BPRI mentoring documents: IDP guidelines and MOU for students and mentors

Biology Integration Institute Research Coordination Network Toolkit Cover Page Submission Date: 7/17/2024 12:34:22 PART 1: Identifying Information Who is uploading this document?: Taniya Koswatta What is the email of the document uploader(s)?: [email protected].edu What BII is this document from?: BPRI Tool or Activity Title: BPRI mentoring (IDP and MOU) Brief description on your tool / activity: Individual development plan and memorandum of understanding for students and mentors Document categorie(s): Education & Training, Mentorship Primary developer(s) of the document: Taniya Koswatta, BPRI Who is the current contact person & email for any follow-up questions about the document?: [email protected].edu When was this resource developed or updated?: 2022 April Creative Commons License Choice: Yes, we choose the default (CC BY-NC-SA) Document source(s) description: This is our BII's original document, This document draws from other sources, and they are cited within the document. Is this document an update of an existing tool within the toolkit?: No PART 2: Context Dependency Is this tool or activity used at all organizations in your BII, or only a subset?: All Is this tool relevant at particular team development stage(s)?: Commitment & Initial Trust, Clarity of Roles and Responsiblities, Clarity of Team Skills and Strengths What organizations comprise your BII?: Baylor College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Arizona State University, Washington University in St. Louis, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and USDA ARS. List which subset of your BII's institutions this tool/activity has been used at: PART 3: Usage Notes Why did your group decide on this approach or method?: Past research has shown benefit of IDP for mentorship Is there a particular group size this tool or activity is geared towards?: less than 20 graduate students and less than 10 undergraduate students if one education coordinator manages the process Is there a particular training stage (e.g. undergraduate, graduate, ECRs broadly, faculty…) this tool or activity is geared towards?: undergraduate, graduate, postdocs Estimated time required for applying tool: this is annual process (initial steps need at least 4-5 months) Is this a tool that is used once, multiple times, or on a recurring regular basis?: On a recurring regular basis Is this tool specific to in-person, hybrid, virtual?: Any What is the required level of resources and expertise level needed to implement this tool or activity?: Education coordinator and mentors should have some level of understanding on mentorship and career advising Are there any possible challenges in using this tool or activity, based on your team’s experience?: Yes, if partnering institutions have IDP or structured mentorship protocol, need to identify a way to reduce repetition. Do you have any assessment of the effectiveness of this tool?: Yes Other usage notes: 1 Individual Development Plan For BPRI Mentors Dr. Taniya Koswatta Fall 2021 2 Section 1: Introduction to Develop Individual Development Plan An Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a tool that is commonly used to help employees define and pursue their career goals. IDPs can help trainees (at any level) assess their current skills, interests, and strengths. Further, it allows the planning of skill development to meet career goals. It also helps to facilitate discussion with your mentee and maintain a good working relationship. Completing the IDP process required an understanding of the IDP process and commitment from both trainees and mentors. This document provides resources to succeed in this process. First review the informational videos on IDP: 1. IDP: A guide to making burdened process into a rewarding process (https://youtu.be/XCqochzCtHA?si=nuiGpeevMw6spmDP https://youtu.be/LkO8HJpkTsk) 2. IDP: What does the literature tell us about IDP (https://youtu.be/lnWlrswIQZc?si=q3O3VM3aZJ50nc2V) IDP process Assessment & career exploration Before Meeting preparations During the meeting Self reflection Follow up Trainee-Mentor meeting 3 Format of the IDP In the BPRI, each partnering institution uses different formats for their IDP. If an IDP is mandatory for your degree/postdoctoral program, we strongly recommend following the required IDP format. If the IDP is an optional requirement, you can encourage STEM students to use the myIDP web tool (http://myidp.sciencecareers.org/), and the ImaginePHD web tool for humanities and social sciences students/postdocs. (https://www.imaginephd.com/). For consistency and follow-up purposes, we are requesting all trainees use the goals and planning worksheet [adapted from Vincent et al., (2015)] to formulate yearly goals related to BPRI research, professional, and personal goals. In the BPRI IDP, each mentor creates a yearly goals and planning sheet for their trainees. We recommend different steps for trainees who already have an IDP and those who do not yet have one. Please ask your trainees to follow the trainees’ guide. Steps for mentoring trainees Before the meeting • Complete the mentor’s goals and planning worksheet formulating the goals that you have in mind