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Universities have been expanding undergraduate data science programs. Involving graduate students in these new opportunities can foster their growth as data science educators. We describe two programs that employ a near-peer mentoring structure, in which graduate students mentor undergraduates, to (a) strengthen their teaching and mentoring skills and (b) provide research and learning experiences for undergraduates from diverse backgrounds. In the Data Science for Social Good program, undergraduate participants work in teams to tackle a data science project with social impact. Graduate mentors guide project work and provide just-in-time teaching and feedback. The Stanford Mentoring in Data Science course offers training in effective and inclusive mentorship strategies. In an experiential learning framework, enrolled graduate students are paired with undergraduate students from non-R1 schools, whom they mentor through weekly one-on-one remote meetings. In end-of-program surveys, mentors reported growth through both programs. Drawing from these experiences, we developed a self-paced mentor training guide, which engages teaching, mentoring and project management abilities. These initiatives and the shared materials can serve as prototypes of future programs that cultivate mutual growth of both undergraduate and graduate students in a high-touch, inclusive, and encouraging environment.
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Inclusive Teaching in Isolating Situations: Impact of COVID-19 on Efforts Toward Increasing Diversity in BME
As part of National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored Research in the Formation of Engineers (RFE), we have been focusing on inclusive teaching strategies for engineering professors. Now, in the presence of a pandemic and protests for racial justice in America, underrepresented students are facing unprecedented challenges as they navigate new situations of remote learning. This paper describes inclusive teaching strategies in the current context of isolating situations. Where possible, we point to examples of some specific virtual tools that instructors can use in their remote learning courses.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1636446
- PAR ID:
- 10191782
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Biomedical Engineering Education
- ISSN:
- 2730-5937
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s43683-020-00012-1
