Student-mentor Relationship Research Articles

Design and implementation of an asynchronous online course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) in computational genomics.

As genomics technologies advance, there is a growing demand for computational biologists trained for genomics analysis but instructors face significant hurdles in providing formal training in computer programming, statistics, and genomics to biology students. Fully online learners represent a significant and growing community that can contribute to meet this need, but they are frequently excluded from valuable research opportunities which mostly do not offer the flexibility they need. To address these opportunity gaps, we developed an asynchronous course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) for computational genomics specifically for fully online biology students. We generated custom learning materials and leveraged remotely accessible computational tools to address 2 novel research questions over 2 iterations of the genomics CURE, one testing bioinformatics approaches and one mining cancer genomics data. Here, we present how the instructional team distributed analysis needed to address these questions between students over a 7.5-week CURE and provided concurrent training in biology and statistics, computer programming, and professional development. Scores from identical learning assessments administered before and after completion of each CURE showed significant learning gains across biology and coding course objectives. Open-response progress reports were submitted weekly and identified self-reported adaptive coping strategies for challenges encountered throughout the course. Progress reports identified problems that could be resolved through collaboration with instructors and peers via messaging platforms and virtual meetings. We implemented asynchronous communication using the Slack messaging platform and an asynchronous journal club where students discussed relevant publications using the Perusall social annotation platform. The online genomics CURE resulted in unanticipated positive outcomes, including students voluntarily discussing plans to continue research after the course. These outcomes underscore the effectiveness of this genomics CURE for scientific training, recruitment and student-mentor relationships, and student successes. Asynchronous genomics CUREs can contribute to a more skilled, diverse, and inclusive workforce for the advancement of biomedical science.

Mental wellbeing of student paramedics before and after first ambulance placement

Background: Emergency ambulance workers are at risk of poor mental wellbeing. Student paramedics in the UK attend ambulance placements, which expose them to the same stresses; they also have their own stress factors. Little research has explored how these placements affect student mental wellbeing. Aim: This pilot study aims to address this gap into the ways in which students'mental wellbeing may be affected by ambulance placements. Methods: A mixed-method approach, using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS), with two questionnaires including wellbeing scores and open questions, was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data on first-year student paramedics before and after their first ambulance placement. Results: Twenty participants were included in the final analysis, three-quarters of whom witnessed at least one traumatic event during their placement. There was a statistically insignificant difference between wellbeing scores before and after the placement. There were five themes: positive learning experience; theory-practice gap; student-mentor relationship; student resilience; and career consolidation. Conclusion: Mental wellbeing did not change significantly after the first ambulance placement. Placement was overall a positive experience that confirmed career choice and narrowed the theory-practice gap. Mentor support was protective during traumatic events. A similar, larger study could track student wellbeing throughout their course and identify factors that may protect or damage wellbeing.

When and why do medical students drop out of extracurricular longitudinal general practice tracks? A cross-sectional study from two German medical faculties

ObjectivesTo explore when and why undergraduate medical students drop out of longitudinal extracurricular general practice (GP) tracks and to describe their future career plans.DesignCross-sectional online survey and descriptive analysis of...

Early Career Support for Biomedical Exchange Students with an International Mentor-to-Mentor Concept - The Biomedical Education Program (BMEP).

In medicine, many international exchange opportunities exist, yet often only towards the end of the course of study. Opportunities for students to gain high-level international research experience early during the studies are rare. A good student-mentor relationship during a research stay abroad is a key factor for scientific success. The aims of this paper are to report on an international exchange and education program that has funded more than 700 students and has been carefully developed and advanced over more than 40 years, its mentor-to-mentor concept and potential success factors for building and maintain such programs. A summary of the history, the concept and the experiences of students is provided, along with a discussion of evaluation results and success factors. The Biomedical Education Program (BMEP) team has - within the last seven years of leadership by the authors - selected and funded 83 German students from different biomedical studies who went abroad for research projects. Preliminary evaluation results show a high degree of satisfaction with the program and its mentor-to-mentor concept, which we deem to be the key to success. Further factors include continued funding, determination, self-organization and assertiveness, an excellent alumni network and a meticulous selection process for both, students and hosts. Further, more detailed evaluation of survey results has to follow. Our results may support the build-up of similar exchange programs.

