The URSA Grant program is intended to help increase collaborative scholarly, creative, and research projects of interest to both the faculty member and student.  Faculty mentorship of students can be professionally rewarding experiences and ones that have an immediate impact on our students satisfaction with their education and the University.  These experiences have also proven to be a major influence on students’ academic achievement and helped students establish career goals.

     The role of the faculty sponsor is to guide students through an inquiry-based learning experience.  While the project may be one that the student has independently created or one that the faculty member has designed, the student should be given an appropriate orientation and training for the project, including background reading, an introduction to the question to be studied, and information on previous work conducted on the topic.   When feasible, students should be encouraged to work with other students.  Peer learning is an extremely valuable teaching methodology.

     Throughout the term, faculty sponsors should be available to meet one-on-one with students to review their progress and provide feedback.  We have found that regularly scheduled meetings with student researchers contribute significantly to the success of the partnership.   If you happen to work collaboratively with a larger group (other faculty or graduate students), be certain to include your undergraduates in these meetings.

Designing an Undergraduate Project

     Tasks given to undergraduates should be designed to give them educational experiences that are appropriate to the discipline so that they can develop problem solving and critical thinking skills.  When undertaking an undergraduate project, keep the following in mind:
 

•  The student’s responsibilities and assignments should be academic and not clerical in nature.

• When developing the proposal with the student, make certain that the scope of the project and the student's responsibilities are clearly defined, e.g. specify that the student should participate in regular meetings, conduct background readings, attend appropriate seminars, work with senior level students, etc.

• As the project progresses, students should be given increasing levels of responsibility.

Faculty Sponsor Responsibilities

     In agreeing to mentor a student, certain expectations will be made of a faculty member:

1. Assist the student in developing the URSA Grant proposal. (This does not mean you should write the proposal, that is the responsibility of the student.)

2. Orient the student to the project, provide guidelines, set expectations and train as necessary.

3. Meet with the student regularly to discuss progress and training needs.

4. Provide feedback and guidance as needed.  Do not wait until the end of the term to talk with the student about a concern.

5. Assign and evaluate end of term projects promptly.  If your student is working for academic credit be certain to submit a grade at the end of the semester.

6. Contact the URSA office immediately if a student is not performing the work expected on his/her URSA Grant or performing at an acceptable level so that the URSA staff may assist you in resolving any problems