Research Apprenticeship Program
School of Communication faculty work diligently to mentor students to appreciate and conduct research that prepares them to achieve their professional, career, or personal goals in a complex, diverse, and changing world. These activities are rewarding to students, who learn hands-on about how research projects are managed, conducted, and reported. Our faculty teach students to critically engage in their courses and investigate their research questions, while simultaneously advancing the goals of the university (by supporting institutional student success goals), discipline (by mentoring the next generation of the scholarly community), and greater community (by training students to be skilled professionals in synthesizing research, gathering empirical data, analyzing results, and communicating findings). The School of Communication Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) means to further this important work!
Dr. Record leads the RAP Program. Underserved, first-generation, and underrepresented students are especially requested to apply for the program; all undergraduate students are welcome to apply. The RAP provides an opportunity for School of Communication undergraduates to work with graduate students or faculty members on the cutting-edge research projects for which the School of Communication is known. Dr. Record will be the broker between available faculty projects (or graduate thesis projects) and interested undergraduate students. Once assigned an apprenticeship, students will meet regularly with their assigned graduate student or faculty for research mentoring to earn 1 unit of academic credit (supervised by Dr. Record, who will meet regularly to train and manage all apprentices).
Students will be commended with a Research Apprentice Certificate if they complete over 30 hours of research work in the course of a semester. Through mentoring, advising, and outreach, the program is designed to stimulate awareness of advanced research, as well as interest in graduate study.
Testimonial -- Tava Espinoza, Fall 2017-Spring 2018 Research Apprentice:
"As an undergraduate student on Dr. Savage’s research team, I felt that my skills in conducting research and the knowledge acquired from my major classes were put to the test! This was an opportunity to perform at a higher academic level, which I think any other student could benefit from. My favorite experiences were: learning the process of developing a research paper with the intention of publication, taking the steps necessary to participate in the annual SDSU Student Research Symposium, and working with a group where I felt genuinely valued and supported. My involvement in a research team provided me with the understanding of how these practices will shape my career aspirations, and the confidence to seek out other similar collaborative projects in the future.”