A Change in Interpersonal Relational Capital: Through mentoring relationships and homework activities in a university setting

This article presents an innovative project revolving around student participation in homework activities. The theoretical framework is relational pedagogy with a focus on student-mentor relationships in a university setting. The authors used semi-structured interviews combined with observations of the interactions between the participants. The findings are analysed at a micro- and meso-level, based on an interpersonal relational perspective on teaching, Pedagogical Relational Teachership (PeRT). The popular claim that homework time is positively related to scholastic achievements gains was observed. The findings from this study add to the general knowledge of how participants perceive their school activities and future careers. Furthermore, relational values like connecting, belonging, trusting, including and confidence-building emerged between students and mentors over time. The examination of the mentor-student relationships highlights how a new interpersonal relational capital launched a movement with a possible change in social position, in terms of entering future university studies. The article discusses the results at a societal level in relation to equity and young people’s possibilities of participating in future university studies. Since the study shows the positive aspects of ‘enriching’ activities supporting immigrant youth in homework activities at university facilities, we encourage other institutions of higher education to open up their premises for similar projects, in order to improve engagement, raise achievement levels and enhance inclusiveness in the larger social fabric.

Curiosity-Based Biophysics Projects in a High School Setting with Graduate Student Mentorship

Curiosity-Based Biophysics Projects in a High School Setting with Graduate Student Mentorship

AUTHORSHIP MALPRACTICES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Although the variety of research malpractices in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) is similar to those documented in developed nations, authorship misuse and related issues appear to be more prevalent in the former. This article focuses on some authorship-related topics in LMIC, namely authorship disputes, excessive co-authorship and monetary incentives, authorship issues in student-mentor relationships, and authorship patterns in North-South collaborations. Universities and official bodies in LMIC must supervise the integrity of the whole research process, provide instructions on responsible research and authorship, set up the required postgraduate training programs, foster good role models in authorship, and designate an ombudsperson to advice and respond to complaints of researchers, especially students and junior faculty. Lastly, a recent framework that combines descriptive and normative elements and then uses proper metaphors to achieve an ethical definition of authorship useful in international settings is highlighted.

How Supervising Students Can Enrich Your Career—and Your Health Care Facility

How Supervising Students Can Enrich Your Career—and Your Health Care Facility

Soliciting feedback on the wards: a peer-to-peer workshop.

For medical students, soliciting feedback is a critical but difficult skill that merits proper training. This skill may be taught effectively by peers who have experienced challenges with feedback on the wards. Two medical students developed and taught a workshop on feedback skills. The workshop was presented to 248 third-year students. The workshop trained students in soliciting, receiving and responding to feedback through interactive discussions of case scenarios. Students were given pre- and post-surveys to assess changes in their confidence in and attitudes towards the feedback process. There were statistically significant increases in students' likeliness to solicit feedback and confidence in their ability to solicit feedback. Students' view on the importance of feedback did not change. The most commonly cited barriers to feedback were time constraints, fear of negative feedback, emotions and skills when asking for feedback, and student-mentor relationship. The content the students valued the most was management of internal triggers to negative feedback. Students noted that the peer-to-peer format, case scenarios, and interactive questions were strengths of the workshop. Although medical students recognise the importance of feedback, they often lack the confidence and skills to obtain quality feedback. A peer-to-peer workshop on soliciting, receiving, and responding to feedback can be an effective method to improve students' confidence and skills in this area. More research needs to be done to conclude if this workshop increases the instances of students soliciting high-quality feedback on the wards and improves clinical performance.

