How can I involve undergraduates in my research and creativity program?

Dear Aggie,

My department head is encouraging me to mentor students in research. I have mentored graduate students, but I have never mentored undergraduates. Can they really contribute to research projects? Do you have any tips for involving undergraduates in research?

-Wondering about Mentoring

 

Dear Wondering,

I am excited to hear that you are open to mentoring undergraduates. The opportunity can be transformational for students. Here is a video from the NMSU Foundation featuring a recent graduate talking about her undergraduate research experience:

To answer your first question, yes, undergraduates can contribute to research and creative activity. They may not arrive knowing how to formulate a research question, analyze an archive, wrangle messy data, or conduct an interview, but with good mentoring, they can be strong contributors. Part of the trick is to give them a project they can tackle now, then help them grow into more independent and experienced researchers. And as a reminder, undergraduate research does not have to involve donning a lab coat. Archival research, fieldwork, creative activity, performance, qualitative interviews, and community-based scholarship are all opportunities for meaningful undergraduate research and creative activity. 

Mutual Benefits

Undergraduate research offers many benefits to students. They learn how to think critically and use creativity and ingenuity to solve problems. Research allows them to explore career goals, and research mentors can provide advice on future academic and career pathways, including graduate school. And by having participated in research, they can see themselves as someone who does this kind of work.

For mentors, undergraduates can make meaningful contributions to your research and creativity program, and by mentoring them, you are developing skills that will translate into classroom teaching and mentoring graduate students. You may also be developing a pipeline for future graduate students in your research program. And to be perfectly honest, there is a great deal of satisfaction in seeing a student get to the point of being justifiably proud of what they have accomplished.

Tips for Effective Mentoring

There are several strategies that you can use to avoid pitfalls and get off to a great start with an undergraduate student.

• Start with a realistic project and try to build in some early wins. This helps students develop some confidence while gaining early experience.
• Be clear and transparent about expectations. Undergraduates may not know the unwritten rules and conventions about participating in research and creative activities.
• Ideally, develop a mentoring agreement to set mutual expectations. How often will you communicate? Will you use email, Teams, or Slack? How often will you meet one-on-one or as a group? Who is the point of contact for the student when they need help?
• By setting these mundane (but still important) expectations, you can reduce mentee anxiety and prevent problems caused by misaligned expectations. Here is a link to some sample STEM mentoring agreements that give a sense of what can be included. I suspect these can be adapted for other disciplines.
• Be consistently available and encouraging (even when progress is slow). At the same time, give students some time to struggle when something doesn’t work exactly as expected.

Opportunities for Undergraduates

There are many resources and programs to help NMSU students get involved in undergraduate research and creative activity. The Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (CURCA) has a wealth of resources for students wishing to get started in undergraduate research. ACES has an undergraduate research scholars program, and the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and HEST share the Discovery Scholars Program. Programs like U-RISE and INBRE also offer undergraduate opportunities in biomedical and related areas. But there are also other ways for you to mentor an undergraduate, for example through an independent study course in your department.

Take the Leap

I hope this gives you the resources and inspiration to start your undergraduate mentoring journey. Start small; just one student, one manageable project, and clear expectations. Be prepared to provide a little more guidance at the beginning and then be ready for both of you to be surprised by what the student ends up doing.

~Aggie