I thought you might it find it interesting to see one of the email responses to students I have been sending. I have had several students complain about having to pay tuition to be in the lab... Here is my response to one.
Virtually all universities require students to pay tuition for research experience with professors. As an undergraduate and graduate student at Ohio State I paid every quarter for 6 years for the opportunity to conduct research. As a result I ended up with 5 publications and was able to get a professor position when I was done.
Think about it - if you do not pay tuition - the experience does not show on your transcript - you have no proof that you have done it. We have set the tuition as low as we possibly can - 1 credit - about $500. We attempted last quarter to run a study with a no credit lab - as a result students had little incentive to complete the project. Only three of 9 completed what they had agreed to.
There are very few research faculty at Walden, so this project is especially unique to be done in a virtual environment. Students that participate in the 3 quarter project that we are conducting will have an experience equivalent to that in a land-based graduate program. They will have the opportunity to be trained in research methodology, conduct a study, analyze the data, and coauthor a publishable article. Three faculty are giving their time for supervision of the project. It is well worth the investment in time, money, and experience.
I am one of the students who participated in the lab last semester. I will tell you that this experience will be worth every cent for anyone who is fortunate enough to participate! I would do this, but I am planning to be completely done this summer, and not enrolled by the fall. I highly recommend this opportunity to all who have the time to do what is expected. (I'd make the time!!) Cindy
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