The student–mentor relationship

The student–mentor partnership is essential for future midwives. But, as Karen Barker explores, it is a bilateral relationship that offers as much to the mentor as it does to the student

Authentic Undergraduate Research in Plant Science: The Importance of Mentor-Student Relationships

Active learning can improve student engagement and learning outcomes by encouraging students to use higher order thinking skills. One strategy is involving students in research during their undergraduate studies where students are given the opportunity to design, implement, analyse and present a scientific research experiment under the guidance of an academic mentor. This study evaluates the role the student-mentor relationship played in the value of the research project for both students and mentors in a level II plant science course. Survey data collected between 2015 and 2017 showed that the majority (80% in 2017) of students agreed that the research project was a valuable part of the course. In addition, students found the interaction with their mentor was important. Communication between student and mentor was seen as very important with 90% of the student cohort indicating that they agreed or strongly agreed that communication was important to the research project. The vast majority of mentors (over 75%) were able to see the value to students of the research project. The majority of mentors felt it was easy to communicate with their student group and that students were responsive to their suggestions. This study has shown that preparing both students and mentors for participation in an authentic research project has positive impacts on student engagement.

A literature review exploring student midwives' experiences of continuity of mentorship on the labour ward

Background Continuity of mentorship is central to students' clinical placement experience. Despite a plethora of studies investigating student-mentor relationships and how it affects grading, limited attention has been paid to the extent to which a lack of continuity of mentorship affects placement experience. Aims To explore the importance of mentor continuity on labour ward for pre-registration midwifery students. Methods A database search was conducted using the terms: ‘student midwives’, ‘continuity’, ‘mentor’, ‘preceptor’, ‘mentorship’, ‘labour ward’, ‘delivery suite’ and ‘experiences.’ Findings Continuity of mentorship enhances learning and improves clinical practice experience. Conclusions A lack of continuity affects all aspects of student midwives’ experiences of the labour ward. Good mentor practice should focus on continuity and the introduction of co-mentoring, where a student is mentored by at least 2 midwives, in order to reduce the strain on mentors while retaining the feeling of belonging that student midwives value.

Midwifery students in health visitor placements: the importance of student-mentor relationships

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore midwifery students and health visitor practice mentors experiences of a health visiting placement for midwifery students, focusing on the student-mentor relationship. DesignInterview study SettingEast London, United Kingdom ParticipantsEighteen students and eighteen mentors were invited to take part in an interview. Ten midwifery students (55.5%) and fifteen health visitor practice mentors (83.3%) took part in interviews or provided information via email. Thematic analysis was used to analyse findings. FindingsThe main study finding was that students reported valuing practice mentors who took the time to get to know them, were welcoming and enthusiastic and planned their time in advance. The mentors in turn spoke highly of the students who were keen and enthusiastic about the placement, but noted that not all students had appeared interested. Key conclusionsThe findings from this small interview study show that taking time to make the students feel welcome was important to facilitate a student-mentor relationship. Another important factor in whether a student enjoyed their placement was the mentors’ advance planning.

