2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Investigating Undergraduate Researchers’ Perceptions of Mentoring Relationships

Presented at Committee on Educational Policy Presents: Holistic Students

Undergraduate research is a potent environment for student learning, where students deepen and apply classroom knowledge. The students’ perception of research, their capabilities, and the dynamic relationship between the mentor and mentee have profound impacts on student learning. This study examines the perceptions of undergraduate researchers at The Citadel about the role and characteristics of a good undergraduate research mentor. The students’ perceptions were measured by analyzing a survey on mentorship at the beginning of the Summer Undergraduate Research (SURE) Program. Results show that both male and female undergraduate researchers characterize a good mentor as communicative. Furthermore, all participants rank the psychosocial-emotional-relational aspect higher than career and research support. This paper discusses the SURE Program, the mentoring methodology used by faculty, and the analysis of the results of students’ perceptions. The paper also provides recommendations for effective mentoring of undergraduate researchers.

Authors

Dr. Simon Thomas Ghanat, P.E. The Citadel [biography]

Dr. Simon Ghanat is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Citadel (Charleston, S.C.). He received his Ph.D., M.S., and B.S. degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Arizona State University. His research interests include Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Education.
Stephanie Laughton http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9443-2629 The Citadel [biography]

Stephanie Laughton is an Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Citadel-The Military College of South Carolina (Start Date: August 2020). At Duke University, she acquired a Bachelor's in Civil & Environmental Engineering with Ho
Dr. Nandan Hara Shetty The Citadel [biography]

Dr. Nandan Hara Shetty is an assistant professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering at The Citadel, located in Charleston, South Carolina. He received his BE from Dartmouth College and his MS/PhD from Columbia University, researching the performance of roof gardens and rain gardens. He also worked as an environmental engineer for the New York City Parks Department on the planning, design, construction, and research of green infrastructure for eleven years.
Dr. Dena Garner [biography]

Dr. Dena Garner is a full professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance and is the Director of Undergraduate Research and Assistant Provost for Research and Policy at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. She started working at The Cit
M. Kristen Hefner The Citadel
Dr. Mostafa Batouli http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8092-4187 The Citadel [biography]

Dr. Mostafa Batouli is an Assistant Professor of Construction Engineering in the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Citadel. Dr. Batouli received his PhD in Civil Engineering from Florida International University. He also holds Master of Public Administration and Graduate Certificate in Homeland Security and Emergency Management from FIU, Master of Science in Civil Engineering/Construction Engineering and Management from IAU, and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering/Surveying from University of Tehran. Dr. Batouli is a Professional Engineer (PE) registered in SC. He also holds Project Management Professional (PMP) international certificate. Dr. Batouli teaches diverse range of courses in civil engineering, construction engineering, and construction/project management. As a teacher, he aims to inspire his students to think intensively and critically and to live ethically and morally. Dr. Batouli received Harry Saxe Teaching award in 2022 based on students' votes and students evaluation of instruction.
His previous research has resulted in more than 30 referred journal and conference publications as well as five research reports. His past research received major awards and honors including a third-place best poster award from the construction research congress and a Dissertation Year Fellowship from Florida International University in 2016.
Thad Le-Vasicek The Citadel [biography]

Analytical Chemist
Todd Wittman [biography]

Todd Wittman is an associate professor of mathematics at The Citadel in Charleston, SC. He received a PhD in applied mathematics from the University of Minnesota. His primary research interest is the application of differential equations to problems in image processing.

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