Student Resources

TEK focuses on students obtaining essential employability skills, including the highly-valued abilities to see multiple points of view, reflect on growth, communicate ideas, and collaborate in teams. 

Leveraging a comprehensive campus, linked and aligned to solve problems in Kentucky, TEK positions students in ways that engage them in meaningful work with others to advance Kentucky.

As we learn and think about the world in transdisciplinary ways, we prepare for lives of meaning and purpose – the idea at the center of everything we do at UK. 

First-year students are introduced to transdisciplinary approaches through two new TEK modules embedded in first year experience courses that expose students to disciplinary and workforce experts who engage in transdisciplinary work to address critical 21st century problems.  

Students have the opportunity to complete two new credit bearing TEK courses, Discover and Engage, which focus on developing essential workforce skills. 

Discover introduces transdisciplinary approaches to understand a Kentucky problem from multiple perspectives and disciplinary frameworks. Students are introduced to and explore concepts of teamwork while being exposed to many experts from UK, and throughout the greater community. 

Engage has students working in teams, alongside experts from UK, and throughout the greater community, to generate solutions to Kentucky problems. Students prepare and deliver a presentation at the UK Undergraduate Research Showcase about their work while reflecting on their strengths and development as a team member and leader. 

Students have the opportunity to complete a retooled undergraduate course with a clear emphasis on employability skills. TEK Skills courses are tied to at least one TEK Student Learning Outcome (e.g., multiple viewpoints, reflection, communication, and collaboration). 

The Office of Undergraduate Research holds an annual Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars during the spring semester where they celebrate bold dreamers and strategic thinkers. This is a one-day event that showcases undergraduate students’ research projects from across campus.

There will be a TEK Strand at the annual showcase that will bring together students, faculty, staff, and community partners to provide a platform for the products that have been created in Discover and Engage. The showcase will also provide an additional opportunity for networking.

Activities will vary and be expanded each year and may include the following:

• Poster sessions highlighting projects that students have generated in Discover and Engage
• Small-group presentations showcasing transdisciplinary work geared toward critical Kentucky issues
• Workforce community participation, engagement, and networking
• Evaluation of student presentations by workforce experts

To learn more about the Showcase of Undergraduate Scholars, please visit the Office of Undergraduate Research.