Acquire formal training in the art of effective research mentoring, a pivotal skill for long-term career success
Graduate Student Mentor Training Course
The UR2PhD graduate student mentor training course is a virtual, synchronous course that prepares participants to provide effective mentorship in a research setting.
The curriculum aims to familiarize students with empirically-proven principles and best practices in mentorship. By the end of the series, participants will be capable of explaining and recognizing techniques for fostering inclusive, positive, and successful mentorship environments. They will also formalize their personal mentoring philosophy.
This course intends to serve as a professional development opportunity for graduate students. Our hope is that participants in this course will continue to mentor students beyond the term in which they participate.
Eligibility
To be eligible to participate, graduate students must be actively engaged in mentoring undergraduate researchers. This course requires concurrent mentorship practice. Priority will be given to mentors of undergraduate participants in the UR2PhD research training course.
Students must be currently enrolled in a North American-based institution to participate.
Application Deadlines
2025 DEADLINES:
- If you plan to participate in the summer term, apply by May 11
- If you plan to participate in the fall term, apply by September 3
Benefits of participating
Responsibilities and expectations
Participants in the course must certify understanding and adherence to the following responsibilities and expectations:
2025 course offerings
Our team anticipates meeting on Tuesdays at 12pm ET and Wednesdays at 4pm ET during the spring of 2025.
| Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A: Tuesday, 12pm – 1pm ET | 1/21 | 1/28 | 2/4 | 2/11 | 2/18 | 2/25 | 3/4 | 3/11 | 3/18 | 3/25 | 4/1 |
| B: Wednesday, 4pm – 5pm ET | 1/22 | 1/29 | 2/5 | 2/12 | 2/19 | 2/26 | 3/5 | 3/12 | 3/19 | 3/26 | 4/2 |
For the summer and fall of 2025, we anticipate offering the course on the following dates.
Please note these dates are subject to change and will be finalized after instructors are hired for the term.
| Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday & Thursday 12 – 1pm ET 3 – 4pm ET | 5/20 | 5/22 | 5/27 | 5/29 | 6/3 | 6/10 | 6/17 | 6/24 | 7/8 | 7/15 | 7/22 |
| Session | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 3pm – 4pm ET | 9/9 | 9/16 | 9/23 | 9/30 | 10/7 | 10/14 | 10/21 | 11/4 | 11/18 | 12/2 | 12/9 |
| Wednesday 12pm – 1pm ET | 9/10 | 9/17 | 9/24 | 10/1 | 10/8 | 10/15 | 10/22 | 11/5 | 11/19 | 12/3 | 12/10 |
Compensation
Participants who successfully complete the graduate student mentor training program in its entirety will receive a $1,000 stipend. Stipends will be paid directly to participants following the completion of the course and required documentation (i.e., Independent Contractor’s Agreement, W-9 or W-8BEN Forms, and Direct Deposit Form).
To be considered as having “completed” the course, graduate student participants must actively engage in and attend course sessions, complete all assigned coursework, and have a maximum of two unexcused absences. If a graduate student has more than two unexcused absences, they will not receive the stipend. This criterion ensures an optimal learning experience for all participants and maintains the program’s integrity.
Students at non-institutional partner schools:
Mentors of undergraduate students in the research training course who are not affiliated with our institutional partners can apply to participate.
All students who apply will need to have their eligibility verified by their faculty mentor. Priority will be given to mentors of undergraduates participating in the research training course.
We recommend taking the following actions if you are interested in participating:
- Talk to your faculty advisor about advising a team of 2-4 undergraduate researchers
- In collaboration with your faculty advisor, identify a research project that would advance your research and be suitable for undergraduates
- Determine what session is most appropriate for the research experience (i.e. spring, summer, or fall), and whether undergraduates will receive course credit or pay for their participation
- Recruit the undergraduate student researchers using an inclusive process that encourages participation of new researchers
- Encourage selected researchers apply to the undergraduate research training course
- Apply to the graduate student mentor training course
What should participants expect once they are accepted?
All graduate students (irrespective of entry point) will be required to complete a course commitment form. The commitment form will ask to students to certify that they understand the course expectations and agree to follow them. Students will also be asked to submit documentation required for the stipend, including: an independent contractor’s agreement, direct deposit form, and relevant tax form (W-9 or W-8BEN).
Students admitted to the course will receive access to the course canvas, syllabus, content, and relevant links.
UR2PhD: Undergraduate Research Methods Course by Computing Research Association’s UR2PhD Program. This work, “UR2PhD Undergraduate Research Methods Course”, is adapted from “Early Research Scholars Program” by Christine Alvarado, UC San Diego, used under CC BY 4.0. “UR2PhD Undergraduate Research Scholars” is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the Computing Research Association’s UR2PhD Program and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
UR2PhD: Graduate Student Mentor Training Course by Computing Research Association’s UR2PhD Program is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
