Faculty Handbook
2000-2001
352
Bowman Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0059
Phone: (859) 257-6322 Fax: (859) 257-6321
Email: bguer00@email.uky.edu
Getting the Most Out of Your Research Partnership
Research with Groups of Students (Creating a Research Community)
Mentoring Strategies for Diverse Students
18 Ways to Promote Academic Success
The Undergraduate Research Program (UK-URP) at UK was originally developed in 1996 to increase the retention and improve the academic performance of underrepresented minority students at the University of Kentucky. Today, the program includes minority and majority students, with a continued emphasis on diversity. The original program was initiated with a National Science Foundation EPSCoR grant to increase the numbers of minority students in mathematics and science-based majors.
The program was developed to engage lower-division students at the University of Kentucky more directly with faculty so they can benefit from the wealth of research activity taking place and to foster more interest in research-related or academic careers. The growth and expansion of UK-URP acknowledges the valuable educational benefits students achieve through participation in faculty research.
The program offers first and second year students individual interactions with faculty through the creation of research partnerships. Students in UK-URP collaborate with faculty on faculty research projects, thereby learning firsthand about academic research and developing computer, library, laboratory, and other research skills.
In addition, UK-URP students participate in an academic course for general science credit. Academic support services include (1) an extensive peer advising program that provides individual peer advising sessions between peer advisors (upper division students) and students in the program, and (2) research groups in which students gather to discuss various aspects of academic research, their specific UK-URP research projects and academic and non-curricular preparation for academic and professional careers.
Mission
The mission of the UK Undergraduate Research Program (UK-URP) is to improve the retention and enrich the academic experience of undergraduate students during their first and second years at the University of Kentucky through research partnerships. In addition, UK-URP is committed to providing on-going academic support services through its peer advising program and research peer groups creating a student research community.
Goals
Student Selection
Early in September, students will contact faculty by e-mail or phone to set up an interview. Prior to this, they will leave you an Interview Referral Form (similar to a resume) for you to review. Faculty will interview and select the students who they wish to work with from these contacts. After making selection, faculty should notify the student(s). We will also encourage students to follow-up with you.
The Contract
After you select your UK-URP student researcher, you both must sign the UK-URP Student Contract. The student cannot be hired or registered for academic credit without a signed contract. The contract triggers either override or employment paperwork. The contract outlines requirements for all students, designates whether the student is participating for credit or work-study, and includes the agreed upon number of hours the student will be working each week.
Signing Timesheets
Both academic credit and work-study students are expected to submit timesheets signed by their faculty sponsor every two weeks. If you are unable to meet with your students on at least a biweekly basis, please designate another person who will be authorized to sign these forms using the Verification Form.
Students cannot be paid or receive a grade without signed timesheets. Timesheets must be turned-in to the UK-URP Office 351 Bowman Hall every other Friday by noon. The student will be given a schedule of the exact dates. We will not pay students who submit late timesheets.
Midterm Progress Report
We ask that you complete a midterm progress report for your student(s), one at the beginning of November and one at the end of February. The necessary forms will be sent to you. We recommend that you meet with your student and complete the report together. A copy of this report will be given to the student's peer advisor. Please contact the UK-URP office and the student's peer advisor as soon possible if you have any concerns about your student. The peer advisor will contact the student at your request.
Term Project
Faculty sponsors are responsible for assigning the projects due at the end of each term for all their students. Please give enough guidance and specific instructions so students understand what they are expected to produce. We recommend that students write an abstract about the research project in the Fall Term and a longer paper, or an oral or poster presentation for the Spring Research Symposium for their winter term project. UK-URP will provide writing, library research, poster and oral presentation workshops for students.
Grading/Grade Forms
UK-URP students will be graded on the following. As the faculty sponsor faculty sponsor, you will be required to grade the students on # 1 and #2, which will be 80% of his/her grade. The student's UK-URP peer advisor will monitor # 3 which will comprise 20% of his/her grade.
You will receive UK-URP grade sheets two weeks prior to the end of each term. These must be returned to Bessie Guerrant UK-URP Director, who will submit the final grades. You will not receive an "official" grade sheet for your students unless they are enrolled in an independent study course through your department.
Research Experience
UK-URP students are expected to work an average of 10-15 hours/week on their research projects and to establish regular working hours. The hours are determined by the faculty sponsor in consultation with the student.