for the trainee. Additionally, remember to identify the trainee’s accomplishments last semester/year and note them down on the sheet. The worksheet allows you to list the yearly work plan for each trainee. The mentor’s goals and planning worksheet is a supplementary document for trainees which shows the mentor’s expectations. It is highly recommended to complete the mentor goals and planning worksheet before you look at the trainee's planning sheet. • Request a summary of the suggested career paths of the trainee (Note: trainees can download this from the MyIDP web portal after completing the skills, interests, and value assessment). Also, request any information that the trainee has collected related to their chosen career path. • Ask trainees to share the goals and planning worksheet at least two weeks before the trainee’s annual IDP review or IDP planning meeting. • Familiarize yourself with the career path trainee has selected (section 4 provides additional resources). If you are unfamiliar with nonacademic career paths talk with your institutional career counseling service to get information. • Reflect upon your expectations (i.e., compare your goals and planning worksheet with the trainee’s worksheet). Review and revise your goals (i.e., expectations) as needed. Note that you do not require to complete all sections of the worksheet, but you need to clarify research and professional development expectations equally. Section 3 provides 4 additional resources that help you to identify goals. It is recommended to identify at least one professional development goal for your trainee. DO NOT leave this rubric blank. • Ensure that your drafted goals are learning goals, not performance goals (learning goals are goals that help the trainee to discover how to perform a task correctly). • If a trainee has identified too many goals, categorize them into high, medium, and low priority. • If you are unfamiliar with the IDP process, you can share your draft worksheet with the education coordinator and get feedback before the meeting. During the meeting • Always start the meeting with a discussion about the trainee’s accomplishments. • Discuss yearly goals with your trainee. During the meeting use the printed version of the worksheet, and write down goals agreed by both the trainee and mentor. Remember to discuss your expectations and how those expectations are aligned with the trainee’s career or graduation plan. • Mutually agree on the timeline proposed by student. Consider the grant reporting timeline and ensure that trainees are aware of reporting deadlines. • Mutually agree on prioritized goals and identify barriers (if possible). • Discuss flexibility in this yearly plan (i.e., how you handle failures to meet expectations). • Discuss your feedback at the end of the meeting: always ask the trainee to share their feedback first. • At the end of the meeting scan the handwriting worksheet shared with the trainee. Note that having handwritten sheets help the trainee to be accountable to achieve agreed goals. Self-reflection and follow up • Submit copies of agreed goals and planning worksheets to the education coordinator. • Add the trainee's IDP review deadline to your calendar. • FOLLOW UP monthly (at least have a conversation about the IDP during the lab meetings). • Work on feedback received from trainees and commit to improving your mentoring skills. • Some reflective questions o Did I share all expectations that I have for my trainee? o Did I share relevant information adequately covering all three goals: research, professional, and personal? o Did I respond to the trainee adequately & promptly? o Think about things that are: Going well, need improvement, are not worth the effort and should be discarded. 5 Annual review of the IDP • Meet with your trainee to annually review his/her IDP. Discuss and evaluate the progress of trainees towards achieving each goal. We encourage you to have this meeting before August each year. • Identify the goals that have not been accomplished so far and new goals for upcoming years. Create a goals and planning sheet for each year by revising the old goals and planning worksheet. Additionally, encourage your students to re-do the skills, interests, and value assessments (using myIDP or IMAGINE PHD) to see their progress and identify areas that still need to improve. • Share your evaluation of the previous year, reanalysis of skills, interests, and value assessments, and revise the goals and planning worksheet with the education coordinator (we encourage you to submit these documents before October each year). Section 2: Things to Remember as a Mentor The following list is adapted from the University of Florida, Hobin et.al, (2014), and Vincent et al., (2015). Advisor/Supervisor • Be committed to a student’s/postdocs’ education and training as a future member of the research community. • Be committed to guiding a student’s /postdoc’s research project, allowing them to take ownership of their research. • Encourage students to set reasonable goals and establish a timeline for completion. • Closely check whether the trainee’s goals are specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-bound goals based on the trainee’s background, career interest, and capacity level. • Provide and seek regular and honest feedback on an ongoing basis. Figure 1 has guidelines that help to develop constructive feedback. • Commit to improving as a mentor. • Be open to students by encouraging them to bring concerns to you, while aiming to find acceptable solutions for all concerned. • Be knowledgeable of and guide students through the graduate program’s requirements/deadlines as well as the BPRI assessment and activities. • Advise and assist with a student’s thesis committee selection (In the context of the BPRI,help students to identify mentors who are keen on interdisciplinary work). 