MENTORING STUDENTS
RESEARCH ASSISTANTS &
TEACHING ASSISTANTS
Dr. Gayle
MacDonald
Dean of
Research &
Professor of
Sociology
OVERVIEW
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Standard Procedures
Best Practices
Things to remember
Funding Sources
Rates of Pay/ Q & A
INTRODUCTORY POINTS
 Supervision of research assistants is absolutely critical to the
establishment of an independent research program
 Students and Post-Docs deserve to be treated fairly, given
encouragement, and above all mentored along their career
path
 Know thyself!!
STANDARD PROCEDURES
 Your responsibility:
Project management
Time management and goal setting
Safety on the job
Feedback/guidance/mentoring the student
Giving a fair wage
Ensure familiarity with the U.’s services (where Facilities and
Purchasing is, where supplies are kept, where the Finance office is
located)
 Providing regular contact
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BEST PRACTICES
How to find and hire the “right” student
 Provide as accurate a job description as you can
 Indicate what type of skills you are looking for
 Indicate what level/year/area you require
 Provide a description of what the student will gain from working with
you
 Interview if you get more than one application-keep the interviews to
about .5 an hour, asking the same questions of each candidate
 Let the student know how many hours per week (recommended, not
over 10) and what the rate of pay will be, and when you will contact
them
BEST PRACTICES, CONT’D
 Once you hire a student, make sure they have your contact
information for easy access, and you, theirs.
 Make it clear as to where you expect them to work (In your
of fice using your computer or on their laptop, at home)
 If the job you are hiring for is very mundane (like repetitive
data entry or endless filing, in other words, a job you don’t
want to do) then make sure you pay well.
 If you cannot pay well, what other benefits can you provide?
“REWARDS” IN LIEU OF EXTRA $$
 For RA’s and TA’s
 lunch out
 Gift card to UNB/STU bookstore
 For RA’s
 a field trip
 invitation to a lecture/conference
 co-authorship on a paper
 For TA’s
 invitation to a teaching workshop
 teach a class
THINGS TO REMEMBER
 1 . You are always a professor, in the student’s mind, maintain
that trust and boundary
 2. You are always a ‘mentor’ to a student, not their friend.
There is a dif ference. If you don’t know the dif ference, ask
me.
 3. The student may NOT be interested in your personal life,
but WILL be interested in your research or teaching pedagogy.
Share as much as is appropriate
 4. Students have lives, timetables, worries and deadlines, just
as you do, and these are just as important to the student as
they are to you.
QUALIT Y OF SUPERVISING
 A good supervisory relationship:
 Boosts student motivation, productivity and performance
outcomes
 Creates sense of self-worth, confidence, connectedness and
calmness
 Enhances collaborative projects
 Is a reflection of your skills as a supervisor
For more information please consult the
School of Graduate Studies Guide to Graduate Supervision
http://www.queensu.ca/academicsuppor tgraduatesuper visionguide.html
STEPS TO ENSURE SUCCESS
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#1:
#2:
#3:
#4:
Encourage, Praise and Celebrate
Effective Communication
Respect, Trust and Fairness
Clear and Responsible Direction
Tips:
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Undergrad students need more direction
Students who are treated like junior colleagues are more motivated
PhD students benefit from an apprenticeship approach
Be available to your students
Be aware of the Power Differential in Mentor/Protégé relationship
Initial meetings are crucial – explain your expectations and create a
timeline
Taken from Fostering Strong Supervisory Relationships: How Can Supervisors Assist,
Queen’s University
WHERE TO FIND FUNDS FOR STUDENTS
J.O.B.S. (researc h work)
C a n a d a S u m m e r J o b s ( C S J ) ( r e s e a rc h )
Job Opportunities Benefitting Students
 Deadline to apply: Februar y 201 2
 Apply to Leah Mabie in STU
Financial Ser vices
 Student must be aged 15 -30
 Maximum of 35 hr s/week
 Faculty may use their PDA to top up wages
 Deadline to apply: September
2011
 Apply to STU Human Resources
 Student must be full time
 Maximum of 10 hr s/week
 Star t anytime during academic
year
 Faculty may use their PDA to top up wages
External Grants (research)


PDA - Professional Development
Allowance can be used as a source of
funding for Research Assistants
Your Department-for Teaching Assistants
and Markers’ funds

SEED Program (Provincial Gov’t)

Tri-Council
* 50% of SSHRC money goes to Grad Student
wages
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NBIF RAI’s
HOW TO PAY A STUDENT
 Timesheets for both RAs and TA’s come from Leah Mabie in
the Financial Services Of fice
 TA’s need signed of f by your department chair and must
contain a budget number
 RA’s you need to sign of f on, if coming from your research
grant or your PDA . You need to know these budget numbers
 Timesheet to Financial Services every other week (on the of f
week from our pay schedule
RATES OF PAY (PARTICIPANT EXERCISE)
What is a fair wage? How do you know?
What’s a ‘top-up’? Where does it come from?
Undergraduate
Masters
Doctoral
HOW THE RESEARCH OFFICE CAN HELP
 Helping you decide what funding works best for you
 Josephine Adda’s support with proposal writing
 Rules and regulations
 Research Assistant Wage Guide (in progress)
 Connect you with RA/TA experts
RESOURCES
 Sample Mentoring Agreement
http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/facstaff/mentoring/Mentorin
gWorksheetF5.pdf
 Planning for First Meeting – A Mentor’s Checklist
http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/facstaff/mentoring/Mentorin
gWorksheetF2.pdf
 Brochures on Supervision from Queen’s University
http://www.queensu.ca/hcds/resources
CONTACT ME
I’m located in the RO, GM Hall 201 & 202
To book an appointment: dconnell@stu.ca
Email: macdonald@stu.ca or research@stu.ca
Phone: 452-0460
Website: http://w3.stu.ca/stu/research/