Being engaged in working on their own unique problem provided a confidence-building opportunity
An important component of the research process was that most students were given a research problem that was primarily their own and in which they had a great deal of responsibility. This differed significantly from their undergraduate experiences in which, for the most part, all students were given the same assignment and, often, students worked together. Thus, in the undergraduate classroom setting it was easy for students to question how strong their own skills were; and, as indicated in the "Context" section, many of the DMP students did question their ability to "perform on the job." In the DMP, however, these students were given the opportunity to work somewhat independently. Most had some success at their independent research. Thus, their confidence in their ability to tackle open-ended problems and, for some, to pursue a career in research, was increased. In the following excerpt a student discussed her research experience and its effect on her confidence.
I: If you look back after a year, what would you say stands out about your mentoring program experience?
R: Probably that it was the first time to do some research where I had more control over what I was doing, and it was more independent and less, "Do this, this, this and just this."...I had to deal with the day to day stuff and all the details on how to do it weren't exactly laid out. And also the other thing is that there was no one else doing this, too, so it's not like in class where if you have a problem you can go and get someone else to help you with it...[And that has] probably just made me a bit more confident with doing stuff where I didn't have didn't know exactly what was, what I was doing.
I: Right. And have you encountered places where that came up in school, or?
R: Not so much in school yet, but certainly in the job I have this summer...
Not only did the research project differ from the students' classroom experiences, it also differed from their experience in other jobs. For many, this was the first job where their "boss" gave them general guidance, but it was up to them to decide how to achieve the goal.
I: How do you think the program has influenced you, if at all?
R: Like I said, it was a really good experience. I learned a lot this summer about just using my resources to find, you know, find out things, to work on my own. And to take indirect orders from a boss. Because all the jobs I've had before, you know, the boss tells you to go do something, you can go do it.
I: Yeah, it's pretty clear.
R: Yeah, "Go wipe off the counter." That's not too difficult! But like, "Figure out how to [do this]," that's a lot different. And when you're kind of on your own, you're allowed to make up your own schedule or whatever, it's totally different. So that was valuable, I think. I really liked it.
2) The research project gave students the opportunity to be contributing members of CS research
Most students' DMP research projects were in some way related to their mentors' research. Thus, their projects constituted "real" research problems that were important to others in their mentor's sub-discipline, giving the students a sense of connection with, and contribution to, the existing body of research. By working on a problem which not only was open-ended and exploratory but was also considered important to the field, students were able to experience being contributing members of CS research. Most students expressed a high degree of ownership in their research projects. This was important because it created a situation in which the students felt, often for the first time, that their work mattered and that their results were tied to their own efforts and abilities. This experience allowed students to "try on for size" being a CS researcher, and through this process many of the benefits of the program were fostered.
In the following interview excerpt a student discussed how satisfying it felt when she came to understand that her mentor and her mentor's graduate students felt her work was useful.
I: So do you feel that the work you did this summer was important?
R: Yeah, there was a grad student in the lab and when he saw me [having success on my project], he came over, and he was so impressed. He said, "Wow, that's great!" That made me feel like, "Wow, I must be doing something good, because this is obviously a program they need, and here I am making it work better." So that made me feel like it was pretty important.
Another student discussed that the DMP research experience was the first time that she felt she was actually contributing something. Although she had done previous research at her home institution, she had never understood how it fit into the "big picture." In the DMP it was more clear to her what her role was, and how she was making a contribution. This fostered a more positive feeling about research.
R: I guess I felt completely lost in some of my other projects [at my home institution], and really did not understand what was going on, and there was no defined role for me. And my advisor kind of left me to figure out what I was doing, and I hadn't had enough experience with the topic to really pick that out...
I: And did you feel like you had a defined role [during the DMP project?]
R: Yeah, I finally did, I had a certain, there was a goal in mind, and we were shooting towards it...
I: Did it affect your feelings about research?
R: Somewhat. I guess before the summer, I was beginning to wonder if that was really what I had an interest in doing. And I think for the most part my summer experience was good, so I came out of it with a little bit more positive feeling about research...[My experience in the DMP] shaped my impressions about how I can succeed at research. Like I said, [prior to] this summer, I was kind of lost and didn't really feel like I contributed anything, so I didn't really feel like I was succeeding at research...And then, this summer kind of helped show me that I can actually contribute something to research still.
