Resources
The Illinois Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) works to empower Illinois undergraduate researchers to critically engage with their communities and beyond by cultivating a campus culture of discovery. That can’t happen without the significant commitment and support of faculty and staff on our campus. Below you will find a curated list of resources and/or opportunities for faculty development and best practices we hope you will find useful. You are also welcome to contact our office at ugresearch@illinois.edu for more ideas and information in supporting undergraduate researchers.
Resources
Remote/Virtual Undergraduate Research
Remote Undergraduate Research Resources
Building Community in Online Classes
Virtual Field Teaching Materials
General Best Practices and Resources
Undergraduate Research and the Academic Librarian
Undergraduate Research as a High Impact Practice
Scholarship and Practice of Undergraduate Research (SPUR)
Mentoring Best Practices
Mentoring matters. Successful research experiences for undergraduate students (and their mentors!) begin with intentional mentoring. Most meaningful and successful undergraduate research experiences happen with sufficient support, a welcoming environment, consistent communication, and a sense of responsibility and accountability to their research team whether large or small. Good mentoring also recognizes its multidirectional benefits—for mentors, mentees, and the university in which they live. Below you will find a curated list we hope you will find helpful:
Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research
- This is a table of contents only. OUR holds a print copy which we are happy to lend out.
Mentoring as a Socializing Activity – Supporting Undergraduate Research in the Social Sciences
Mentoring and Professionalizing Undergraduate Researchers: a Toolkit of Flexible Models - Coming Soon
- This toolkit, created by OUR in collaboration with Professor Chris Napolitano in the College of Education’s Development Sciences, provides flexible and adaptable models of team and project management, assessment, and best practices for mentoring and professionalization of undergraduate researchers. It is divided into four modules: virtual research group/lab management and communications; integrated longitudinal assessment of undergraduate research and researchers; recruitment and incentivization; and a nested mentorship model. It is adaptable – meant for new faculty, postdocs, and graduate students in the social sciences – but is also designed to be adapted for use in other disciplinary areas, as well as by already established research communities, groups, and labs.