ASEE-SE 2007Lousville, Kentucky

Graduate Student Mentors in REU Sites

Cesar D. GuerreroMiguel A. Labrador

Rafael PerezDepartment of Computer Science and Engineering

University of South FloridaTampa, FL 33620

{guerrerc, labrador, perez}@cse.usf.edu

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REU: participants and expectations Motivation Graduate Mentor Profile Graduate Mentor Duties Graduate Mentor Experience REU Student Experience Faculty Mentor’s point of view Conclusions

Outline

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REU: Participants and expectations

Student

REU Site

Faculty Mentor

Graduate Mentor

.. to increase enrollment in

graduate programs

.. to be well mentored and

enjoy the research work

.. to commit a fair amount of time to mentor the REU student

.. to foster research

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REU demands significant amount of time before, during and after the program.

Faculty Mentors experience difficulties in committing enough time to the REU program

By mentoring undergraduates, graduate students can enhance their research projects

Developing mentoring skills is a key factor for those graduate students having academic careers in mind.

REU students may consider the Graduate Student as a more approachable mentor.

Motivation

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Research experience (PhD candidates are a plus) Supported by the research project that the

undergraduate will be working on. Highly motivated Committed to the goals of the REU program. Able to guide and following guidelines Good communication skills.

Graduate Mentor Profile

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Participate in the research project definition and planning.

Send preliminary information to the students for them to be well prepared.

Verify that all the resources needed for the student are available and functional.

Graduate Mentor DutiesPreparation

GMs are given a presentation about the program including its goals, activities, schedule, and project deliverables.

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Project kick-off presentation. Progress control according to the research plan Deliverables review Logistic support Social and academic interaction

Graduate Mentor DutiesDuring the program

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Perform new experiments and/or analysis. Publish the results of the research project.

Graduate Mentor DutiesAfter the program

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IntroductionREU students and mentors (2005-2006)

Role 2005 2006 Total

REU students 12 14 26 100 %

Faculty mentors 7 8 15 57 %

REU student mentored by a GM 3 10 13 50 %

Graduate Mentors 3 8 11

72 %25 %

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Graduate Mentor Experience

Helps to develop mentoring skills

Fosters Graduate Mentor research work

Releases of time consuming research tasks.

Contributes to a future publication.

Demands a significant amount of time

Bad prepared REU students may imply additional work and lack of motivation and engagement

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REU Student Experience (2006)

Question Yes Not Unsure

Do you consider that your graduate student mentor has the required technical background to mentor you?

89 % 11 % 0 %

Are the explanations and directions received from the graduate student mentor clear and easy to understand?

78 % 11 % 11 %

Does the information received from your graduate student mentor help you to perform your work independently?

67 % 22 % 11 %

Does the information received from your graduate student mentor help you to make progress in your research project?

78 % 22 % 0 %

Has the interaction with your graduate student mentor been helpful for you to decide whether or not to enroll in a graduate school?

33 % 11 % 56 %

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REU students greatly benefit from the research experience of Ph.D. candidates

A key success factor is that the graduate student has to mentor in REU projects directly related to their own research.

Mentoring experience provides valuable skills to any graduate student who wants to be in academia

Faculty Mentor’s point of view

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Involving graduate students in the mentoring process of REU student is highly beneficial for each participant in the REU program.

How helpful the experience for the graduate student mentor depends on how motivated, engaged, and well prepared the REU student is for the project.

It is recommended to give the GMs a formal workshop with information on how to help the students learn to work independently and how to interest the students in pursuing a graduate education.

Conclusions

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Thanks!

Questions?