This factor was important particularly because many of these women indicated that they were seeking careers in which they could feel useful. Many of them came into the program questioning whether or not research was right for them, because they were unsure how applicable research was to the real world. Although many students did not discuss that their research project was clearly related to the "real world," they did come to understand more about how different aspects of research contributed to a growing body of knowledge which was then useful to others.
2. Research project: Implementation issues.
Based on interviews with participants from the '94-'96 program years it became evident that there were several important issues for mentors to consider when designing and implementing a DMP research project. The most commonly raised issues are discussed below.
a. Importance of guiding the students to understand the way their project fits into the "bigger picture".
We found that when students understood the purpose of their research project in terms of how the results of their project might be used, they tended to report that they felt as though their efforts resulted in significant contributions. For these students, this appeared to be correlated with more positive program outcomes. These students tended to express more investment or ownership in their projects, and thus, they felt more pride in the results and enjoyment of the research process. They also tended to see themselves as having an authentic CS research experience. (Note: Most of these students worked on sub-problems of the mentors' research.)
When students did not understand how their research would contribute and/or apply to the "real world," they found their projects frustrating and less satisfying
A few students discussed that although their research project was related to their mentors' research, they were unsure how their research was going to be useful. They expressed a lack of clarity on just how their research results would be used by their mentor. In addition, they wanted to know how their research might be applied to the real world. These students became frustrated with the research process and did not express as much interest in continuing to explore research. The following student interview excerpt illustrates this point.
I: So do you feel that the work you did this summer was important in terms of whether or not it could taken further...?
R: {Pause} Yeah, it would be nice. {Pause} I don't know, because the entire point of the project was to find a quick way to do something, and I'm not quite so sure that we found the quickest possible way to do it! It did accomplish the purpose, but I'm not so sure that the purpose was worth the accomplishment...We...found a way to [accomplish our goal,] and nobody else has that way to do it. It's just that --
I: You don't see the particular relevance.
R: Yeah. And theoretically, it's very important. And like I said, nobody's ever done it that way before...But realistically, is it ever going to be useful? No...[And] I'd rather see something that can be useful...[I] wished we would have been doing something more useful, more programming, you know, more stuff that can be applied to real life situations.
It is quite possible that in these cases, the students simply needed more discussion with, and explanation from, their mentors about the applications and significance of their research so that the students could come to better understand how their project fit into a larger context.
Being given the opportunity to decide what was interesting to them: a unique opportunity which created investment in, and excitement about, research
Some mentors gave their students quite a bit of freedom to choose which project they would work on for the DMP. For these students, this was a new experience. The interview excerpt below suggests that this was an important developmental opportunity for this student, because it was the first time she had been oriented toward what interested her, rather than trying to "please others." Through this process, the student was able to carefully consider her own interests in combination with what she felt would be useful and thus, how she could contribute.
I: Well tell me more about that. What are you afraid of when you're given something [an assignment where you have to be creative,] and why did you think you might not be able to pick [a project in the DMP]?
R: One [reason] is that...I just wanted to be like useful. I just wanted them to say, "You know what would be really great, is if [you do X]."...And I'd say "No problem, I'll do that for you." So it was hard [in the DMP], because everyone wanted me to like be personally satisfied rather than useful to the people there. And it was really tough because I guess usually I'm goal-oriented toward pleasing others, like doing well in school and [hearing], "Hey, good job." [For instance, when people ask me,] "What do you want to be in your life?" I've always had problems telling people like what my future plans were, because when you're sitting in school very seldom does anyone ask you about that. You don't have to think about it...
So [when I was told to pick a project in the DMP], I took a lot of input about what people needed done...[But then I started looking for things] that really piqued my interest [and that] I had a little bit of confidence that I could handle...[And the project I picked] was really what suited me most, I think. [And another undergraduate who was there] really sort of let them tell her what to do. And had, what I considered, a very, very boring project. And I was really glad that I had spoken to people about what I wanted to do, and what I could do, and what they needed and really come up with a project that was very satisfying and interesting.
Although other students' experiences suggest that it was important for the mentors to provide possible project choices, the above interview excerpt suggests that the selection process itself can be an important personal learning experience if the students are provided with some aspect of choice in the project.
b. Importance of reasonable expectations regarding research progress and need for balance with other goals of the program.
Based on interviews with mentors and students, it became clear that for most, the perceived goal of the program was to give students a chance to see what graduate school was like so that they could make more informed choices about whether to pursue careers and/or further education in the computer science field. This goal differs somewhat from other summer undergraduate research programs in which the primary goal is to give students a research experience. In essence, the goal of the DMP is broader in that it incorporates a strong mentoring component designed to give the participants the opportunity to observe and interact with a potential role model.
