type of experience (as an) undergrad,” she said.
Alan Lewis, a third-year civil engineering student, said this type of research is an important part of gaining a competitive edge for graduate school.
“I kind of need the experience anyway for my major and to give me a solid base for applying to graduate school,” Lewis said.
But Alexandroni said it is understandable that students not planning to continue on to graduate school or with alternative plans would be unhappy about the new requirement.
“There are some students who are already stretched to the max and just don’t have room in their schedules,” Alexandroni said. “It doesn’t seem to be a practical approach for every student.”
Watson said she believes that, if the requirement could be filled through research or independent courses, it would be much more manageable.
Smith said students in the past have said they greatly enjoyed similar capstone experiences, and she hopes for student feedback in the future. She added that she is optimistic about the proposal and believes it will greatly benefit students.
“Overall, the students have always been strong in support of this concept. In some cases, they’ve shamed the faculty for not providing enough resources,” Smith said. “They feel strongly that if they had not had this experience, their education would have been less valuable.”
With reports from Brett Noble, Bruin senior staff.