Mentoring Undergraduates in a Virtual Summer Research and Professional Development Program

This guide will introduce you to mentoring undergraduates from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds via a virtual summer research and professional development program, through which they will acquire critical research skills, better understand potential research career paths, and prepare for taking their next steps toward their research career goals. It will cover general topics relevant to mentoring, such as setting expectations for the mentoring relationship and creating an inclusive learning environment, as well as topics specific to mentoring an undergraduate in the Leadership Alliance’s 2020 Virtual Summer Research — Early Identification Program (VSR-EIP), such as choosing a project appropriate to digitally mediated research and mentoring toward participation/presentation at the Virtual Leadership Alliance National Symposium (VLANS). Each section of the guide contains multiple types of resources to help you navigate the virtual mentoring experience, such as peer-reviewed literature on mentoring, summaries of best practices, short mentoring vignettes from members of the Leadership Alliance community, or mentoring resources such as checklists and interactive exercises.

Up next: The Leadership Alliance Commitment to Outstanding Mentorship