6 • Lead by example and facilitate training in complementary skills needed for a successful career, such as communication, writing, management, and ethical behavior. See section 4 for more information. • Discuss authorship policies, acknowledge the student’s research contributions, and work with students to aid in publishing their work promptly before their graduation. • Familiarize yourself with the career-planning resources offered by your institution and scientific societies, so that you can direct trainees to those resources. See section 4 for more information. • Encourage trainees to participate in career and professional development programs offered through your institution, scientific meetings, and professional societies. • Focus on helping trainees identify goals that promote the development of knowledge and skills that will enable them to achieve their long-term career goals. • Keep records on your time commitment towards the mentoring activities such as the frequency and kinds of mentoring, financial and other support provided to mentees, and the productivity of the mentoring relationship. • Research shows that 21st-century graduate students are more stressed than previous generations. Thus, always remember to check on students’/postdocs’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being during meetings. Section 3: Guidelines for developing SMART goals for your trainee When you develop yearly goals try to create SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bounded goals. By the end of the fall, I will share information about other related disciplines in the BPRI that would benefit trainees in the process of selecting mentors for the Lab Swap activity. Some reflection questions that are helpful to prepare for the IDP meeting (adapted from Vincent et al., 2015) • Is someone in the midst of a technically challenging set of experiments? • Do they need additional expertise? • Can you help them find a collaborator or other resources to fill the gap? • Do they need encouragement to persist or permission to move on? • If someone is considering a job in industry or teaching, do they have all the information they need to decide if this career direction is a good fit? Are they concerned about your opinion? For example, might they fear that if they admit they’re not aiming for an academic career you will reduce your support for them? • Do they have the qualifications that they need to succeed in their chosen career? • Is their plan to achieve those qualifications realistic, or is it time to adjust their goals? 7 Guideline to provide feedback Adapted from Vincent, B. J., Scholes, C., Staller, M. V., Wunderlich, Z., Estrada, J., Park, J., Bragdon, M. D. J., Lopez Rivera, F., Biette, K. M., & DePace, A. H. (2015). Yearly Planning Meetings: Individualized Development Plans Aren’t Just More Paperwork. Molecular Cell, 58(5), 718–721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2015.04.025 5 3. Set Goals for Career Success using myIDP User guide for IMAGINE PHD webtool: 1. Introduction to Imagine PhD Getting to know your dream jobs 1. https://intersectjobsims.com/library/: Contains nearly 30 job simulations for Ph.D. level careers that allows you to read through the tasks /or complete simulations and decide your career path. Use the self-reflection job simulation sheet to assist with this process. 2. ImaginePhD's Alumni series -A video series discuss work responsibilities and roles in the humanities and social sciences. 6 Section 2: Thing to Remember as a Trainee • Take primary responsibility for the successful completion of my degree or training program. • Meet regularly with my advisor and provide her/him with updates on the progress and results of my activities. • Establish a shared understanding of satisfactory progress with advisors • Be open to unlearning things and adapting new and effective ways • Maintain regular communication with your dissertation/thesis committee members similar to your chair. At least write one email to your committee members each semester explaining your degree and research progress. • Actively seek out advice and feedback from my advisor, committee, BPRI education coordinator, and other mentors. • Remain informed of the policies and requirements of graduate, undergraduate, or training programs, that you are affiliated with. • Attend and participate in BPRI meetings, training, and seminars. • Be a good research collaborator, maintaining a safe, clean, and collegial academic and work environment. • Discuss policies on work hours, sick leave, and vacation with my advisor. • Discuss expectations on authorship, research, and