Objectives
At the end of this section, the mentors will be able to:
- Define and address stereotype threat and its impact on academic and research performance.
- Provide constructive critical feedback in an inclusive manner, with a focus on encouraging undergraduate students to achieve their full potential.
- Handle “zoom fatigue” and the schedule flexibility of the remote setup through diversity in communication channels.
- Communicate constructively about mistakes, failures, or lapses in research on both sides of the mentor-mentee relationship.
- Adapt mentoring and communication strategies to the situation faced by both the mentor and mentee.
Description
This unit will focus on communication practices and adapted practices to the remote setup. The goal of this section is to provide the mentors with tools and guidance on building healthy, constructive, and adaptable communication practices with their mentees. We will introduce the concept of stereotype threat and its impact on academic or research underperformance of high-achieving students. From there, we will provide a methodology to reduce stereotype threat and provide constructive critical feedback to the undergraduate researcher. Additional discussion will touch on conflict management, empathy, and adapting communication strategies for the mentor and the mentee.
Supporting Material
Mentors will be provided with a couple of self-assessment documents to evaluate their criticism strategy and their reaction to model criticism statements. They will also receive some guiding questions to discuss stereotype threats in pairs and a summary of strategies to reduce stereotype threats in the workplace.
