Initial Publication Date: August 10, 2022

Welcome to EvaluateUR!

Back to EvaluateUR Main PageIn conjunction with your independent research, you will be enrolled in the EvaluateUR program to facilitate purposeful discussions with your mentor and metacognitive learning along the way.

What is EvaluateUR?

EvaluateUR is a program designed to increase your awareness of the skills you are building during your research, sharpen your insight into their own strengths and weaknesses and provide you with self-reflective and analytic tools to help you succeed.   Through a series of assessments and student-mentor conversations, EvaluateUR will provide a measure of your learning in a  number of outcome areas as well as the opportunity to reflect with your mentor on your growth in research and other skills.

EvaluateUR assessments and conversations  are  independent of any  grade you may receive for your research performance. Their sole purpose is  helping you see your progress and and consider what adjustments and strategies might best serve you in future.

 

How Will EvaluateUR Benefit You?

 

By participating in the EvaluateUR process, you will:

  • Learn and practicerealistic self-assessment
  • Be introduced to a comprehensive list of competencies and skills to builf
  • Gain experience communicating in your discipline
  • Gain confidence and greater self-awareness as you track your academic growth

 

How Does it Work?

Online questionnaires

You will receive emails at different points during your research asking you to fill out online questionnaires.  Simply follow the instructions in the emails and submit your responses to each questionnaire.  You will need to set up an account before you can start.

Some of these questionnaires will have open-ended questions.  Remember that the responses are just for you and your mentor; they don't need to be essays or perfectly crafted answers.  They can be brief reflections and can serve as starting points for conversations with your mentor if you wish to use them for that purpose.

Conversations with a Mentor

One of the main goals of EvaluateUR is to encourage you to talk with your research mentor about your goals, skills, and learning progress.  Throughout your research, the automated emails will prompt you and your mentor to meet (in person, or remotely) to discuss your learning.  Guidance is provided to help focus these conversations.  Jump down to a video on student-mentor conversations.

At the outset of your research, the director of the research program or your mentor should  provide context and instructions for the EvaluateUR process.  If you are prompted to start EvaluateUR and haven't heard about it directly from a mentor, be sure to talk to someone advising your research to identify your mentor.  A mentor can be a professor, lab manager, course instructor, or teaching assistant; anyone who is working with you or can discuss your progress.

You should feel empowered to approach your mentor to ask questions not only about the research, but also about where you are in your learning.  Your mentor should be aware and prepared to talk with you.  If your mentor does not reach out to set up your conversations, you can remind them by asking in person or by email.

 

Resources for New EvaluateUR Students

 

For more information on EvaluateUR, watch the videos introducing EvaluateUR and the student-mentor conversations.

Watch this video for an introduction to EvaluateUR and its features. To read more, visit About EvaluateUR.
Watch this video on how to have productive conversations as student-mentor pairs throughout the implementation of EvaluateUR.

If you have questions about the process, get in touch with your research adviser or mentor, or contact the EvaluateUR Method Team.