Importance of providing more guidance than advisors would generally give to graduate students
Through participation in the research project, the participants became "honorary graduate students." However, student interviews indicate that it was important for the mentors to treat the students somewhat differently than they would graduate students. The students felt they needed more guidance than graduate students would to be successful at their research projects:
R: Well it was a little different than I expected because I had much less guidance than I expected from my professor... So that made things a little difficult to actually do a whole lot of personal research...
I: What did you expect?
R: Oh, just more interaction. You know, even daily. I guess just help with the research. I understand that as a graduate student you're going to be doing a lot of research on your own, but since I'm not a graduate student yet, then I guess I expected a little more daily contact and more of just the nuts and bolts of getting the research done type of stuff, you know. Not that I would have to have help every step of the way from her, but, you know just in some of the actual doing the research having helped, because, I don't know how to do research. That's what I'm supposed to be learning.
Importance of "taking the pressure off" -- having fairly low requirements for student output, so that students can focus on the process and on learning about the environment
The experience of many mentors and students who were interviewed showed that it was important that the mentors challenge the students by giving them responsibility for a research project. However, it also showed that it was important that the mentor did not give the students a part of their research which was so important that if it was not completed it would not pose serious problems for the mentor. The following mentor quote is representative of most mentor interviewees thoughts on this issue.
I think a lot of [how well the experience goes] has to do with the mentor's expectations for what they're going to get out of it, get out of the summer. I mean, if you're hoping to get Nobel prize winning work, and someone comes in the first day and asks what latency is, then that can put you in a bad mood. But if you're fairly philosophical, that this will be a fun experience, and you hope to get something out of it, but you don't count on it, then it doesn't necessarily temper your feelings about the project so much.
In the following student quote, a participant discussed how her mentor made it clear to her that although she had confidence in her abilities and believed that she would be able to contribute, that even if the student did not end up making significant progress on the research project, that it would be fine. The mentor stressed that the student should view the DMP as "something for her" -- a time to focus on learning about graduate school, rather than on proving herself. As she discusses, this had the effect of mitigating the fear of failure that the student felt at the beginning of the summer.
I: [You discussed that during your undergraduate courses, you felt you had to prove your abilities to yourself at every stage.] Did you have that same sense of wondering whether you were going to succeed this summer?
R: I did in the beginning, but the [woman] that I was working with was very kind, in that the day I got there, she basically said to me, "You know what, nobody cares if you do a good job or a bad job. This is for you...And if you don't even get anything [finished], we're not going to think you're a horrible person. I mean you might not get the awesome letter of recommendation, but it's fine." So I didn't feel a lot of pressure there.
I: Yeah, tell me more about what that did for you.
R: Well... I didn't feel a lot of pressure...[in the sense that], "If you don't do a good job, the whole project's going to fail," And I had said to her...[that] I was afraid that they would forget -- like, "Hey I'm only third year; I'm not even a senior." It's not like I'm some graduate student. I was afraid they were going to forget that and give me some big ridiculous graduate level thing. And they didn't. They gave me a project that was right about my level.
When mentors had high expectations for research output, both mentors and students became frustrated because of the time constraints of the program
A few mentors had the expectation that their students would produce results which could be incorporated into articles or presentations. In some of these cases, the students were able to fulfill these expectations and the mentors were fairly satisfied with the program. In other cases, the students were unable to fulfill these expectations and the mentor and the students became frustrated. In the following interview excerpt a mentor discussed that because the DMP takes place over a limited time period, and she wanted her student to finish her project, she had to keep pressuring her student to work at an "unnaturally fast pace."
One of the main problems is, usually during the rest of the year they are extremely busy, so the only time that they have really any time, for a research project, is in the summer. And I really think that a two and a half month period is extremely short, to get going on a research project. It takes them like, three weeks or whatever to just get into it, and sink their teeth into it for another two, three weeks, and by that time it's getting to be time to wrap it up, write it up, and doing things like that. And it's not a natural pace at all. It's for example, not the pace that a grad student would follow. I don't mean by pace that the grad student is in any way less efficient or anything, over the long period of time. Over the year they probably do six times as much work as these kids did in two months. But, it's just a more natural pace. Because in research you often get, you don't have motivation now and then, especially theoretically, so if you're not getting anywhere, you lose motivation, you have to switch around, you have to do other things for a while. You might just slack off for a while. And then you come back to it really hard after a while. Almost everybody that I know of works that way. And there's no time to do that with a short research project. I have to just keep them on, just keep pushing them the whole time. And it's somehow unnatural.
