Using Institutional Repositories to Promote Scholarly Development and Undergraduate Research

Thad Cochran Center 218

Employers have long been discouraged by the number of undergraduate students graduating without being adequately prepared to achieve their professional goals such as a career or graduate school. Hands-on experiences along with research and scholarship opportunities contribute to scholarly development and can increase an undergraduate student’s career options and will better prepare them for graduate school. Many students struggle with scholarly development, viewing their work as homework rather than scholarship and often do not view themselves as scholars. Providing preservation and access of undergraduate work in an institutional repository can help to alleviate these problem by archiving and promoting student research. In this paper we will discuss strategies for promoting and encouraging student’s scholarly and creative work through our institutional repository to support with the institution’s goals of student recruitment, retention and student success.