CU Physics
Mentoring Workshop
Acknowledgements:
Important note:
We will NOT be teaching you how to mentor today!
‘Mentoring is learned, not taught’ *
Instead we will:
* Handelsman, J., Pfund, C., Miller Lauffer, S., and Pribbenow, C. M. (2005), Entering Mentoring: A Seminar to Train a New Generation of Scientists, Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press
List steps to take before a student arrives in your lab:
2. Effective communication and
setting expectations
Effective communication is critical right from the start, for aligning the expectations of both mentor and mentee
Communication/Expectations Scenario: Putting in enough time
Joan, an undergraduate, was working hard at her first semester of research, but nobody seemed to notice. Her mentor, Dr. Simms, said Joan could come in whenever she had time available. Joan mentioned to Dr. Simms that she might come in at unusual hours as she tried to fit her part-time job and the research activities around her class and homework schedule. Joan discovered that most of the other undergraduates in the lab did not have part-time jobs to juggle.
At the start of the semester Joan was spending about ten hours per week in the lab, but after a few weeks of solo work with little feedback, her motivation declined and she started to cut her weekly hours progressively shorter. Nobody commented to her about the change, so she assumed that everything was going okay.
One day toward the end of the semester, another undergraduate approached Joan to tell her about a conversation she'd overheard at lunch between Dr. Simms and another professor in the group. According to the student, Dr. Simms was complaining that nothing seemed to have gotten done in the lab this semester. “Dr. Simms made a really snide comment about part-time jobs getting in the way of research,” the other mentee said. “I think you'd better start trying to look busy.”
Communication/Expectations Scenario: Putting in enough time
Guiding questions:
3. Assessing understanding
Scenario: It seemed so clear when you explained it
You have recently explained a complicated computational technique to Josh, your mentee. As you were explaining, Josh nodded the entire time as if he understood every word you were saying. When you were finished with your explanation, you asked Josh if he had any questions. He said no. Just to make sure, you asked Josh if everything was clear. He said yes. Three days later you asked Josh how his work using this technique was going and he told you he hasn’t started because he does not understand the technique.
Understanding Scenario: It seemed so clear when you explained it
Guiding questions:
Important note: Everyone unconsciously makes assumptions on ability based on other cues/factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, ability to speak English, prior experience and background, kinds of questions someone asks, etc. How can mentors address those assumptions?
4. Fostering independence
Scenario: Too Independent?
Natalie, a graduate student, is excited about the new data she just obtained from a recent observing run at a telescope. She's a good independent worker, so her supervisor, Dr. Green, happily lets her tear into the manuals on how to reduce data and read papers by people who have dealt with similar data. Natalie spends a long time studying and then taking careful limited steps. However, she faces numerous decisions on how to proceed that she doesn’t have the experience to answer.
Enough time passes that Dr. Green gets a little worried and checks up on Natalie. Natalie says, “Oh, thank you, I was wondering whether I should come to you with this, but I just wanted to try a couple extra things.” Natalie launches into a long and detailed description of all the worries, decisions, things she's tried, etc. Dr. Green says that careful attention to detail is commendable but it's taking way too much time. Natalie asks Dr. Green for answers to her detailed questions so she can move on, but Dr. Green replies, “Oh, it’s been far too many years since I reduced that kind of data. I don't remember the details, but I remember it only took a few weeks. You'll have to find someone else in the department who's done that more recently.”
Fostering Independence Scenario: Too independent?
Guiding questions:
5. Addressing Diversity
Divide into small groups and pick one or two of the studies described in the worksheet.
Further reading (copies provided)
Bias and Stereotypes Worksheet
Study 1. If African American or female students are asked to identify their race or gender, respectively, at the start of an exam, they will do statistically worse on that exam.†
Study 2. Blind, randomized trial: When asked to rate the quality of verbal skills indicated by a short text, evaluators rated the skills as lower if they were told an African American wrote the text than if a they were told a white person wrote it, and gave lower ratings when told a man wrote it than when told a woman wrote it.‡
Bias and Stereotypes Worksheet
Study 3. Blind, randomized trial: Evaluators rated the same job performance lower if told it was performed by a woman. This difference was substantially greater when evaluator was busy or distracted.§
Study 4. Real life study: Letters of recommendation for successful applicants for medical school faculty positions were analyzed based on gender of applicant. Letters for male applicants were longer and referred to research ability more often. Recommendations for females were shorter and referred to skill as a student/teacher more than a researcher. Females were more likely to be described using “grindstone” adjectives implying success due to hard work and persistence rather than skill.‡‡
6. Ethics
Many different ethical questions can arise in a research setting
Things to consider:
7. Handling Mentoring Challenges
– we are always facing new situations and challenges, and we are always learning.
8. Summary
Useful additional resources
● Full CIMER curriculum can be be found here: https://cimerproject.org/
● Online mentoring training from UMN: https://ctsi.umn.edu/training/mentors/mentor-training
● Mentoring podcast series: https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/the-science-of-effective-mentoring-in-stemm
https://www.colorado.edu/physics/academics/mental-health-resources
https://www.colorado.edu/oiec/reporting-resolutions/who-required-report
You aren’t expected to be an expert - if in doubt just call OIEC to discuss.
THANK YOU!