This mentor went on to say that she believed the primary goal of the program was to give the participants a research experience. This goal did not encompass the broader goals of students experiencing academic CS. Most mentors felt that given the program structure of the DMP that it was not reasonable to expect the student to produce publishable results. However, many mentors did discuss that they wanted to be able to ensure that their mentee had a reasonable chance of arriving at a satisfying conclusion to their research project and that would be more likely if the program duration could be extended. They suggested that the program could formalize continued collaboration on the research project during the fall semester, possibly through arranging for independent study or honors thesis credit.
c. Types of projects which were most successful.
Certain types of projects made for a more successful research experience.
1) Research projects which were related to the mentors' research
As discussed above, students found it very helpful when they understood the purpose of their research. When students worked on projects which were related to their mentors' research, they were more likely to understand the relevance of their projects and the way in which their work would contribute to a larger research effort.
Ensured the mentor's investment in the student's research process
An additional reason why it was beneficial for students' projects to relate to the mentor's research was that this tended to ensure that the mentor was meaningfully involved in the research and boosted the likelihood that time spent by the mentor on the program would result in progress on their own research.
2) Projects that the student considered "real research" in that they were open-ended
Projects which were considered "real research" in that they were open-ended resulted in more positive outcomes for the participants. This was due, in part, to the fact that this type of research was considered similar to the work of graduate students and professors, and thus was considered a more authentic "trial-run" of graduate school work. Also, most students had never had an opportunity to do open-ended research, and this was important for their development as it gave them a chance to experience this type of work.
In the following quote, a mentor discussed the importance of giving the DMP students new and undiscovered problems.
R: I felt that in [my mentee's] instance [the DMP] would really make a difference, how she would handle graduate school.
I: You mean for the confidence issue?
R: Absolutely. Yeah. And the fact that she's worked with hard problems, she knows she can do them. And she knows she's been working on problems that no-one else has been working on. And that's important! Because when you are an undergraduate, all you work on are problems that everyone's solved, and you just re-solve them. And you only work on problems that the teacher knows the answer to, or that you know the answer to, or the guy that wrote the book knows the answer to. But when you do research you're working on problems no-one knows about. And you're working on problems that maybe have no answers. And we don't give students the skills to cope with that. Or how to deal with problems like that, how to approach them, how to solve them. Yeah, and students get frustrated, because research is 99% frustration and 1% terrific inspiration. How do you get through the 99% of head banging frustration? Because you give them the experience of that 1% great feeling, give them a taste of that before they get into graduate school, and they'll stay there because they'll want the same high! {laugh}
Students who did not have a project which was open-ended were somewhat disappointed with the research component of the program. As illustrated by the following interview excerpt, one student felt that her project was similar to a "big homework project." Therefore, she did not feel that she was given a full taste of what graduate school involved.
I: So how did you feel about the project, the type of project that you had?
R: Well, that's not the type of project I expected. I thought that it was, like I said, like something I would have gotten from a class. There actually is a class...[where] that's exactly what they do, to tell you the truth. {laugh}
I: And so, what type of project would you have preferred?
R: Well -- I just didn't feel like that gave me an idea of what grad school is about or what research was, at all. I felt, what I thought that was, and I think what other people thought it was as well, was that that was something that they needed...[to be done. Whereas], I kind of thought that's what the program was for, to give you a research experience, to show you what it would be like in graduate school...
I: Because you're thinking of going to graduate school...?
R: Yeah! I wanted to see what it was like...But I was just like, "This isn't research!"
Even non-research type projects gave students a sense of accomplishment and facilitated many of the impacts discussed above
Although "real research" projects brought about more positive results for the students, even students who had non-research type projects, ones that simply involved implementation of a fully formed design, benefited from the experience of doing the project. In the following quote, a participant who had such a project discussed her sense of accomplishment.
