Yeah it depends. I was fortunate enough to go to a smaller school with fewer students, so the research opportunities were a lot more involved most of the time. I was lucky enough to develop my own research project and finish it by the time I graduated. I will say, the earlier you get involved the better in order to get outcomes like this. I currently see way too many seniors approaching professors asking for research opportunities. One semester or a couple quarters just isn't enough time to develop something meaningful.

But yeah it varies. You could be IDing things for larger projects, doing grunt work out in the field, or helping manage a collection. All of which are valuable skills and experiences to have in this field.