Dr. Gayle MacDonald

Dean of Research & Professor of Sociology

MENTORING STUDENTSRESEARCH ASSISTANTS &

TEACHING ASSISTANTS

1) Standard Procedures2) Best Practices3) Things to remember4) Funding Sources5) Rates of Pay/ Q & A

OVERVIEW

Supervision of research assistants is absolutely critical to the establishment of an independent research program

Students and Post-Docs deserve to be treated fairly, given encouragement, and above all mentored along their career path

Know thyself!!

INTRODUCTORY POINTS

Your responsibility: Project management Time management and goal setting Safety on the job Feedback/guidance/mentoring the student Giving a fair wage Ensure familiarity with the U.’s services (where Facilities

and Purchasing is, where supplies are kept, where the Finance office is located)

Providing regular contact

STANDARD PROCEDURES

How to find and hire the “right” student Provide as accurate a job description as you can Indicate what type of skills you are looking for Indicate what level/year/area you require Provide a description of what the student will gain from

working with you Interview if you get more than one application-keep the

interviews to about .5 an hour, asking the same questions of each candidate

Let the student know how many hours per week (recommended, not over 10) and what the rate of pay will be, and when you will contact them

BEST PRACTICES

Once you hire a student, make sure they have your contact information for easy access, and you, theirs.

Make it clear as to where you expect them to work (In your office using your computer or on their laptop, at home)

If the job you are hiring for is very mundane (like repetitive data entry or endless filing, in other words, a job you don’t want to do) then make sure you pay well.

If you cannot pay well, what other benefits can you provide?

BEST PRACTICES, CONT’D

For RA’s and TA’s lunch out Gift card to UNB/STU bookstore

For RA’s a field trip invitation to a lecture/conference co-authorship on a paper

For TA’s invitation to a teaching workshop teach a class

“REWARDS” IN LIEU OF EXTRA $$

1. You are always a professor, in the student’s mind, maintain that trust and boundary

2. You are always a ‘mentor’ to a student, not their friend. There is a difference. If you don’t know the difference, ask me.

3. The student may NOT be interested in your personal life, but WILL be interested in your research or teaching pedagogy. Share as much as is appropriate

4. Students have lives, timetables, worries and deadlines, just as you do, and these are just as important to the student as they are to you.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

A good supervisory relationship: Boosts student motivation, productivity and performance

outcomes Creates sense of self-worth, confidence, connectedness and

calmness Enhances collaborative projects Is a reflection of your skills as a supervisor

For more information please consult the School of Graduate Studies Guide to Graduate Supervision

http://www.queensu.ca/academicsupportgraduatesupervisionguide.html

QUALITY OF SUPERVISING

#1: Encourage, Praise and Celebrate #2: Effective Communication #3: Respect, Trust and Fairness #4: Clear and Responsible Direction

Tips: Undergrad students need more direction Students who are treated like junior colleagues are more motivated PhD students benefit from an apprenticeship approach Be available to your students Be aware of the Power Differential in Mentor/Protégé relationship Initial meetings are crucial – explain your expectations and create

a timeline

Taken from Fostering Strong Supervisory Relationships: How Can Supervisors Assist, Queen’s University

STEPS TO ENSURE SUCCESS

J.O.B.S. (research work)Job Opportunit ies Benefitt ing Students Deadline to apply: September

2011 Apply to STU Human Resources Student must be ful l t ime Maximum of 10 hrs/week Start anytime during academic

year Faculty may use their PDA to top-

up wages

Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) (research) Deadline to apply: February

2012 Apply to Leah Mabie in STU

Financial Services Student must be aged 15-30 Maximum of 35 hrs/week Faculty may use their PDA to

top-up wages

WHERE TO FIND FUNDS FOR STUDENTS

PDA - Professional Development Allowance can be used as a source of funding for Research Assistants

Your Department-for Teaching Assistants and Markers’ funds

External Grants (research) SEED Program (Provincial Gov’t) Tri-Council * 50% of SSHRC money goes to Grad Student wages NBIF RAI’s

Timesheets for both RAs and TA’s come from Leah Mabie in the Financial Services Office

TA’s need signed off by your department chair and must contain a budget number

RA’s you need to sign off on, if coming from your research grant or your PDA. You need to know these budget numbers

Timesheet to Financial Services every other week (on the off week from our pay schedule

HOW TO PAY A STUDENT

What is a fair wage? How do you know? What’s a ‘top-up’? Where does it come

from?

UndergraduateMastersDoctoral

RATES OF PAY (PARTICIPANT EXERCISE)

Helping you decide what funding works best for you

Josephine Adda’s support with proposal writing

Rules and regulations

Research Assistant Wage Guide (in progress)

Connect you with RA/TA experts

HOW THE RESEARCH OFFICE CAN HELP

Sample Mentoring Agreement http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/facstaff/mentoring/MentoringWorksheetF5.pdf

Planning for First Meeting – A Mentor’s Checklist http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/facstaff/mentoring/MentoringWorksheetF2.pdf

Brochures on Supervision from Queen’s University http://www.queensu.ca/hcds/resources

RESOURCES

I’m located in the RO, GM Hall 201 & 202To book an appointment: dconnell@stu.caEmail: macdonald@stu.ca or research@stu.caPhone: 452-0460Website: http://w3.stu.ca/stu/research/

CONTACT ME