I worked hard and did a good project...And the project turned out really great. I mean everybody was just like, "Wow! It's fabulous!" You know? And were really quite pleased that it was done. I mean they all wanted it and needed it to be done. And I did something that they needed. Which when you think about it, what maybe is more important? Something that they will [use]? I mean, basically what I did is not something I consider research, but certainly I got just got an email from [the research group and]...they're going to [use my work]...And my name's on it, and he said he's going to keep me informed about what happens with it, and stuff. I mean, they're definitely using what I created. And they're going to be using it for a while. And that's pretty neat! Whereas instead of doing something that was really research like, and then never having it have any usefulness, I mean, I think there's probably, that's probably another, a different kind of project to do.
3) Projects that match students' general interests
A few students indicated that their projects were in CS sub-disciplines that did not interest them. As a result, they felt less satisfied with their research experiences. This is not to say, however, that they did not benefit from the experience. The research project still served to give the students a meaningful role in the mentor's departments, which facilitated many different types of interactions and outcomes. In addition, these students did engage in an open-ended research project.
4) Projects that include students in a collaborative process
When students were required to work with others on their research project, the students tended to have a higher degree of interaction with a larger group of people in the department. This lead to a more immersive and more successful experience.
In addition, having a greater resource base to bounce ideas off of, enhanced the students' satisfaction with the research process and helped them learn and accomplish more. As one student stated,
I worked on my own until like the last two weeks. And then I worked with someone else, another grad student who was there...I thought it was a lot better being able to work with someone because I wasn't very knowledgeable on the subject, I never done anything like this before and then I was working with someone else, it seemed like I learned a lot more in the last two weeks than I did the whole time that I've been there, because I could bounce ideas off him and he had a lot more knowledge on the subject than I did.
Students who worked solely with their mentors tended to express that they felt isolated in the DMP and that their research process was too solitary.
C. Essential element #3: Research university setting:.
The third essential element of the DMP is the research university setting. By providing the participants with a meaningful role in their mentor's department, the program allows the participants to experience an academic environment as an insider.
1. Access to important interactions.
By becoming insiders most participants were able to interact with graduate students and other CS faculty members. These interactions were quite instrumental in bringing about the benefits of the program.
a. Interactions with graduate students provided participants with models for "the next step" in pursuing an academic career.
As indicated throughout this report, interactions with graduate students were extremely important for the DMP participants. Students who were able to work with graduate students on their research projects as well as interact informally with them tended to express that they had a picture of graduate school life and whether or not it would be right for them. The following excerpt illustrates how the DMP allowed students to be immersed in graduate student life.
I got most of the insight about graduate life from the graduate students rather than from [my mentor]...And I asked [questions] about [it at first], but then I was so immersed in it that it stopped being like, "Well, let's talk about grad school again today!" You know? So, well it sort of seeped in, but I stopped actively seeking information and advice.
The following quote provides further illustration of how contact with graduate students was linked to program benefits. Her comments suggest that these interactions were an important component of this feeling of assurance that she could succeed in graduate school.
R: ...[During the summer the grad students were studying for qualifiers]...So they were studying for them all summer. And they were around, and it was really weird for me to be talking to them on a person to person individual basis, as equals, not as teacher-student. Because you know I never really thought about being equals, and I was taking a class this summer, and one of my former instructors was asking me about what answers I had gotten for these questions, because he was studying the notes from the class for his qualifier. You know? And he was asking me what I thought about this, and what did I say about this question on the final, and -- wow. So that was a really weird experience for me. And I think it was the first time I had ever been treated as an equal by people who were {pause} I don't know -- grad students.
I: And could you see yourself being like them?
R: Yeah. Yeah, I could see that.
Through interacting with, and observing, graduate students, the DMP participants gained many insights into the graduate school experience. For example, as the quotes below illustrate, many students learned that there were multiple paths they could take in terms of when to pursue graduate school and what type of degree program to undertake.
And some [graduate students] -- I met this guy who was leaving, you know, a lot of them actually were leaving - never finished their Ph.D. Not a lot of them, but I mean, I don't know, three or four. I don't know! People that I met who were like, going to go work, start, they had been offered a great job working at some company, and they only had their Masters, they'd gotten their Masters. And they just were floundering with their Ph.D., so they just left the program. And that's also another option. You know, like if you don't make it through, or you're not going on the right track, they went off and got these good jobs anyway. And that's an interesting -- just to see different things the people are doing.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
I: Ok, well just tell me more about that, about what was interesting to you and what you learned about that.
R: It was just interesting to see the different things that they were doing, the different possibilities of areas that you could be doing work in and also partly just the different ways that they were working things out. I mean, you know, there were some that were -- some students that were really young and going on for graduate work right after their undergraduate degree, and then there were some students who were returning and had families, and some students that are working as well, and doing graduate work in addition to that there were some undergraduates in town also and they were working, that were working on some other things, and that was fun.