Queen Mother Audley Moore: Mentor and Teacher

Queen Mother Audley MooreMentor and Teacher Muhammad Ahmad (bio) My first contact with Queen Mother Audley Moore came through Mrs. Ethel Johnson, who was the initial mentor for the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM) in Philadelphia. Mrs. Johnson, who lived in North Carolina, was an activist with Monroe, North Carolina NAACP leader Robert Williams. Queen Mother was part of a group of nationalists who supported and raised funds for Williams and the Monroe NAACP's support of self-defense in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Mrs. Johnson told me she was in the Harriet Tubman study group with Queen Mother Moore and Mabel Holloway, another elder in RAM. Before Mrs. Johnson left Philadelphia to return to Monroe, she said "I'm not going to leave you without a mentor" and took me to see Queen Mother Moore. At that point it didn't resonate with me what was going on. One day, I was walking by Queen Mother's house, and something told me to go up to her window. Sure enough it opened. I went into her study. From one end to the other there were clippings that went back to the 1930s. There were all kinds of things you wouldn't get in a history book. I don't know how long I was in there. Then she opened the door and said: "Oh, what do we have here?" This was like fate. She said: "Don't stop darling, I'll fix you dinner." I spent the whole weekend listening to her. This started our student-mentor relationship. Queen Mother had a series of discussions with RAM. Formed in Philadelphia in 1963, RAM was the first revolutionary nationalist group of African Americans to use direct action organizing techniques and to advocate for armed self-defense. She gave the young RAM cadre political works to read and provided us with a historical-theoretical foundation for our political work. She would send us pamphlets by Marx like "Wages, Price, and Profit." [End Page 169] She also sent Mao's "On Practice," and "On Contradiction." We also studied African American history. She gave us James Allen's Reconstruction: The Battle for Democracy, Black Reconstruction by W. E. B. DuBois, and Negro Liberation by Harry Haywood. We also studied Herbert Aptheker's American Negro Slave Revolts. Queen Mother Moore was initiated into a political life of resistance as a member of Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association, but her foundation as a political thinker and organizer came from her years in the Communist Party USA. Moore initially joined the International Labor League that was defending the Scottsboro Boys (nine African American youth accused of raping two white women) thinking it was the Communist Party. She officially joined the party in 1933, encouraged by its involvement with the Scottsboro case and advocacy of civil rights. The party helped her hone her organizational skills among working-class people and gave her an in-depth understanding of capitalism. Queen Mother took up able leadership in the Harlem section of the Communist Party. In March 1941, she was elected executive secretary of the 21st Assembly District of Harlem section of the party. In 1943, she was the campaign manager for party candidate Benjamin Davis, who became the second black councilman in New York City. She began the campaign with $50 and a Harlem storefront. She grew the campaign significantly, getting Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, Paul Robeson, and Joe Louis to support Davis. In February 1948, Queen Mother was a speaker at the Women's State Committee Convention of the Communist Party. She said she resigned from the party in 1950. As an independent organizer, Queen Mother, and her sisters Eloise Moore and Mother Langley, founded the University Association of Ethiopian Women, which worked for racial justice for black men in Louisiana throughout the 1950s and 1960s. She also led a successful campaign to restore twenty-three thousand African American and white families to welfare rolls after they were cut off by Louisiana state authorities. Queen Mother and her sisters also raised the question of reparations. In 1962, Moore organized the Reparations Committee of the Descendants of the United States...

Academic practice par excellence: Martin Hinrich Lichtenstein’s role in Adelbert von Chamisso’s career as naturalist

AbstractAdelbert von Chamisso’s (1781–1838) career as a naturalist is increasingly well-documented. Comparatively little, however, is known of his mentor and director of the Berlin Zoological Museum, Martin Hinrich Lichtenstein (1780–1857). This article highlights Lichtenstein’s influential role in Chamisso’s early career by reconstructing key moments of the student-mentor relationship from twelve yet unpublished letters (letters are presented in full in a separate contribution). It investigates the resources, rhetorical strategies, and allies necessary for establishing oneself as a scholar in the early nineteenth-century academic culture of Berlin.

Student nurse mentoring: an evaluative study of the mentor's perspective.

An evaluative study aimed to capture the 'mentor voice' and provide an insight into the mentoring role from the perspective of the nurse mentor. Participants from each of the four fields of nursing practice were asked to comment on the satisfying and frustrating aspects of their mentoring role. The narrative data gleaned from the evaluation were qualitatively analysed and subsequently organised into key themes around the student-mentor relationship and the clinical environment. Given that the landscape of nurse education is set to change, in terms of new standards from the professional bodies and the political drivers, not to mention the changing profile of the student nurse, it is hoped that the findings may help to shape the relationship between the mentor, the student and the higher education institution.

'Bridging the Gap between the Campus and the Corporate: Increasing Employability' - Challenges, Opportunities and Methods

