Graduate Student Mentors in REU Sites
Cesar D. Guerrero
Miguel A. Labrador
Rafael Perez
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
University of South Florida
Tampa, FL 33620
{guerrerc, labrador, perez}@cse.usf.edu
ASEE-SE 2007
Lousville, Kentucky
Outline
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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
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REU: Participants and expectations
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mentored
and
mentor
the REU
enjoy the research
studentgraduate programs
work
Student
Faculty Mentor
REU Site
.. to foster
research
Graduate Mentor
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Motivation
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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.
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Graduate Mentor Profile
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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.
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Graduate Mentor Duties
Preparation
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GMs are given a presentation about the program including
its goals, activities, schedule, and project deliverables.
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.
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Graduate Mentor Duties
During the program
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Project kick-off presentation.
Progress control according to the research plan
Deliverables review
Logistic support
Social and academic interaction
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Graduate Mentor Duties
After the program
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Perform new experiments and/or analysis.
Publish the results of the research project.
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Introduction
REU students and mentors (2005-2006)
Role
2005
2006
12
14
7
8
15
57 %
3 72 10
%
25 %
13
50 %
REU students
Faculty mentors
REU student mentored by a GM
Graduate Mentors
3
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8
Total
26 100 %
11
Graduate Mentor Experience
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Helps to develop
mentoring skills
Fosters Graduate
Mentor research work
Releases of time
consuming research
tasks.
Contributes to a future
publication.
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Demands a significant
amount of time
Bad prepared REU
students may imply
additional work and lack
of motivation and
engagement
REU Student Experience (2006)
Question
Yes
Not
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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Unsure
Faculty Mentor’s point of view
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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
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Conclusions
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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.
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Thanks!
Questions?
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