What Users Say About EvaluateUR

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EvaluateUR has helped our summer research students and faculty mentors to have meaningful conversations about students' professional development as researchers and scholars.
Nicholas Zoller, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Mathematics
Chair, Department of Mathematics
Southern Nazarene University

Bethany, OK



Kerry F. Milch, Ph.D.
Assistant Director for Undergraduate Enrichment
Undergraduate Studies
Temple University

Philadelphia, PA

At the first progress update meeting for our summer research program, one of the students mentioned (unprompted!) that after doing the first EvaluateUR assessment, he and his mentor had both identified communication skills as an area in which he needed improvement. They implemented a plan for his mentor to track his progress, and their conversation prompted him to seek out help from our Writing Center to improve his written communication skills, particularly with audiences outside his specialized field. Without EvaluateUR, I don't think he would have been so proactive in seeking help in this area this early in the program.


Now I can write a really detailed letter of recommendation for each of my students. – faculty mentor
Karen Havholm, Ph.D.
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research and Sponsored Programs,
Director, Center of Excellence for Faculty & Undergraduate Research Collaboration
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Eau Claire, WI


Amorette Barber, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Biology
Director, PRISM Summer Research Program
Longwood University
Farmville, VA

The systematic guided process that requires reflection is great. The gratification watching students discuss their growth in these key aspects of research makes the extra time spent on this evaluation system worth it. It also helps the student put into perspective what they accomplished and encourages a sense of pride and ownership over their academic development. – faculty mentor

I feel as if the meetings are the most beneficial part of EvaluateUR. We discussed how I could grow as a person and within in the field. We also discussed the coming steps in our research. This is the first time that I received such personal, detailed feedback from a faculty mentor. These discussions helped me become more confident in my research and also allowed me to ask a lot of questions about how to improve and my future career path that I have never had the opportunity to do before. – research student


The EvaluateUR program provides a mechanism for systematic assessment of our Summer Scholars program that is both easy to use and thorough – well beyond anything I might have created. The data generated from EvaluateUR allows me to identify strengths and areas for improvement in the Summer Scholars program. In addition, I am able to share this data as evidence of the value of the Summer Scholars program to my administration. The process of completing the steps of EvaluateUR provides students with the opportunity to reflect on the skills that they are developing beyond those specifically related to their research projects. Faculty mentors can then help students devise plans for improvement in areas where the students' skills are less developed. This higher-level, metacognitive processing is the greatest benefit of EvaluateUR.
Stephanie Wilson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Assistant Provost of Experiential Learning
Director of Honors and Undergraduate Scholarship
Capital University
Columbus, OH


Catherine Chan, Ph.D.
Professor, Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry
Interim Director, Office of Academic Assessment 
University of Wisconsin- Whitewater
Whitewater, WI

I have enjoyed this experience and feel that it has opened up lines of communication that wouldn't have been open in the past or without this program. – faculty mentor

While my mentee and I spoke often, I felt that only towards the end did she critique and ask specific things that directly related to my mentoring style. This constructive criticism was very beneficial to increasing my awareness of key areas I need to improve on for my mentoring. – faculty mentor


EvaluateUR has provided UMKC's undergraduate researchers and their faculty mentors with a tremendously valuable opportunity to step back and reflect on the critical learning the undergraduates are developing through their summer research projects. Rather than focusing only on new data and experimental results or unanticipated artifacts in the archives, students and faculty are having critical conversations about transferable skills, like being persistent in the face of setbacks, working as an effective team member, and developing an expansive range of communication skills.
Jane Greer, Ph.D.

Director of Undergraduate Research &
Professor of English and Women's & Gender Studies
University of Missouri Curators' Distinguished Teaching Professor
University of Missouri, Kansas City