India is the world’s second largest producer of engineering and technical graduates. Unfortunately, many of these graduates are not immediately ‘employable’. Sangeeta Gupta, Senior Vice President, NASSCOM said, “Our engineers are not unemployable, they just don’t have industry-ready talent. In other words, they lack the skills required for the jobs that are available to them.”Technical educations and Degrees alone do not suffice to the expanding needs and requirements of Industries. Many employers today look for a set of skills that are often developed on cross-functional assignments. The need today is of those ‘workers’, be it at unskilled, semi-skilled or skilled level, who are adequately trained and equally confident.Unfortunately, many of the technical degrees and educational programs do not have a comprehensive curriculum along with a skill development plan that will make all their students ‘industry-ready’.Deemed unfit in communication skills, confidence, presentation, problem-solving capabilities and generic abilities, many young people are trapped in low-productivity, temporary or other types of work that don't pave the way for better jobs. In developed economies, youth are increasingly employed in temporary and part-time jobs while in the developing world many perform low underpaying or unpaid work supporting informal family businesses or organizations. An alarming figure presenting hard reality had been brought to the notice of the teachers, planners, executors and administrators in the education system. This called for immediate action and a ruffling up of the education system. It brought a thought about the problem and what was the ‘gap’ that was causing the mismatch between the demand and the supply of qualified and ‘technically able professionals’ for the industry.The gap was felt to be in between the education and practical application of technical methods. There was a discrepancy seen when the theory learnt in the top institutes was not practiced well and when the same students joined the industry in their specific area of expertise. They were unable to go beyond the book and think of new and novel concepts. Many intelligent students often lack the best presentation skills, are not confident conversing in languages other than their mother tongue, lack initiative, do not display leadership and cannot adapt easily to new surroundings.The system came up with the practical method of training, as suitable to the students which has potential to be developed to a greater extent relative to the traditional pedagogical means of teaching.For training to be effective it has to be a planned activity conducted after a thorough need analysis and target at certain competencies. Focusing solely on skills defined as transferable, many experts have and continue to examine the development of communication, leadership, team working, and adaptability skills in technical education programmes at the undergraduate level. In particular, the potential contribution of mentors in providing feedback to students to help them develop and assess more clearly their skill levels in these areas is very important of late. Developing effective student-mentor relationships and highlighting the vital need for management students’ transferable skills to be developed to a greater extent relative to traditional pedagogical education is the focus.The problem lies mainly in the thought, planning, customization or execution of educational means and the currently evolving methods of training. The paper is primarily exploratory in nature. The paper gives a brief review of the professional educational system with analysis of a section of the technical institutions. Students’ views are briefly presented. It seeks to explore the industry’s needs and requirements from recruitment . It seeks to analyze challenges in the current educational system and how training aims to provide an able opportunity to bridge the ‘gap’ between the campus and the corporate.

Student–Mentor Relationships and Students' College Attitudes

ABSTRACTMany college and SAT preparation programs are designed to improve the postsecondary success of traditionally marginalized students. In addition to academic preparation, students' social and emotional preparation is important for the transition from high school to college. Mentors can serve as role models and supports to aid students in this development. Using student survey data and hierarchical linear modeling, this study examines the influences of student–mentor relationships within an SAT program setting on students' college attitudes. Results indicate that these relationships can positively influence students' college attitudes, particularly for students who have lower baseline SAT scores. Recommendations for future research and practice are provided.

Exploring the factors that contribute towards better student-mentor relationship in work-based learning (WBL) practice

Mentors are called upon to counsel, guide, coach and advise mentees. Mentoring creates a relationship with the purpose of facilitating learners to achieve their learning goals. It allows individuals to look objectively at their performance and future development. Mentoring takes a formal setting in WBL practice which involves an experience for learning and a change in which mentor and mentee utilize a range of core components including honesty, trust and respectful listening to transfer knowledge and skills. Students on WBL practice view mentors as the right professionals with advanced work experience and knowledge from whom they may seek assistance for their professional and personal development. While many students undertaking WBL practice have experienced positive mentoring, there are some that complain about the lack of attention and care provided by their mentors. Most studies investigated the antecedents, outcomes, and benefits of programs with little attention given to identifying and illustrating what is required to ensure the quality of the mentoring process and the effectiveness of the mentoring relationship. This study sought to identify the factors that contribute towards positive mentoring for enhancing the student-mentor relationship. A survey questionnaire was designed for exploring the factors that lead to positive mentoring in WBL practice. The questionnaire was administered to students of the University of Mauritius who undertook WBL practice at the respective placement settings. Mentors providing the necessary coaching at these practice settings were also requested to complete a questionnaire. The findings reveal a list of the main factors which can lead to successful mentoring and enhance the student-mentor relationship. The element of ‘trust’ was found to be the most influential factor in the relationship, followed by ‘empathy’ and ‘openness’. These factors are seen to enhance interactive capability of mentees which contribute much towards improved acquisition of knowledge and skills in the practice.