Research Skills Orientation Course (UK 100-01)
In the fall term, students will enroll in the Undergraduate Research Skills Orientation course for three (3) credit hours. Topics include library and computer skills, abstract writing, and time management, and more.
UK-URP Journal
Students are required to keep a research journal to chronicle and reflect upon their research experience. This requirement is an important part of the UK-URP experience. It gives students a chance to think about the research experience and any concerns or issues arising from it. The journals also provide a forum for the student and their peer advisor to communicate. As students read related articles, our desire is that they make comments for these journals.
Individual Peer Advising Appointments
Each student will be assigned a peer advisor (paid upper division student) and is required to meet with him/her on an individual basis at least once a month. The peer advisor's role is to make sure the partnership is working. You should feel free to contact the peer advisors if you have concerns about a student's behavior and/or performance. Peer advisors also help the student with any time management, communication, or academic problems that arise.
Term Projects
Students are required to complete end-of-term projects. Fall term we would like all students to write a research abstract to gain abstract writing skills. Abstract writing also provides a good opportunity for you to discuss the project, answer questions, and clarify any confusion. Winter term we recommend students write a research paper, give an oral presentation at the annual UK-URP Spring Research Symposium, or prepare a poster presentation for the symposium. The student should discuss and review his/her project with you.
Research Peer Groups
Students are required to participate in bi-monthly research peer group meetings. These meetings take place on alternate Wednesday evenings from 6:30-8 p.m. The groups are comprised of UK-URP students engaged in similar types of research projects. The research peer groups are organized by discipline: biomedical, humanities, natural and environmental science, physical sciences and engineering, social sciences and women in science. In these groups, the students share their research experiences and discuss critical issues in a given discipline such as ethics in research, confidentiality, censorship, animal rights, the use and abuse of research findings, etc.
The meetings are tailored to fit the needs and interests of the students. The research peer groups provide an opportunity for students to interact with students who have similar interests and to share their research experiences--what they are learning, the joys and frustrations.
Academic Credit
Students in UK-URP participate in the program either for academic credit. Students will receive three (3) University Studies general science credit hour for their first semester course work. Our objective is to provide the students with an academic experience that introduces them to the academic research experience: library research, reading primary literature, developing hypotheses, designing and carrying out experiments, studying, and analyzing results, and writing about the research.
Work Study Students
(TBA)
Getting the Most Out of Your Research Partnership
UK-URP research partnerships should be beneficial to both the student and you. We know students gain invaluable academic skills through research. We hope you gain students eager to contribute their perspective and energy to your project and to help your research progress.
Communication
Successful partnerships require good and clear communication. Research is a new experience for most first- and second-year students, and they may be unclear about what research entails or your expectations. Clarify your specific expectations when they first begin work on your project. It is also helpful to keep them informed of on-going changes regarding the project. The following are some suggestions to facilitate good communication in faculty/student partnerships, especially in the beginning stages of a project:
Regularly Scheduled Meetings/Feedback
We recommend that you set up some time to meet with your students at least once every two weeks. You and the student can discuss what progress he/she has made during that period. The student can ask questions and receive guidance for the next phase of the task. You can assess whether or not the student is ready for more independent work. It is also an opportunity to provide feedback to the student about work habits, the quality of their work, his/her strong points, and areas that need improvement.
Time Commitment
The number of hours students work each week is something that you and the student should negotiate from the very beginning. It is part of the student contract. It is important that the student is clear about the number of hours you expect him/her to devote to the project; it is also important that students can fit this commitment into their schedules. First-and second-year students are still adjusting and they may need some flexibility when they first begin. We recommend that students work an average of 10 - 15 hours per week on their research project. However, this will vary from project to project and student to student.
Student Development
First-and second-year students are still dealing with issues of adjustment and growing responsibility. They are learning how to manage their time and juggle multiple tasks. Many will be uncertain and nervous about asking questions for fear of sounding ignorant, they may hesitate to ask for help, or not know what questions to ask.
They may need to be guided in specific ways before they can assume a more independent role in the research project. It may be useful at first to break down a particular task into incremental steps so that there are many opportunities for you to monitor their progress and for the student to ask what the next step should be. Eventually, however, the student should become comfortable and confident in doing a task without supervision.
