FAQs for Research Mentors

The PWL definition of undergraduate research is based on the Council on Undergraduate Research but adapted for PWL as follows:

Undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative inquiry is fundamentally a pedagogical approach to teaching and learning. With an emphasis on process, CUR defines undergraduate research as:

A mentored investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduate and professional students that seeks to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge.

The Purdue OUR identified and defined additional terms related to undergraduate research.

This bookmark highlights ways to engage students in your research and the benefits to you and your program.

Undergraduates may support your scholarly research in a variety of ways, most commonly:

• By contributing member of your research group/lab alongside graduate students and postdocs. 
• As an apprentice working directly on with you in your research .
• Through an independent study or individual research project on a topic the overlaps with your own research.
• As part of a course.

• Disciplines that are less oriented around large funding agencies may benefit from the availability of undergraduates who are interested in contributing to their research.
• Junior faculty or new Purdue employees who are still working their way up to large sources of external funding will find undergraduate students are readily available to support their research.
• Undergraduate students are cheaper to employ than others (graduate students, postdocs, etc). 
• When seeking outside funding, budgeting for undergraduate student researchers may offer cost advantages.

• The National Science Foundation reviews the merit of proposals partly on the broader impact of the proposed work. Budgeting to include undergraduate research assistants can give a project a broader impact by promoting teaching, training, and learning.
• Contributions to the literature. Some student-initiated undergraduate research projects go on to publication, where they can make a novel contribution to the mentor’s field.
• Other projects may complement or supplement other work done in the same lab.
• Mentoring may be rewarded in P&T or evaluations.

Training the next generation:

• Students who start doing research as undergraduates have a head start in their preparation for graduate school. Working with these highly motivated students as undergraduates can lead to their eventually becoming successful researchers in their own right.
• Undergraduate students you mentor may become future professional collaborators.
• Facilitating the professional development of your mentees impacts the future of your field. 

Connecting research and undergraduate education: As the role of higher education in society continues to change, universities have become more concerned about striking a balance between their research agendas and their mission to educate undergraduates. Engaging students in research ties these two aims together uniquely:

• Undergraduate researchers deepen their knowledge of a content area,
• They acquire the technical skills needed to advance to graduate programs, and
• They develop professional skills that will serve them throughout their careers.

There is no institutional expectation to mentor undergraduate students in research experiences; however, it may be expected by your academic unit or by your position description.

If mentoring, in general, is an expectation of promotion and tenure (for faculty) then mentoring undergraduate students within research is an excellent way to meet this expectation since these mentoring contexts often advance faculty research agendas. 

This varies among academic units. Mentoring undergraduate researchers is generally encouraged and appreciated and should be listed on your CV. It is best to consult with your Head and the Primary Committee in your unit about expectations at your career stage.

Most academic units offer courses entitled, “Research” or “Individual Study,” using them as a means to obtain academic credit for research. Typically the credit hours for these course listings are flexible so you and the student can agree on the appropriate level of credit based on the level of time commitment expected of the student.

Other courses integrate research experiences as part of the course. Instructors wishing to add a research experience to their course might be interested in CURE-Purdue.

The federal work-study (FWS) program is administered through the Division of Financial Aid and is a financial aid award offered to students who have demonstrated financial need as determined by their answers on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students covered by FWS will have q portion of their wages covered by the program and the rest will come from your budget.

Students you hire for research and non-research work could be eligible, but financial need is a protected status of students. Therefore, you can ask students if they qualify for federal work-study after you hire them. If they do qualify, they can complete the form on the FWS website and have you submit it to your student payroll administrator. Questions about FWS should be directed to the Division of Financial Aid or your business office.

Yes. In some cases, volunteering may be the best way for a student to "get their foot in the door" or may be the only way to get a research experience with you.

Consider the strengths of the undergraduate student and what they want to gain from the experience to help place them in a role that will be mutually beneficial.

If a student wants to volunteer, we recommend:

• Offering independent credit, if its reasonable, but note that some students will turn down credit if that results in higher tuition.
• Encouraging the student to pursue scholarships or grants that may fund a research experience with you.

You may seek out students in a variety of ways. The most immediate way is to post your position to OURConnect, an online application system where research opportunities are posted and students can search and apply. One approach is to use the various programs that support undergraduate research on campus. Examples include:

• The Discovery Park Undergraduate Research Internship Program (DUIRI) – interdisciplinary
• Margo Katherine Wilke Undergraduate Research Internship (Wilke) – Liberal Arts
• Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) – Engineering during summer.
• See Search Opportunities for a more complete list.

Purdue credit hour guidelines do not specify an hour requirement for independent studies. Your academic department may have expectation standards or background on what is typical. Always discuss your expectations with the student.

Across campus, the expectation is normally in the range of 3 to 5 hours per week per credit hour.

Yes, Purdue reaffirmed its commitment to research integrity and responsible conduct of research by implementing a new Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) standard (S20), effective July 1, 2020. This training standard applies to faculty, staff, trainees, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students who design and conduct research and/or report and publish research outcomes.

RCR training has two components:

1. A core online module (typically, CITI), and
2. customized, field-specific discussions, workshops, or seminars organized and administered by each unit.

There are many platforms that can be used to communicate with your students and many are free. Below is a sample list of free options.

Communication

1. Slack - This provides instant messaging and file transfers. This is useful for text-based communication.
2. WebEx - This is a video meeting room program that is supported by Purdue. This is useful for audio/visual communication.
3. Flipgrid - This tool allows team members to easily upload short videos for feedback and project updates.

Project Management

1. Trello - This list- and card-based system helps projects be grouped in many ways and offers an easy-to-view dashboard.
2. Asana - This tool is free for up to 15 collaborators and would be ideal for small research groups. The free version is only based on the number of collaborators and can be updated to match the current makeup of your group.

Working Together

1. Google Docs - A commonly used platform, but is not supported by Purdue.
2. Microsoft OneDrive - This platform is supported by Purdue and is integrated with MS Outlook.

Many faculty and staff members lead summer undergraduate research programs through the NSF REU program, summer fellowship programs, departmental internships, etc. You can find information on logistics and how to get information on the summer research program leaders' webpage.

The OUR consults with faculty seeking to design a summer research program.

Anything reasonable!

Undergraduate students are eager to delve deeper into their field of interest and are willing to see first-hand what you do as an expert in the field. The type of work that you mentor your undergraduate researcher to do depends on the student's academic background, interests, and skill level. This determination is made between the research mentor and the undergraduate researcher.