attendance at professional meetings with my advisor. • Select a mentor with who you have a positive relationship to develop IDP (it can be your thesis chair, but no need to stick with the chair) • Recognize that the responsibility for exploring career options and developing a career plan lies with you. • Begin career exploration and develop an IDP early in your appointment/degree program. • Meet with career advisors /graduate advisors/ postdoctoral office staff to discuss what resources are available to you • Do not be afraid to discuss your career plans with your mentors/dissertation chair. • Remember that the IDP process is valuable, even if you have already decided on a career and even if you are not pursuing a career in academics. • Do not expect to complete this process in a day, a week, or even a month. Career planning takes time; it should be an iterative process during which you periodically reassess your goals. The above list is adapted from the University of Florida and Hobin et.al, (2014) 7 Section 3: Guidelines for developing SMART goals When you develop yearly goals try to create SMART goals. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bounded goals. e.g., A SMART goal for BPRI trainees “To transition into an interdisciplinary researcher, I will identify another area of discipline in BPRI that I want to do my Lab Swap activity by end of this semester.” Helpful questions to identify your research/professional and personal goals Note: Most of the following information is adapted from the Individual Development Plan for Graduate Students at the University of Minnesota and tailored to the BPRI situation. Research What research theories or questions have you developed in the past year? How can you continue to build on those theories or questions? Are there other related theories or questions to develop? What research-related skills have you acquired? What feedback have you received on your research skills? What further skills do you need to acquire to be successful with your research and future career? How will you gain exposure to these skills and evaluate your competency? How much time do you spend on experiments or projects that did not work? Are you continuing to solve problems with the experiments or projects, or could there be more important work to consider for this year? If so, how will you identify such experiments or projects? Interdisciplinary research What research collaborations (intradisciplinary or interdisciplinary) have you established? Are they successful and beneficial to your scholarly or scientific work? If so, how can you continue to build on those successes for the coming year? What practices, approaches, and techniques will you rely on or adapt to your research? If they have not been successful, how can you improve on your collaborative research skills? What research-related seminars did you attend? Were they beneficial to your work? What seminars do you need to attend this year? 8 Dissertation/ Writing How much time have you spent narrowing the scope of your dissertation topic or drafting parts of the dissertation? Have you developed a schedule this year to meet with your advisor regarding the dissertation? If you are just beginning your graduate program, are you familiar with your department’s process to move students from the coursework to the dissertation defense? If not, whom do you need to contact/ask? Have you developed your degree plan (i.e., selected courses)? If not, which courses need to select? How productive were you last year with writing the dissertation/manuscripts? What are your writing strengths and areas needing improvement? How would you seek assistance (e.g., University writing center)? Papers and Publications What papers did you author or co-author in the past year? Were any of the papers submitted for publication? If not, could any of those be submitted for publication this year, or do you need to write different papers? How will you identify potential publishing venues? What types of feedback, formal or informal, have you received on your writing skills? What specific areas of writing do you need to improve? Teaching Did you do any teaching in the past year (courses, seminars, laboratories)? Would you like additional opportunities to teach? How will you find these teaching opportunities? What sorts of feedback, formal or informal, have you received on your course content, syllabi, pedagogy, consideration of diverse learners, and overall teaching abilities? How will you improve your teaching and what resources are available? (Tip: use your teaching evaluation to identify the areas that you need to improve) 9 Professional and personal goals Presentations What presentations (lab meetings, journal clubs, seminars, scientific meetings, or professional conferences) did you make in the past year? What sorts of feedback did you receive on the content of your presentation and your presentation skills? Are there specific presentation skills you would like to improve? How will you do so and what are your resources? What presentations would you need to make this year? Fellowships and Grants What fellowship or grant proposals did you write? Were they funded? If yes, how will you assure that you make progress on these projects