Course-Based Undergraduate Research in Human Resource Development: A Case Study

The Problem In the United States, undergraduate programs in Human Resource Development (HRD) have been growing and are visible in developing undergraduate students’ career readiness and skill set acquisition for lifelong learning. However, there is a limited understanding of high-impact learning experiences as a pedagogical approach in HRD. The Solution Course-based undergraduate research experience in a capstone class at a large research university is described. Five core competency areas for undergraduate research are defined and example learning activities aligned with the competencies are addressed. Student reflection summaries were analyzed to report students’ perceived learning gains. Information on this study can be used to further design impactful capstone research experiences for undergraduate HRD students through high-impact learning principles and practices. The Stakeholders The primary audience for this study is HRD faculty, instructors, and graduate students whose career goal is teaching and researching in HRD or closely related fields in the social sciences.