**Acknowledgements**

the subsequent interpretation of the results with the relevant literature help to develop cre-

Assessment occurs in two parts and reflects the direct research relevance of the case study. Due to the uniqueness and depth of their investigation, students become specialists in their chosen subject, but need to demonstrate that they can communicate their research to others clearly and succinctly. Firstly, the study is written up as a short scientific paper according to the instructions to authors for the journal *Nature Communications*. The paper details how the case study was carried out, the analyses performed, the results obtained and a discussion of the results with appropriate literature. Secondly, students prepare a poster of their study to present to the rest of the class as if presenting at a research conference. Both of these elements of the assessment are designed to develop high level, research-relevant communication skills. Student module evaluations show that students perceive the case study as challenging, but rewarding in

terms of the research-relevant skills obtained. This is an example quote from a student:

A 2015 CCCU graduate who participated in a number of the RIT activities outlined above summarized their experience of undergraduate research and the benefits it had for their

*"I am a graduate of the BSc Biosciences programme with a Foundation Year at Canterbury Christ Church University. I started university with no scientific qualifications above GCSE level, and graduated as a confident scientist. I was encouraged at various points in my degree to gain extra lab experience, and I was given the opportunity to work in a university research lab in both voluntary and paid roles during the summer months through internships. During this time, I was taught all the basic skills I needed to use in research. My supervisor dedicated a great deal of time to making sure I understood all the experiments and why I was doing them, and made sure my contributions were acknowledged on conference posters – a great thing for my CV! Having worked in the lab during the summers I decided to pursue the same area of research for my dissertation. Learning research techniques as well as experimental design led to me being offered a job in a commercial research lab when I graduated. I hadn't realized how valuable my set of skills was, and I was given a lot of responsibilities in the lab because I was able to demonstrate a good understanding of how research labs work. I was well equipped to start working independently early on and was introduced to a range of research methods, most of which I* 

This and other students' experiences highlights the importance of providing continuity and linkage of UREs and CUREs throughout a curriculum or programme to provide students with experience of the transferrable skills that are best learned by participating in research.

**4. Conclusion—the way forward for undergraduate research in higher** 

Higher education provision in the UK and across the world is facing a number of challenges to which involvement of undergraduates in research may provide solutions [54]. Enhancing

*"The case study was good, difficult and challenging, but enjoyable!"*

**3.6. The student's perspective of undergraduate research**

*have been required to use since graduating."*

career as such:

**education**

ative and critical analysis skills [52, 53].

122 Global Voices in Higher Education

The authors thank the Canterbury Christ Church University Life Sciences team of academics, instructors, and technicians who develop, deliver and support the research-involved teaching initiatives described in this chapter. The authors are also grateful to the University for funding and supporting research-involved teaching initiatives. Finally, the authors wish to thank the collaborators in industry who contribute to the delivery of research-involved teaching and the undergraduate students who continue to make valuable contributions to research and teaching at CCCU.
