Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers: Where to Begin?
Planning for a Mentee
Develop a Project (in concert with the student researcher, if possible)
- Reasonable in scope
- Feasible considering time/skills
- Challenging
- Multi-faceted
- May be designed collaboratively with student, or defined as part of a larger effort
- Designed to generate student’s own data/findings
**Written, detailed project descriptions get students going
Design a Selection Process
- Post description with URP, in department/class, or meet with student seeking research experience
- Use a combination of written application and interview
- Consider level of independence required
- Identify materials for students to review before interview
- Include direct supervisor in hiring (staff, non-Viterbo University mentor)
**Keep in mind undergraduate needs/issues – need for training to use equipment/resources, easily discouraged by disappointing results, lack of awareness of research “culture” and social interactions in large research groups.
Fostering Growth
Keep Communications Open
- Establish regular meetings to discuss project, questions, documentation, and resources
- Check in regularly regarding coursework, stress level, and research progress
**Most problems with undergraduate research result from a lack of communication or miscommunication.
Encourage Scholarly Interaction
- Provide opportunities to interact with other researchers
–Research group meetings
–Graduate student presentations
–Visiting scholars’ lectures
–Departmental lectures, events, gatherings
–Seven Rivers Undergraduate Research Symposium (required)
–Departmental events or seminars
–Professional regional or national conferences
Integrating the Mentee into the Research Environment
Define Expectations
- Establish expectations about work habits, etc.
- Devise a work plan
- Provide information on awarding academic credit
- Set aside regular time for discussion
- Show openness to questions, encourage student to share ideas
- No cookbooks; emphasize insight gained through failure
Orient Student Toward Culture of Research
- Introduce student to research resources (including people)
- Determine training needs and strategies
- Discuss intellectual property issues
- Introduce student to human/animal subject procedures, safety protocols, etc., as needed
- Define milestones (big and small)
- Emphasize documentation of research and progress
**The Millennial Generation: “The Millennial generation has seven distinguishing traits: special, sheltered, confident, team oriented, achieving, pressured, and conventional……[they] have ambitions but no plans, or unrealistic plans to achieve them…”
Information adapted from “Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers: Where to Begin?” Janice DeCosmo and Jennifer Harris. Available online through: http://www.washington.edu/research/urp/faculty/Mentoring_Undergraduate_Researchers.pdf