7.3 Overall Research Program Assessment

When the research project is completed, a summative assessment by the mentor can be helpful to review overall program performance and effectiveness. The following open-ended questions are designed to provide insights when appraising the research program.

Program Area 1: Mentee Access and Selection Process

• How many potential mentees contacted you to inquire about the possibility of research projects? Do you think that more/different advertising of the program might increase the number of quality candidates?
• Did you pre-select the mentee on the basis of school performance, background knowledge, and skills?
• Were you satisfied with the academic preparation of the mentee prior to them joining your research group?
• Was this the first research experience for the mentee?

Program Area 2: Research Experience

• Would you consider this research project to have been successful overall? Did the mentee complete the project and generally achieve the goals that were set at the beginning?
• If the mentee encountered difficulties, please provide a brief description of what they were and how you worked together to overcome them.
• What skills do you think the mentee gained or was able to improve upon during the research project?
• How would you evaluate the attitude of the mentee to independent research? You can comment, for example, on problem-solving ability, ability to learn and digest new concepts quickly, and critical and analytical thinking.
• How would you evaluate the ability of the mentee to interact with others (mentors and other students if the research was carried on in a group) and give and receive feedback?
• How would you evaluate the mentee’s motivation, grit, and personal maturity level in relation to what you think is needed to succeed in this field of research?
• In your opinion, what are the major strengths and weaknesses of the mentee at the current stage?

Program Area 3: Mentoring Experience

• Were you satisfied with the level of commitment of the mentee (number of hours worked per week, pace of progress, timeliness, ability to meet deadlines)?
• Did you have a comfortable relationship with the mentee, in relation to overall ease to discourse, willingness to listen to feedback, and level of interaction?

Recommendations

• Would you—or did you—encourage the mentee to continue participating in the program? Why or why not?
• Do you think that the mentee would be a good candidate to be a peer mentor for other students in the program?

Summative assessment is a valuable tool for program redirection and enhancement. It also serves as a critical mechanism for future program evolution and growth. This allows an undergraduate mentoring program to be dynamic, systematic, and refined. The overall goal is to provide mentees with the tools and the skills needed for further research endeavors.