Many students expressed that they learned that it was possible to have some degree of balance in their priorities during graduate school.
I mean I didn't ever really get into any of their research, like look at it that thoroughly or anything. But it seems like, a happy time. And you know, people came in and worked hard and then they all went out and played, and they all played together, and it just seemed like the social aspects of it were nice. Although those were like, first and second year students, and then the fourth and fifth year students were a little less, they were kind of like, "I've got to finish! I'm sick and tired of being here." You know? So, but the ones in my office, they had put me in an office with first and second year students. And it seemed like a lot of working and playing.
Many students also discussed how they learned about the application process and how to succeed in graduate school from their interactions with graduate students.?
...the one thing I learned, a lot of stuff I learned, is a lot of people just said, "Oh, my god, it is so important to have a good advisor. And if you don't get along with your advisor, or if they're not doing what you want to be doing, get out, and go find somebody else." And that's not, I never knew that! You know what I mean?...And different stories about people who had bad advisors...They said it was really important. [And] that [your advisor] can make or break you. [It's important that] your advisor is good or on your side, or in an area you want to be in, and you get along with them.
The graduate students also provided a resource for questions about the research project which the participants considered "stupid" or not important enough to request help on from their mentor.
[Having graduate students around] gives students someone to ask questions of, other than mentor. It's less intimidating.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
R: [For] the stupid questions I'd usually go to like one of the students at the lab first, and if they still thought it was dumb, and like, they thought it was stupid, and they'd just answer it right away, and it wasn't a big deal. Sometimes, they would be like, "Oh, I don't know, ask [your mentor]." So, I'd go and ask my mentor about it.
I: Ok, and why did you choose to go to the student first?
R: Just, that's much less scary. Plus, it's usually, like if it was something stupid then it was usually something that they had all encountered before anyway, so...
b. Interactions with a wider group of CS professionals (other professors and industry people) provided the opportunity to explore being a "contributing member" to the field and more models for possible career paths.
Through the DMP, many students were able to interact with other professors or individuals from industry through their research projects. These interactions were important because they allowed students more opportunities to learn about the field and to experience, in a limited way, being a contributing member of the CS academic community. In the following interview excerpt, a student discussed her interactions with her mentor's research group.
R: When we had the meetings on the project, she and I and another one of her students, and then the two other professors on it, would get together -- those were the meetings that I thought were kind of fun. And we would discuss a lot of projects. And they really treated me well; I mean, they treated me like a colleague. And that was nice...
I: Yeah, so how did they make you feel as a colleague?
R: It made me feel really good. At first it was kind of awkward. We sat down for [one of] the first meetings...and everybody kind of looks at me and goes, "So, what do you have?" {laugh} So all of a sudden I'm conducting this meeting! "Ok, well, I have some little things I just typed up with concerns and questions and ideas." And he goes, "Ok, hang on a second!" And he grabs it all and went and made copies and handed them out! ...And it made me feel good, because they were taking my work seriously. It made me feel a little uncomfortable, because I wasn't sure -- I mean I didn't really have enough background to just get to say, "Well hey this is really definitely the right direction." It would be like, "Well, based on my pitiful understanding of the project, this is what I think we should do." But that made me feel good.
A mentor discussed that she actively encouraged her mentee to interact with other faculty members about her DMP research project. She indicated that the students' confidence was boosted through this process.
The other thing I was able to do is to introduce [my mentee] to my colleagues, so she could go talk to other people. I think it's crucial that we don't limit the experiences of women to just women alone! So I used this opportunity to say, "Go talk to so and so, and tell them what you're doing." So this way, she gets to talk to my other colleagues, and build confidence that she can approach anyone who is somewhat interested in what she's doing, and actually tell them what she's doing. And feel that she can go up to them without fear of being sort of "pooh-poohed" or whatever. That's how you build confidence. I know that's how I did it.
I: And you said you talked with her at length being sure of herself, and those sorts of things.
