6.1 The Mentor’s Aims in Pandemic and Post-Pandemic Mentoring

Valuable mentors recognize that part of their job is to empathize and listen to the real concerns of their mentees. In some ways, the role of the mentor does not fundamentally change from what has been previously discussed in this Handbook. For example, researchers will continue to work in teams collaborating and navigating the intricacies of discovery. However, when such intricacies are coupled with the challenges of pandemic and post-pandemic mentoring, connections become significantly more important. This is especially the case when in cultivating the mentor-mentee relationship from the first meeting.

The main aim of that first meeting between mentor and mentee remains getting to know one another and offering a positive first exposure to the research process. It is our responsibility as mentors to support an informal format of undergraduate mentoring that helps to encourage discussions about career and educational topics, not just focus on the work of research.

A second aim of the mentor’s job is to broaden the mentee’s exposure to research. Virtual conferences, films, links, videos, and websites of academic and research institutions are all valuable resources for broadening online mentorship. Resources encourage critical thinking and scientific communication. Mentors also may want to encourage undergraduate students to volunteer in events that address auditory, kinesthetic, and visual learning that are salient professional expectations in different career paths. Experiencing how research works in other disciplines enables mentees to look at the world via different lenses. Reaching out to peer undergraduate researchers for demonstrations and question/answer sessions can help to foster curiosity and camaraderie.

A third aim in pandemic and post-pandemic mentoring is for mentors to make undergraduate research widely applicable. The basic structure of mentoring as we have presented it aims to have other research programs begin their own initiatives of this kind, which in the long term will help to address representational imbalances across academic institutions that cultivate diverse student identities. Diversity is about asking questions, much as is teaching.

The following case study illustrates some of what we have addressed. As you read, think about commonalities mentors may share about their experiences that upend undergraduate research endeavors during times of severe global challenges.

Case Study: Mentoring Mindset in a Virtual World

José is a transfer student who was accepted during the COVID-19 pandemic. José has visited the college only once and has never received in-person instruction. Professor Singh notes how José begins to distinguish himself in the virtual classroom, far outpacing his peers. José is a natural choice for a possible research project and when Professor Singh solicits mentees, José requests to work with him.

Both Jose and Professor Singh make adjustments as they begin to work together in a virtual setting. Even though their communications are entirely virtual, this does not compromise quality. It turns out that the flexibility of the meeting times is the perfect setting for José. Professor Singh later learns that José is adept with technology and coding, so Professor Singh is able to push the level and quality of work produced by José. In the process, Prof. Singh sees a focused, dynamic person who is committed to his work (Neal, 2011). Whenever José gets stuck in his work, he seizes upon any hints Professor Singh has provided and extends his results. On one occasion, José and Professor Singh had a constant flow of email messages as they exchanged ideas and worked on a problem. Later in the project, Professor Singh learns that José also delivers food for one of his jobs and has to balance several different aspects of his life while maintaining excellence in his studies. As the research project comes to an end, José presents his work at local and national conferences and plans to go to graduate school.

Reflection:  What characteristics did Professor Singh demonstrate as a mentor to help José succeed in his research project? What are some of the characteristics exhibited by José as a mentee that lead to his success?  How did mentoring in an online setting benefit José?

While not all students engaged in undergraduate research pre- and post-pandemic are successful, there are meaningful and tangible characteristics of successful mentoring that come out of the above case study about virtual or online mentoring.