2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Review Paper: The integration of teaching and research in higher education is a foundation of effective engineering pedagogy, with mentorship playing a pivotal role in this synergy. While involving undergraduate students in research can significantly enhance their educational experience, it also presents unique challenges for faculty members, who lack formal training in mentoring undergraduate research students. Notably, many junior faculty members tend to mentor based on their own experiences as mentees, perpetuating a cycle that may not always reflect best practices, as formal education on research mentoring is rarely provided in academic settings. This research study addresses common hurdles mentors face, including students' inexperience with research methodologies, time management difficulties, and declining motivation over time. Despite these challenges, effective mentorship in undergraduate research offers invaluable opportunities for both students and faculty mentors.
The study highlights the mentor's crucial role not only in guiding project execution but also in fostering essential skills such as scientific rigor, critical thinking, and research independence. Key strategies for impactful mentorship are proposed, including establishing clear expectations, collaborative planning, structured deadlines, research portfolio development, and frequent check-ins. Importantly, the research study emphasizes the delicate balance mentors must strike between providing guidance and encouraging student autonomy, allowing mentees to take ownership of their work while offering supportive oversight. By examining mentorship programs across various institutions, this research aims to identify and recommend best practices for integrating meaningful research experiences into undergraduate engineering education. The insights presented contribute to the ongoing discourse on preparing the next generation of engineers through hands-on, mentored research experiences that bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world application, while also addressing the need for more structured mentorship training for faculty. This review study will be presented in a poster presentation format.