R: Yeah, I mean, it's very hard, I don't think I gave her a lecture on being sure of herself! Because I know if anyone did that to me, I'd say. "Oh, yeah, right." {laugh} Much more indirectly. By having her, if someone came to my room and asked, "What are you doing?" I would say [to my mentee], "Why don't you explain it to them." Giving her the opportunity. The first time I did that she sort of looked -- you know, if looks could kill I'd probably be dead! Like, "How could you do this to me?" But then she realized that I was doing her a big favor, really training her to stand up there and defend what she was doing. And so by the end, when I'd have people come up, and I'd say, "Ok, well, [she'll] tell you everything," she responded beautifully! She'd get up there and enthusiastically tell them what she was up to! So yeah, so I think she didn't realize that she actually had that ability. And I hope that by the end she realized that yeah, she could stand up there and give a coherent presentation....
Through providing funding to attend an academic conference, the DMP allowed a few students to gain exposure to an even broader group of CS academics and professionals. In the following excerpt, a mentor discussed the importance of this type of opportunity.
I like the idea of being able to try to get the money to go to conferences. I think that's the next big step is for them to see what large numbers of professionals in a room look like and act like and dress like, it gives you more of a feel [for the field]...So they walk over and it's like, "Oh, this is [a well-known person in the field]." And, you know, they've read his paper. "This is [another well-known person]. We use his textbook." You know, and [this person is] not like eighty years old. He's like this forty-five year old, gangly guy that I first met by the swimming pool...[But these students think,] he's gotta be wearing a suit and have a bald head and look very distinguished. [But in reality], no one will accuse [this person] of looking distinguished. And it makes it just more real that these are real people and that, and also the diversity of; you can be a professor, you can work in a research company, you can work for the military, [etc.].
2. Implementation Issues.
a. Facilitating and maximizing the effectiveness of interactions with graduate students.
1) First and second year graduate students were able to provide a more accurate picture of what the transition to graduate school life would involve
Students indicated in their interviews that they were more able to identify with the first and second year graduate students than the graduate students who were in the final phase of their degree programs. These graduate students were able to provide a better view of graduate school life for the DMP participants. The following student quote addresses this issue.
The [first and second year graduate students] were younger and just more frivolous. They weren't so stressed out about "Got to get my dissertation done!" and all that stuff. So, I'm really happy I was in a room with them. Plus they were closer to my age...
2) Need for a formalized introduction or formalized roles to foster interaction between graduate students and DMP participants
Student interviews revealed that those students who had a natural way to interact with graduate students, either through working on their research project with them, sharing an office, or attending seminars or research meetings with them, interacted more frequently with graduate students. Through this interaction they were able to learn more from the graduate students. As indicated in the following quote, students who did not have a formalized way of meeting the graduate students were less able to make these connections.
I: Ok. What about your social life during the summer? How was that element?
R: I'm pretty good about finding stuff to do. But I think I would have had more fun, I would have had a better summer, if I had been introduced to the grad students in the lab where I ended up doing a lot of my work. Because I didn't get an account on that lab machine until about halfway through the summer. And even if I had not had an account on that machine, because as I said, from the beginning, we didn't even know I was going to be doing that project, but if somebody had just -- I was down the hall, where there were maybe two or three other students. There was nobody else down there. And if somebody just said, "Ok, this is where all the grad students hang out; let me introduce you around," it would have been a lot better for me, I think. Because I met among the grad students I met people that I would really like to keep in touch with but I don't think I was there long enough to have established that kind of relationship. So I think that would have been really helpful from the outset.
b. Distributed nature of the DMP creates the possibility of social and academic isolation -- Possible solutions .
Because most of the DMP students go away to another institution and are the only students participating in the program at their mentor's school, it is easy for them to become isolated both socially and academically. Some students were the only undergraduate working in their mentor's CS department during the summer. These students felt the need for interaction with peers. Although a few students were able to find peers through other means, some expressed that they felt quite isolated during their summer in the DMP.
In the following interview excerpt one student discussed how during the program she did not have interaction with peers and how difficult this was for her.
[Before I left for the program]...I didn't really want to leave this area, so it was, the hesitancy was getting up and moving half way across the country for the summer...And it was, it was pretty rough at first actually...That's one comment I have about the program is that it splits everybody up and you don't really have any peers that you're working with...[because] all the people are going to different universities...So, it was a pretty lonely feeling at first, I didn't know anybody at all in the area, I was just kind of dropped off...I mean, I got to know people after a while, but...
Another student expressed similar thoughts:
I: So what was it like at the beginning, when you didn't know anybody, what were your evenings like?
R: They were so pitiful!...Basically I came home and watched TV...I think if I had gone to a town where I had a couple friends, that I certainly would have been happier, whether or not the [research] project was [going well or not.] Not having any friends or anything, I was really lonely, and that made it hard for me to be happy [during the program].
