Developing research skills with CESR
Every semester, the Center for Excellence in Scholarship and Research (CESR) hosts an array of workshops and other programs focused on helping individuals hone their research skills. Outside the workshops, CESR is responsible for other programming like organizing lectures and other presentations from faculty.
CESR, along with the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), Research and Sponsored Programs (RASP), and a team of instructional technologists are all part of the greater Center for Excellence and Innovation (CEI).
Aaron Hoy is the director of CESR. He said the goals of their workshops and programming is to “help anyone engaged in research or scholarly activities develop or sharpen the skills they need to achieve their goals.”
Hoy says participating in CESR programming is beyond beneficial.
“They can help you build your knowledge and skills, but in the process, they can also help you build your résumé or CV,” he said. “Many of the workshops we offer focus on skills that are highly in-demand right now, especially those related to data analysis and visualization, and being able to show potential employers that you’ve sought out training for these can go a long way toward landing a good job.”
Literature reviews, data visualization, and strategic AI usage are some of the workshops being offered this semester.
Hoy also pointed out the opportunity to network with like-minded Mavericks.
“CESR programs are a great way to connect with others across campus who share your interests – others who are interested in the same topic or issue, others who are working with the same software, or whatever the case may be,” he said.
On Oct 31, CESR will be teaching how to prepare and write literature reviews, especially for those writing one for their capstone project such as a thesis or Academic Preparation Program (APP).
Later on Nov. 12, they will host the workshop on data visualization. This is intended for those who must create visual aids, like graphs, tables.
And finally on November 15th, the group will be training attendees on how to use AI strategically “to make aspects of the research process, like synthesizing large bodies of research, more efficient,” according to Hoy.
Alongside the upcoming workshops, some of the upcoming faculty presentations include Dr. Laura Harrison sharing her knowledge of sleep-related infant deaths on Oct. 23, and a virtual question and answer with psychology professor Dr. Eric Sprankle, where he will talk about this new book on the history and science of masturbation.
Outside their programming, CESR also is known for their other service, which is research consultation. Hoy says the program can help with “analyzing, interpreting, or reporting your data,” and that “our team of research consultants have wide-ranging skill sets and expertise; they can help with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods projects, and they can help with writing and formatting research reports.”
Caption: The associate professor and director of the Center for Excellence in Scholarship and Research (CESR) Aaron Hoy (LOGAN SCHLOSSER/The Reporter).
Write to ben.livingston@mnsu.edu