Pre-project Assessment

Independent mentored project - Pre assessment

There is a plethora of research on the benefits of having a mentored relationship with a professor and being engaged together in an independent scholarly or creative project. To be sure HPU students are experiencing those same benefits as the literature indicates we need to assess the experiences of our students. This is an assessment survey about your skill sets and experience with research or creative works at the start of your project. Please complete this form only after you registered your project on the Mentee Registry. We will follow up with similar questions at the end of your project so we have data on how the experience of doing mentored work impacted your undergraduate experience. Please be as honest as you can about your skills. You are not expected to come into the experience with experience.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Date*

Name*

First Last

Student ID no. (userid)*

Sex

Female

Male

HPU Email*

Enter Email Confirm Email

Major*

If you have more than one major, please select the major that reflects your mentored project.

An independent undergraduate research and creative works (URCW) project is defined here as a student-faculty collaborative inquiry, investigation, or creative work produced by an undergraduate student that makes an original contribution to the discipline and reaches beyond a class assignment. According to this definition, are you engaged in a URCW project with a mentor at HPU?*

Yes

I'm not sure

Topic of your project

The project topic is how we will we will identify your research over time. If you have more than one project on a related topic, please make sure the topic reflects some difference so we can differentiate your projects.

Mentor's Name*

First Last

Mentor's Name if there is a second mentor

First Last

Directions

Please answer the first two questions on a 5 point scale where 5 is the highest rating and 1 is the lowest score.

Rate the degree to which you think you currently manage your time efficiently in your studies.*

Uses and understands professional and discipline-specific language.*

Directions

Please answer the following questions on a 5 point scale where 5 means Always and 1 is Never. There is also the option to say the question does not apply to you (N/A).

COMMUNICATION

Expresses ideas in an organized, clear, concise, and accurate manner.*

Writes clearly and effectively in the format specific to the discipline.*

Can present material to a public audience in a clear and engaging way.*

CREATIVITY

Brings new insights to the problem at hand.*

Shows ability to approach problems from different perspectives.*

Combines information in new ways and/or demonstrates intellectual resourcefulness.*

Effectively connects multiple ideas/approaches.*

AUTONOMY

Demonstrates the ability to work independently and identify when input, guidance, and feedback are needed.*

Accepts constructive criticism and applies feedback effectively.*

Displays high level of confidence in ability to meet challenges.*

Uses time well to ensure work gets accomplished and meets deadlines.*

ABILITY TO DEAL WITH OBSTACLES

Learns from, and is not discouraged by, set-backs and unforeseen events.*

Shows flexibility and a willingness to take risks and try again.*

PRACTICE AND PROCESS OF INQUIRY

Demonstrates ability to formulate questions and hypotheses within the discipline*

Demonstrates ability to properly identify and/or generate reliable data.*

Shows understanding of knowledge is generated, validated, and communicated within the discipline.*

NATURE OF DISCIPLINARY KNOWLEDGE

Shows understanding of the practitioners think within the discipline (e.g., biologist, artist) and view the world around them.*

Shows understanding of important current individuals within the discipline.

CRITICAL THINKING AND PROBLEM SOLVING

Trouble-shoots problems, searches for ways to do things more effectively, and generates, evaluates, and selects between alternatives.*

Recognizes discipline-specific problems and challenges established thinking when appropriate.*

Recognizes flaws, assumptions, and missing elements in arguments.*

UNDERSTANDING ETHICAL CONDUCT

Shows understanding and respect for intellectual property rights.*

Predicts, recognizes, and weights the risks and benefits of the project for others.*

Recognizes the severity of creating, modifying, misrepresenting, or misreporting data including omission or elimination of data/findings or authorship.*

INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT

Demonstrates growth from basic to more complex thinking in the discipline.*

Recognizes problems are often more complicated than they first appear to be and the most economical solution is usually preferred over convoluted explanations.*

Approaches problems from a perspective that there can be more than one right explanation or model or even not at all.*

Displays accurate insight into the extent of one's own knowledge and understanding and an appreciation for what is not known.*

CULTURE OF SCHOLARSHIP

Is involved in the scholarly community of the discipline and/or professional societies.*

List professional communities or societies you have joined.

Behaves with a high level of collegiality and ethical responsibility.*

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE SKILLS/METHODOLOGY/TECHNIQUES

Displays detailed and accurate knowledge of key facts and concepts.*

Displays a thorough grasp of relevant research methods or techniques in the discipline and is clear about how these methods or techniques apply to the project being undertaken.*

Demonstrates an advanced level of requisite skills.*

CONFIDENCE

How confident are you in your skills at this time? (note the slight change in the scale)*

Please share an explanation for your level of confidence and/or other comments about how confident you are.

Rate the degree to which you think you are meticulous in keeping records of your academic work.*

These last open questions are optional!

We do hope you will take a few minutes to answer them. But please be brief. We do not expect long responses to any of these questions. There are also no right or wrong answers. Our purpose to to understand your expectations, interests, and concerns when starting this endeavor.

Why did you decide to do an undergraduate mentored project?

How did you decide on your project? what ideas, people, literature and/or academic experience informed your decision?

Discuss briefly what you know about the research or creative process, what you are uncertain about, and what you think you have left to learn.

What strengths do you bring to this project and what uncertainties, if any, do you have about undertaking this project?

How do you see your faculty mentor's role and your own role in the project?

H0w might you assess the value of your research project if the outcome is not what you expected, the outcome is ambiguous, or you were unable to realize your project goal?

Please describe your current academic and work career plans. How do you expect this project to be relevant to those plans?

Untitled

In thinking about taking on this project, do you have concerns? What concerns you the most?

Acknowledgement

This assessment is modified (with permission) from an assessment tool created by Buffalo State (2013).