Mentor Training Program with Reflective Journals and Philosophy Statement, contributed by Michael Loui, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

From CISEREUPI

1 Idea
2 Objective
3 What Works Well
4 What Doesn't Work Well
5 How to Measure It
6 Assessment Data
7 Resources
8 Attribution

Idea

In 2010 we created a training program for graduate student mentors of undergraduate student researchers. The program is loosely based on the mentor training program of Handelsman et al.

Before the REU program began, graduate student mentors attended a three-hour orientation session: Media:IllinoisMentorOrientation2010.doc

After the orientation session, graduate student mentors drafted a mentoring philosophy statement: Media:IllinoisMentorPhilosophy2010.doc. At the end of the summer, they revised their statements.

Each week, each graduate student mentor was invited to write at least 300 words in a reflective journal in response to specific prompts: Media:IllinoisMentorPrompts2010.doc

Every two weeks, the graduate student mentors met to share their experiences, to obtain advice from others, and to analyze cases from Handelsman et al.

Objective

The orientation session, mentoring philosophy statement, biweekly meetings, and reflective journals are intended to help graduate students develop mentoring skills by learning from their experiences.

What Works Well

According to the evaluation forms, the graduate students liked meeting with each other over lunch. They found that they encountered similar problems with their undergraduate researchers.

What Doesn't Work Well

The cases in Handelsman et al. refer to experiments in biology laboratories. The cases did not relate well to research in computer science and engineering.

How to Measure It

We collected and analyzed the mentoring philosophy statements and journal entries.

Assessment Data

We obtained approval from the local Institutional Review Board (University of Illinois IRB#10599) to collect and analyze anonymized statements and journals. See the short paper by Revelo Alonso and Loui (2011).

Resources

Boud, D. (2001). Using journal writing to enhance reflective practice. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 90, 9–17.

Grossman, R. (2009). Structures for facilitating student reflection. College Teaching, 57 (1), 15-22.

Handelsman, J., Lauffer, S. M., Pribbenow, C. M., & Pfund, C., eds. (2005). Entering mentoring: a seminar to train a new generation of scientists. Madison, Wisc.: University of Wisconsin Press.

Hiemstra, R. (2001). Uses and benefits of journal writing. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 90, 19–26.

Revelo Alonso, R. A., & Loui, M. C. (2011). Exploring the evolution of the mentoring relationship in a summer undergraduate research program. Proceedings of the Forty-First ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Rapid City, S.D., October 12-15, 2011, pp. T2F-1 to T2F-2.

Attribution

Originally contributed by Michael Loui, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on May 29, 2010. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant CNS-0851957. The views, opinions, and conclusions expressed here are not necessarily those of the University of Illinois or the National Science Foundation.

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