Course Start-Dates – Before Summer Ventures in June

Participants should plan to start promptly on their section’s start-date, which for   2026  is on Monday,  June  1  for all sections.  Mark your calendars so as to not miss these dates. 
By their start-date or a few days before, invitations will be sent to participants via email containing their individual access login from “NCSSM ITS” [ncssm_its@ncssm.edu], titled “Course Invitation and Account Information for NCSSM Canvas.”  Note that invitation email will be sent to the student’s email address used for their application to SVSM.

 

Course Overview

Research Prep (RP) — an online, asynchronous, often fun, orientation to research and information skills short course — is offered to all Summer Ventures in Science & Mathematics (SVSM) finalists and alternates (who accept their invitation as such from SVSM) to complete at their own pace during the three weeks prior to the start of SVSM. The SVSM Directors made completing Research Prep required of all accepting finalists due to the overwhelmingly positive results and feedback since RP was started in 2018. This course is maintained with content updates each year. See the How to Enroll in RP information below.

 

A Few Student and Faculty Quotes

• “This course was great and really fun!” – Ijay
• “Research Prep… tolerable…” – Brien
• “I did not realize how much I would learn in such a short period of time… These strategies will also help me during school.” – Jayden
• “Various teachers [at my high school] have touched on topics explored in this course, but none have gone into depth the way this course has.” – Isabel
• “I am so glad I took this course, as I doubt I would have learned how to properly conduct research, form a research question, effectively communicate science, and do everything else the course taught me elsewhere during high school. I know I will frequently go back to this course, as I will definitely need the course’s information in the future. Thank you so much!” – Abby
• “Hi Mr.B. Thank you for creating this SVSM Research Prep course. I’m sure that it has taken a lot of your time and effort to create. Some information in this course was new to me, especially the content within the plagiarism module. Your funny remarks through the readings helped me to stay more engaged throughout the course and I was able to retain more information than I initially realized. Thanks.” – a student’s SVSM online exit survey comment, 2021
• “[Research Prep] looks great. Wish I’d taken something similar 10+ years ago… Would’ve been a great jumpstart into my research career.” – Phil (PhD at UNC & SVSM Faculty)
• “My SVSM students this year seemed to hit the ground running with picking a topic and creating their research question. They got started faster… I think the research question assignment from the online course helped.” – Tyrel (SVSM Faculty & ASU Alum)

 

Outcomes

This course is brief and concise, but it is also a comprehensive, detailed orientation to scholarly and scientific research and information skills with significant depth. Research Prep also functions as a study guide, which students can refer back to during their future research. Students who put effort into their study of this course report being better prepared and more confident to pursue their own research process with focus on successfully finding, critically evaluating, ethically using, and effectively communicating information through scholarly/scientific means.

 

Goals and Use

One goal for this Research Prep course is to better prepare students for their SVSM experience by offering them an opportunity to learn (or refresh their knowledge of) essential research and information skills, thus enabling students to spend more time conducting research and communicating findings when on campus. Gaining exposure to vocabulary and concepts beforehand can better prepare students for learning deeper working knowledge when on campus. And, through this course, SVSM students are connected with the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) Library online resources. Additionally, this course may be a resource for SVSM faculty, who may use this course as a good place from which students can leap into learning discipline-specific (i.e., sciences, mathematics, humanities, etc.) research skills upon arrival at their summer campus. The content in this course may also be useful in a “flipped” learning environment where students study or review some pages in this course prior to conducting related research activities in the classroom, library, or lab.

 

Audience (Who May Take this Course)

Research Prep learning content is designed for students meeting the academic requirements for SVSM. 
All accepting SVSM finalists and alternates who become finalists are automatically enrolled in a RP “June” section. 
Those who remain an alternate are eligible for RP, since learning in this course is applicable beyond SVSM, but they will need to request enrollment in RP using the form provided in the How to Enroll in RP information below.
Alternates: Enrollment in Research Prep will in no way affect your status in SVSM, so only enroll in RP if you really can make the time to participate in full, regardless of your status in SVSM.

 

Format & Commitment

Research Prep is online, asynchronous, self-paced, and uses the NCSSM Canvas learning platform. Access to this course is by email invitation only and will not be available through another organization’s or school’s Canvas account. There is one short assignment with a non-negotiable due-date (the last Sunday of the section), which allows for asynchronous collaboration. 
Students typically report spending between 6 and 9 hours total, depending on interests, to complete this course including the very brief assignments.

 

Offerings

There are four “June” Research Prep sections, which allow students to complete RP during the three weeks before arriving at their Summer Ventures (SVSM) campus. Although not originally a major objective of RP, the “June” sections are now organized by assigned campus, so students have an opportunity in RP to communicate with others assigned to the same campus, which many report as enjoyable.

 

How to Enroll in RP

There is no enrollment in Research Prep during the SVSM application process. RP registration is by invitation only to those who qualify by being selected as a finalist or alternate in SVSM.

All offered a finalist status who accept and all alternates who become finalists in SVSM are enrolled automatically in a RP “June” section with folks assigned to the same summer campus. No action is required to stay in that RP “June” section, other than to look for the invitation email from “NCSSM ITS” [ncssm_its@ncssm.edu] titled “Course Invitation…” and then to start promptly on the start-date. Remember to check your spam/junk/all email folders if needed to find your invitation. Note that this invitation email will be sent to the student’s email address used for their application to SVSM.

Because learning in this RP course is applicable beyond SVSM, alternates in SVSM who remain alternates are invited to enroll in RP by submitting this Alternates: Enrollment form by seven business days before the “June” sections’ start-date. If you submit the form to enroll in RP, make sure that you participate fully for the benefit of others in the RP collaborative assignments. Submitting this form as an alternate will get you enrolled in a “June” section of RP. As proof of identity, use the same student’s email address in this form that was used for your application to SVSM. Alternates: Saying again, enrollment in Research Prep will in no way affect your status in SVSM, so only request enrollment in RP if you really can make the time to participate in full, regardless of your status in SVSM.

All: Once you are enrolled in RP, there you stay. If for some unforeseen reason, you withdraw from the SVSM program, you will still get reminder auto-emails from RP. Finish the RP course if you can, ignore the emails if you cannot.

Start-dates for RP sections are stated at the top of this webpage.

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SD & RP

If you are enrolled in the NCSSM Online Program Scholar Development (SD) course, and complete it before the start of SVSM, you may substitute SD for RP, but you should submit this SD-Equivalent form by seven business days before the RP “June” sections’ start-date to let us know. You should not take SD during SVSM simply because it would take time that should be focused on SVSM. If you need to switch Sessions of SD, promptly contact the NCSSM Registrar’s office: registrar@ncssm.edu. Be aware of the “Registration Closes, No Additions After:” date for your SD Session preference, which can be found using the “View the options” link at the SD webpage. Conversely, RP does not substitute for SD because of the group synchronous dynamic of SD. If you take both SD & RP, just skim the content that is the same, and move on – no big deal.

RP & RP

If you completed all of Research Prep last year as an alternate in SVSM, and you would like to be excused from RP this year, contact Mr.B at the email address listed below to make such a request by seven business days before the start-date of the “June” sections of RP this year.