Research with Groups of Students
(Creating a Research Community)
Many UK-URP faculty sponsors work with more than one UK URP student and encounter the benefits and challenges of managing more than one young undergraduate student researcher. The benefits include students helping and training one another, learning to work together as part of a research team, learning to troubleshoot problems and brainstorm solutions together, and sharing ideas, successes, and frustrations with one another. Exposure to the research "team" culture, in particular, is an invaluable part of the UK-URP research experience for many students.
On the other hand, the challenges you'll find with a group include managing your time investment, communicating with multiple students on a regular basis, and developing communication among the students in order to maximize what can be accomplished.
Faculty with successful group partnerships have found ways to create a research community among their group of UK-URP student researchers and also between the undergraduates and other members of the research team—graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, etc. The following are some suggestions from faculty on how to manage groups of UK-URP students so that you reap the benefits of multiple research assistants:
Mentoring Strategies For Diverse Students
Mentoring Strategy # 1
ACTIVELY RECRUIT DIVERSE STUDENTS AS RESEARCH APPRENTICES
The time is long past when a simple "I couldn't find any qualified minority candidates!" can suffice to explain away the almost total absence of underrepresented minority students in E/S research laboratories. There are a number of well-qualified minority students who are capable and desirous of holding such positions. Faculty must aggressively seek students by publicizing available opportunities in locations where minority students can see them. Once identified, the faculty must mentor the students and nurture their talents.
Mentoring Strategy # 2
MAKE IT CLEAR THAT DIVERSE STUDENTS ARE WELCOME IN THE LABORATORY!
Frequently upon arrival — i.e., when a minority student reports to the laboratory group and before any academic credentials are evaluated or reviewed — questions are raised about the appropriateness of the student's background, competencies, status, etc. These situations need to be eliminated and prevented from occurring by the mentor. This can easily and best be done by the mentor publicly greeting the protégé, welcoming the protégé to the group, and introducing the protégé to other student members of the group as one of their peers.
Mentoring Strategy # 3
ESTABLISH EXPECTATIONS AND PROGRESS REVIEW CRITERIA EARLY IN THE MENTORED RESEARCH EXPERIENCE!
Poorly articulated or established ground rules — i.e., (1) What is to be accomplished?; (2) How it is to be accomplished?; and (3) The criteria that will be used in measuring outcomes; — can and often does lead to failed mentoring alliances. Laying out the roles, expectations, and desired outcomes early in the mentored research experience can establish a framework established to guide the relationship.
Mentoring Strategy # 4
STRUCTURE THE APPRENTICES SO THE STUDENT HAS A REAL ASSIGNMENT!
The most frequently heard student criticism about apprenticeship assignments is that it was busy work and had no relationship to their interest, background or academic training. The intended outcome of a mentored research experience is to provide a “hands-on” experience connecting theory to practice. The protégé needs to be engaged in meaningful activities that provide real research and technical practices. The mentor should make sure the protégé is not assigned unpleasant menial tasks that others with similar background and status are not asked to do.
Mentoring Strategy # 5
SHARE REAL CAREER / EDUCATIONAL / LIFE EXPERIENCES WITH PROTÉGÉ!
One way for the mentor to open lines of communication and to build a sense of esprit-de-corp with the protégé is to talk and share experiences from his/her life. One of the primary rewards the protégé receives from the mentored alliance is the experience and growth engendered through the rich experiences shared by the mentor.
Mentoring Strategy #6
TAKE TIME TO GET TO KNOW THE PROTÉGÉ; BE PREPARED AND WILLING TO DEAL WITH ISSUES & PROBLEMS THAT CONFRONT THE PROTÉGÉ
The mentor needs to hold the occasional informal conversation with the protégé to provide a forum for discussing problems and concerns. Typical problems include the following:
The rationale for informal conversations is to help the protégé resolve conflicts and problems that get in the way of performance. Speaking from personal experiences, a mentor provides the perspective of experience necessary to get and keep the protégé on track.
18 Ways to Promote Academic Success
(Adapted from the Harvard Assessment Seminars and the American Association of Higher Education's list of 45 actions individual professors can take to promote the academic achievement and success of all students)
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UK Research • University
of Kentucky
Updated 8-27-01 by Bessie Guerrant