Now that you have a better idea of what research is (hint: you are probably already doing it), you might wonder about the Digital Presentations we ask undergraduate students to submit to Spring Presentation of Undergraduate Research.
The Office of Student Research asks you to complete a Digital Presentation, which is a PowerPoint presentation that illustrates your research. We even show you how to do it (link expired) and provide a full sample (it's easier than you think). You see what other students did for the 2017 SPUR (links no longer available).
You might think that research only counts if it is a large, complex project, like a research paper, a detailed poster, a large data set or even a senior seminar thesis. But, because research begins by asking a question and finding and using sources or evidence to support it, it also includes other, often smaller, types of assignments students may be assigned in class. Such assignments include annotated bibliographies, lab reports, lesson plans, SWOT analyses or research that involves primary sources. It also includes smaller parts of larger research assignments or projects that are not finished, because you can use the Digital Presentation to report on your progress so far.
If you already have a paper or poster for a class, you can easily convert it into a PowerPoint presentation. If you are planning to present in the Symposium in student research day, you can convert that research into a PowerPoint presentation and also participate in SPUR. OSR even provides a simple worksheet to help you plan your Digital Presentation. If you bring your assignment to us, we can help you convert it into an awesome PowerPoint presentation!
The other great thing about doing a Digital Presentation is that it will be placed in Digital Commons, Longwood University's repository. When you do so, it creates a link that you can use on your own website, portfolio, resume, internship or graduate school application to show others what you have done. Not only does the Digital Commons maintain a permanent link to your presentation, it also makes it accessible to others. It will come up in Google searches and it will become part of the Digital Commons Network, which includes over 500 colleges and universities around the world. Y
Once you successfully submit your SPUR presentation, you will also receive an official SPUR hat or water bottle, and on student research day, the highly-sought after OSR sling bag! Apply now!