this year? If the proposal was not funded, what can you do to improve the application for future submission? What feedback have you received on your grant writing skills? Are there specific areas you need to develop to attract potential funders? How will you improve your skills and what resources are available? What grants do you need to write this year? Project and Budget Management How much experience do you have with budget management? Do you need to gain more experience managing a research or project budget? How will you accomplish this? Leadership What leadership experiences have you had that allowed you to identify objectives, implement plans and acquire decision-making skills? What positions (within and outside the University) can you pursue this year to enhance your leadership skills? 10 Diversity and Inclusion/ Conflict Management What opportunities have you had to develop skills related to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion activities, or what was your commitment to support and empower disenfranchised communities? What opportunities have you had to develop skills related to conflict management? Such skills might include the ability to understand: 1. psychological, physiological, and behavioral aspects of conflict 2. cross-cultural considerations in dealing with conflict 3. prevalent conflict management styles and strategies 4. positive opportunities that can be presented by conflict 5. differences between the roles, responsibilities, process, and expected outcomes of mediation, arbitration, and negotiation 6. differences between compromise, cooperation, collaboration, and consensus-building Career preparation What are job opportunities available for my major? Will I need to get a license or certificate to relate to my chosen career? Did I update my CV/Resume with information that I accomplished in the past semester/year? What kinds of information do I want to collect to complete the research statement, teaching philosophy, diversity statement, or job application-related document (e.g., professional portfolio) process? Are there any networking opportunities (career exploration events) that would help me to find a job or conduct an informational interview (i.e., identify an individual from the company or institution of interest by formulating effective interview questions)? Who will be my referee for job applications/ how do I keep regular communication with them? Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BPRI Trainees and Advisors The Behavioral Plasticity Research Institute (BPRI) aims to provide interdisciplinary training for student researchers enhancing their capacity to engage and conduct cross-disciplinary research while improving their understanding of phenotypic plasticity. Specifically, the BPRI aims to provide training, resources, and networking opportunities that will promote the career goals of BPRI trainees. Additionally, the BPRI wants to document how these efforts impact trainees and their overall educational experience across BPRI partnering institutions. Therefore, the BPRI has created this memorandum of understanding to provide trainees and advisors with an overview of expectations. Upon signing this memorandum, all trainees and advisors acknowledge that they have: 1) read and understood the expectations for participating in BPRI activities, and 2) agree to conduct BPRI research with excellence and integrity, and to disseminate their work through relevant channels (e.g., peer-reviewed journals, academic conferences, and the GLI Network (HopperLink)). The BPRI defines its trainees in different ways according to the use of BPRI resources and the capacity of the trainees who are engaged in BPRI activities. 1) BPRI core trainees are students who receive major financial support (in the form of a research assistantship i.e., RA) from the BPRI for at least one semester, or in the summer, during any given fiscal year and/or for whom the BPRI research contributes as the major component of their thesis work. RA support is generally defined as devoting at least 20 hours per week to BPRI research activities or as specified by the primary institution overseeing training. 2) BPRI cohort trainees are students who are using BPRI resources (laboratory facilities, colony access) to complete their dissertation or thesis work. In other words, if a student’s dissertation or thesis is derived from data that were collected to achieve the BPRI project goals, the students who use this data are considered as BPRI cohort trainees. 