Reflecting on the meaning of true nursing quality

It is not uncommon to look back over our lives and recognise the important roles various people may have played. As part of my nurse education I had several work placements across the county to gain valuable nursing experience and a critical element to my learning. During that time I came into contact with nurses of varying levels of ability and grades. Two nurses have had a significant impact on me as I felt they demonstrated the polar opposites of what I perceived to be nursing qualities. Spouse (1996) argues that the most important feature of a work placement is the quality of the student–mentor relationship, a viewpoint with which I heartily agree. One of the first mentors during my nursing education quickly made me feel disillusioned and dissatisfied due to his poor attendance, unprofessional attitude and low application to work duties. His consistently vocal negativity towards mental health nursing had a depressing and demoralising effect upon me, particularly as I had only just taken my first steps into the world of nursing. Darling (1985) describes those mentors who abdicate their responsibility as ‘dumpers’. She referred to these mentors with whom we have negative relationships as ‘toxic mentors’ due to the detrimental effect they have on the mentee. I did not wish to be viewed negatively or to cause conflict with my mentor and therefore felt unable to voice my concerns either with the mentor or the team manager; unfortunately during this period my guidance tutor was absent on sick leave. With hindsight I managed the situation poorly by avoiding what I perceived as potential conflict rather than dealing with the issue proactively. Similarly to most nursing students I took action after completing the placement (Gray and Smith, 2000). Since this was not my first mentoring experience, I was left with a bitter after taste about the ethics and standards within mental health nursing and questioned whether I had made the right career choice. Pearcy and Elliott (2004) found that traumatic placement experiences have been cited as one of the reasons given by students for noncompletion of pre-registration courses. The second nurse was a team manager of a community mental health team. I had previous knowledge of the team and admired the strength of the team’s ethos of inclusiveness. I observed with interest the interaction between the team manager, his staff and service users. He was unstinting in his compassion, care and warmth towards others with an expert knowledge of his field. He showed a genuine interest in the person, whether it was a team member or service user. As a consequence he appeared to inspire the affection, admiration and respect of those around him. I reflected upon his qualities and skills with the aim of understanding what I could learn and take away from my observations to integrate into my own nursing practice. The team manager held a small caseload but due to the nature of the team remained familiar with all service users. He continually went beyond the call of duty, resulting in his nomination by service users for a local trust award. Daily morning meetings were held where open communication was encouraged with each member of staff, students included, able to voice an opinion without fear of criticism. This increased a feeling of being valued, where every person’s opinion counted. Being valued was further emphasised by the team manager giving praise, either publicly during a team meeting or privately on a one-to-one basis. I have observed the positive effect this had on staff. Doran et al (2004) contend the provision of support, encouragement and constructive feedback, taking a genuine and considerate interest in staff are instrumental in increasing cooperation and teamwork. Emotional intelligence demands selfawareness and an ability to be warm and empathetic within interpersonal relationships (Hurley, 2008). While admiring the team manager’s qualities and skills, human beings are unique and complex, and therefore individual. While I recognise the importance of how he manages situations, staff and service users, I need to ensure that I remain genuine and ‘true’ to myself, adapting my personal style rather than attempting to produce a carbon copy. Hurley (2008) outlines the importance of the use of ‘authentic self ’ within interpersonal relationships, necessitating congruence between actions, verbal and non-verbal communication. Taylor (2010) remarks on the ‘ordinariness’ of the nurse–patient relationship and the connectedness of being human. By ‘living authentically—of not living outside myself behind a veneer or a mask’ (Taylor, 2010) the connections of being human can enhance the quality of the providing and receiving of care, the holistic underpinnings to nursing practice. BJN