One of my favorite events each year at Ohio State is the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum. In 2015 the Denman forum celebrated its 20th year, with over 600 students from acros the university presenting their research. The forum is supported by OSU’s Undergraduate Research Office, which is a hub for students who are interested in enhancing their undergraduate experience at Ohio State by conducting research. At the URO website, students can connect with researchers looking for student assistants and find funding for their research.

I am always pleased to see the high level of participation of HDFS students, faculty, and staff in undergraduate research. In 2015, HDFS students, faculty, and staff participated in six projects presented at the Denman:

Quinn Bailey, HDFS student, presented “Experiences of adolescents participating in Operation: Military Kids.” Quinn’s advisors are Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan and Sarah Lang (HDFS), and Theresa Ferrari (OSU Extension).

Rachel Garcia, Emily Sorrenti, and Divya Ramoo

Rachel Garcia, HDFS student, presented “Extending the definition of quality childcare: Preschool teachers’ general psychological and job-related wellbeing.” Her co-authors were two Psychology students: Emily Sorrenti and Divya Ramoo. Their advisors are Cynthia Buettner and Lieny Jeon (HDFS). Rachel, Emily, and Divya’s poster received a second-place prize in the Psychology category.

Treg Mallory, HDFS student, presented “Youth sport participation.” Treg’s advisor is Mike Betz (HDFS).

Colin McGinnis, HDFS student, presented “Caregiver and teacher ratings regarding young children’s development: Validity and factors predictive of disagreement.” Colin’s advisor is Shayne Piasta (T&L). Colin’s poster received a third-place prize in the Business/Education and Human Ecology/Speech and Hearing Science category. 

Olivia Zimmer

Marilyn Wende, Psychology student, presented “Maternal depression and autobiographical memory in mothers and their children.” Marilyn’s advisor is Xin Feng (HDFS).

Olivia Zimmer, HDFS student, presented “Pediatric obesity treatment programs: Unique contextual and economic factors.” Olivia’s advisor is Keeley Pratt (HDFS).

[We look forward to having Rachel Garcia and Olivia Zimmer join us as new doctoral students this fall!]

In addition, four faculty or research staff members were nominated by students for the 2015 Outstanding and Distinguished Undergraduate Research Mentor Awards: Xin Feng, Sarah Lang, Keeley Pratt, and Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan.

And last but not least, I saw numerous HDFS faculty and staff members, and even a number of our graduate students, judging at the Denman forum.

This is an impressive level of involvement, especially for a modest-sized program. These research experiences mean a lot to students – In the words of Quinn Bailey, ““This has been the highlight of my undergraduate education.”

Recently I was at an academic leadership retreat where we had a discussion about mentoring. I tend to view teaching and mentoring of students through the lens of parenting – not only do I study parenting, I am also a parent to an 8-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old son! Not everyone will agree that relationships with students are (or should be) like parent-child relationships, but I feel the parallels are striking. If you’re willing to concede this point, then you will likely understand why I cannot help but apply what research says about good parenting to effective teaching and mentoring of students. Here are some “dos” and “don’ts” from the world of parenting research applied to relationships with students:

DO

• Master perspective-taking. To be an effective teacher and mentor you need to see things from the student’s perspective. Get to know your students. Remember what it is like to be in college or in graduate school. For example, I can remember skipping class and reading the newspaper during boring classes in college. I even fell asleep in a graduate course. While admitting this causes me more than a bit of embarrassment now, these experiences help me have more empathy for students when they are tempted to surf the internet during class or seem clueless about proper email etiquette.
• Use induction. Always explain the reasons behind what you do or are asking students to do. “You are doing this observation assignment because…” “I am asking you to turn in a hard copy because…” Especially with respect to graduate students, you want them to internalize what you are teaching them. “Yes, I know it stinks, but you need to redo these analyses for the zillionth time because we want to get this right. When this article is published it becomes part of the scientific record and we don’t want to contribute anything less than our best effort.”
• Set routines and spend quality time together. Good parenting is not haphazard, nor does it happen primarily via email. Relationships with students benefit from regularly scheduled face-to-face meetings that go beyond scheduling courses or completing paperwork. Set goals, discuss ideas, or work on a paper together – in the same space at the same time whenever possible.
• Establish appropriate boundaries. Spending quality time together does not mean unloading on a student about your recent divorce or doing tequila shots together on Friday night at the local campus bar. I personally have a rule that I will not accept Facebook friend requests from students until they have graduated. Also, just as a good parent does not triangulate a child in inter-parental conflict, a good mentor does not badmouth colleagues and other students in front of their own students. Keep it classy, people.
• Keep your eye on the prize. What are your ultimate, “big picture” goals for your students and how are your teaching and mentoring practices helping your students get there? Remember that as much as you love them or as valuable as they are to you, the purpose of teaching and mentoring is to equip students to venture out on their own. Please – let Rapunzel out of her (ivory) tower – and be gracious when she finds her own happiness.

DON’T

• Repeat the errors of the past. If you did not benefit from high-quality mentorship as a student, you are especially vulnerable to faltering in relationships with your own students. Be vigilant – early trauma runs deep. If you find yourself saying things like “When I was a kid I had to walk uphill to school both ways” alarm bells should go off in your head. I know many colleagues who have bounced back from horrible mentoring experiences to become some of the best mentors around. But, that takes intentionality and persistence.
• Assume the worst. Have you ever suspected your child was fibbing about washing her hands after going potty, but you check and her hands are wet? Child likely says, “See, I told you, Mommy!” and sulks off to her room. You feel like an untrusting jerk. Remember – that student’s plagiarism might be accidental or a misunderstanding, and perhaps that other student’s grandmother really did pass away the night before the final exam. Give people the benefit of the doubt. If you give people the benefit of the doubt they will return the favor when you need it – and we all need it sometimes.
• Force autonomy too soon. There will always be someone you know who claims they learned how to swim because their dad threw them in the pool. However, that is dangerous. We don’t want any student (or child) to drown. Scaffold students – push them to stretch their skills – and gradually, ever so gradually – remove your supports.
• Play favorites. It is completely appropriate to treat students with different levels of experience and expertise differently, just as you would have different expectations for a 2-year-old and an 8-year-old. Even small children get this. The problem comes in when children (or students) perceive the differential treatment as unfair. Reflect periodically on the opportunities and resources you offer to students and make sure you are treating students equitably.
• Abandon them. Fortunately, most academics I know take their roles as teachers and mentors seriously. However, sometimes student-faculty relationships don’t work out. This is a very frightening situation – especially for graduate students – who may have moved far from friends and family to work with you and who depend on you for education and funding. Even if you have a valid reason to cease working with a student, you really must commit to helping the student find an acceptable substitute who is willing to invest in them.

Finally, just as with parenting, the rewards of strong teaching and mentoring are mostly intangible. No one will be there to pat you on the back when you refrained from yelling at your tantruming toddler in Target. Don’t let the fact that your a**hole colleague who treats his students like crap just sailed through tenure and promotion make you disillusioned with the promise of faculty-student relationships. Advocate for administrators to take faculty members’ teaching and mentoring efforts as seriously as they do journal article publishing and grantsmanship. But, if you develop and sustain strong relationships with students, you will reap the rewards. You will surely be blessed with the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments, meet their dogs, attend their weddings, and hold their babies. And, when it becomes developmentally appropriate, they will be there to celebrate and support you in return.