3) BPRI participants are students who provide their research expertise to achieve a specific task within the BPRI. BPRI participants are considered trainees and are welcome to participate in any BPRI educational training activities. Their membership in the BPRI training cohort is more flexible and participants can optout from being BPRI trainees depending on their personal interests. BPRI core and cohort trainees, but not BPRI participants, are expected to: Attend and participate in research meetings and monthly trainees’ meetings focusing on collaboration with other BPRI partnering institutions. Page 1 of 4 Page 2 of 4 Participate in interdisciplinary research opportunities outside of the standard research requirements for obtaining their degree (e.g., the BPRI lab swap). The duration and type of the interdisciplinary training may vary depending on the trainee's scope of research. Understand that research expectations for trainees are varied according to the primary source of financial support. Supervisors will specify the expectations at the beginning of each semester. For example, when trainees are serving as teaching assistants, their research expectations should be adjusted compared to those serving as research assistants. Participate in BPRI outreach events, professional development activities, training and assessment activities, and diversity and inclusion training. Note: Any training or events that required above and beyond the normal working hours will be compensated following rules and regulations established by the primary and host institutions. Promote the BPRI to prospective students (graduate and undergraduate) and serve as a peer mentor within the BPRI community. Inform their advisor/mentor and the education coordinator of the reason for their absence from any pre-scheduled BPRI training event. Read and acknowledge the Guiding Principles Document developed for their BPRI sponsored lab which outlines core values around diversity, equity, and inclusion. In reference to the individual development plan (IDP): • For trainees in 1+ year appointments, complete an IDP to the best of their ability within 60 days of joining a BPRI sponsored laboratory. • Submit the annual IDP review and a written action plan to meet their goals for the upcoming year to the BPRI education coordinator (by October 1). • Participate in the annual IDP review and share their feedback on the annual IDP review process with the BPRI education coordinator. • Discuss with the BPRI education coordinator their IDP and seek guidance on relevant occasions, which include but are not limited to the following: Discomfort discussing the IDP with their advisor/mentor. Not receiving adequate feedback on their IDP from an advisor/mentor; and Need additional independent feedback on their IDP or action plan. BPRI Advisors/Mentors are expected to: Explain to incoming BPRI trainees what it means to be a BPRI trainee. This includes defining expectations, obligations, privileges, the interdisciplinary nature of the BPRI work, and understanding the value of a diverse community. Explain procedures or protocols related to compensation for additional time commitments linked to BPRI activities (i.e., activities that require in-person Page 3 of 4 R1-Whole genome sequencing and assembly R2-Tissue-specific transcriptomics over the time-course of gregarization and solitarization presence that happens outside of the primary institution). In general, the BPRI will follow rules and regulations established by the primary and host institutions. Discuss and mutually agree on assigning of research credit. For example, manuscript authorship associated with BPRI funded activities will follow the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Facilitate and encourage BPRI trainees’ participation in BPRI educational, outreach, and professional development activities, and diversity and inclusion training. Review with all BPRI lab members the Guiding Principles Document which outlines core values around diversity, equity, and inclusion. Guiding Principles Document is available on the BPRI website. Review each BPRI trainee's progress towards meeting their IDP goals once per year and provide feedback. Facilitate immersive experiences for BPRI trainees and create an inclusive working environment where the fellows feel part of the BPRI community. Promote BPRI trainees’ participation in research projects involving collaboration with other BPRI partners, such as the Global Locust Network, international collaborators, and/or other relevant research groups. Participate in the annual BPRI trainees IDP review and share their feedback with the BPRI education coordinator. Training Progression Graduate or undergraduate program of enrollment 1. Name of the graduate or undergraduate degree program: 2. University/Institution: 3. Program Enrollment date (MM/DD/YYYY): BPRI enrollment 1. Primary research activity: (i.e., R1 to R10 of BPRI) (To select multiple items in a list, hold down the Ctrl (PC) or Command (Mac) key) R3-Time-resolved and tissue-specific epigenomic profiling during gregarization and solitarization R4-Development of genome editing tools to mechanistically probe phase change 2. Name(s) of BPRI mentor(s)/supervisor (s): 3. Start Date at BPRI (MM/DD/YYYY): Page 4 of 4 I have read this BPRI trainee/advisor MOU, and I agree to help build a culture of excellence in innovation, interdisciplinary, inclusion, and sustainability at the BPRI. I understand that eligibility for continued financial support is contingent upon satisfactory fulfillment of the above -stated BPRI trainees’ expectations, in addition to departmental/university needs. Failure to complete these activities will jeopardize the BPRI competitiveness for getting continuous funding from National Science Foundation. BPRI supervisor/mentor name: BPRI supervisor/mentor signature: Date (MM/DD/YYYY): BPRI trainee fellow name: BPRI trainee fellow email: BPRI trainee fellow signature: Date (MM/DD/YYYY):