Below we discuss three possible solutions to the problem of isolation in the DMP. The solutions are based on the experiences of participants.
1) Having two DMP students assigned to the same CS department provided the participants with peer interaction and support
Students who were paired with another DMP participant tended not to express that they felt isolated during the program. In the following interview excerpts, a student who was paired with another DMP student discussed how valuable this was because she had someone to help her with research and someone with whom she could identify.
I: So did other people play a part in your research?
R: [The other DMP student] helped me a lot...Like I would get stuck with a problem -- usually something I knew but yet I couldn't think of, like a formula or that we both should have known -- [and] she would help me out with that. Or if I was trying to reason something through, she'd sit [down with me], and I'd show her what I was trying to do. And she'd like fill in a missing step, and stuff like that...It was nice to have [her there]! I would help her, and she would help me back. And it was really nice to have somebody else who's also doing research, besides just the grad students. And she's we're [considering similar career paths]..., so that was helpful too, because we both kind of like, "Well, I don't know what I want to go into, but I want to go into [this one particular area]."
Another student who was paired with another student working at the same institution said that both she and the other DMP student had considerable difficulties during the program. She indicated that they provided support for each other during these difficulties and that this was an important factor in being able to cope with the situation and still derive some benefits from the program.
2) Providing a peer base through arranging for students to interact with undergraduates in other programs such as the REUs
Some of the participants discussed that during the DMP they had been able to get to know other undergraduates who were participants in an REU program, sometimes in CS and sometimes in other fields, and that this provided them with a social network. Some students lived in the same dorm as REU participants and others participated in REU functions, such as workshops and social events. Students who had this type of peer interaction tended to feel less isolated than those who did not have access to peers.
3) The '96 program email discussion forum was not completely successful at providing a peer network
The email discussion forum was set-up in an effort to provide a peer network so that if students encountered difficulties during the program, they would have a larger network of peers, as well as mentors, to interact with in an attempt to solve these problems. However, interview and survey data suggest that the forum was not successful at accomplishing this goal; most of the participants who were interviewed did not find this avenue to be particularly strong for communicating with other DMP students or mentors. As indicated by the survey data, approximately half of the participants used the email forum, although only about a third posted a message and only a fifth responded to a message. Approximately half of the mentors reporting having used the forum, although most had not posted or responded to a message, but had simply read messages and/or posted an introduction of themselves. This indicates that the level of discussion was fairly low.
When asked why they did not participate in the email discussion forum, 30% of participants cited a lack of time or the fact that they do not normally participate in these types of forums. The low level of interaction was cited by 20% of the students. Another problem that two students raised in the interviews in relation to the email forum was that although it was supposed to provide them with an avenue to discuss problems they might be having with the program, they did not feel comfortable doing so, because it was not anonymous. They felt it was likely that either students or mentors would be aware of either the identity of the student who wrote the email or of the mentor of that student.
In addition, some of the students were accidentally provided with the mentor password, instead of the student password at the beginning of the program. This made them question whether or not the mentors had been given the student password and made them uncomfortable about discussing sensitive issues over the student forum.
Most of the mentors who were interviewed also indicated that the mentor forum as it existed during the 1996 program did not spark much interaction. In the interview excerpt, a mentor discusses her belief that the email discussion forum was not a useful medium for stimulating interaction among people who did not already know each other and have a rapport with one another. She suggested that combining the email forum with a conference for all of the participants would be more effective.
R: One other thing that might help is to have one common meeting of all these mentors and mentees, like a conference...over a weekend. It would give us all a chance to see each other, and talk about these things. Because although much is said about email communications and the Web and stuff like that, without having met anyone at all in the first place, it is extremely difficult to get anything going. [The email discussion forum was valuable] just as an information source,...but as any kind of forum for discussion it's useless. straightforward requests for pieces of information.
I: Because you don't have that rapport with people?
R: Yeah, you don't have the rapport with people. I mean, I tried. I put some stuff on there, and there was no response at all. The only things that ever had any responses, were just straightforward requests for pieces of information.
D. Conclusion: Multi-faceted program.
It is important to note that many of the participants experienced some difficulties during their DMP experience. There was generally at least one component that was somewhat uncomfortable or dissatisfying for students. However, even the students with the most serious problems (lack of guidance or enough contact with mentors, social isolation, etc.,) stated that they would participate in the program again if given the chance and discussed numerous positive outcomes from the program.
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