In February 2007, the University unveiled an innovative program designed to break down classroom walls and encourage students to actively apply their knowledge to real world issues.
Three years later, now that this program—what we now know as DukeEngage—has successfully captured the attention of students and shaped their undergraduate experience, administrators are at it again.
Although it is still in the initial planning stages, if executed correctly, the proposed Duke Immerse program could provide students with a positive, intellectually focused research experience and enhance the quality of undergraduate education.
Plans for Duke Immerse were first announced at last week’s Arts and Sciences Council meeting by Susan Lozier, chair of the Academic Council Committee on Undergraduate Education. Under the Committee’s draft proposal, Duke Immerse would allow students to forgo a four-class semester workload in exchange for an intensive semester of full-time research alongside two or three faculty members.
The classroom has always been and should continue to be the locus of undergraduate life at liberal arts universities. But a program like Duke Immerse could complement the rich educational experience the University seeks to provide to its students.
First, Duke Immerse could increase the number of students participating in independent research, a goal that has been high on the agenda for Trinity College administrators during the past few years.
By providing students with pre-arranged research experiences, the University would remove the barrier to entry facing many students who desire to conduct research but cannot make the faculty connections. Plus, it would allow students with past research experience to take their work to the next level and pursue their intellectual interest full time for a semester.
Second, the program would encourage faculty-student interaction beyond what a student would otherwise experience through normal classroom or independent study courses.
In what closely resembles the tutorial system at Oxford University, students participating in Duke Immerse would meet regularly with their faculty supervisors and receive constant feedback. Such a high level of personal attention would undoubtedly benefit students, and professors might even enjoy closer contact with their students, too.
Third, a semester of full-time research and faculty tutelage would provide students with a uniquely rigorous experience unparalleled by other universities. This would allow students interested in pursuing graduate study to distinguish themselves or to test the waters of full-time research before committing to graduate school.
As intriguing of an idea as it is, however, Duke Immerse will undoubtedly appeal only to a small, highly-motivated segment of the undergraduate population. In fact, it might prove a nice alternative for juniors who want to stay in Durham their Fall semester but desire a break from the traditional classroom grind.
Still, a rigorous application process should be implemented to ensure that accepted students have already proven themselves in the classroom and possess the independence and maturity necessary to succeed in a full-time research project.
Lots of details need to be worked out, but for now, Duke Immerse is an interesting idea that merits sustained attention.
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