RAPID: Collaborative Research: Electronic Mentoring to Address Challenges in Engineering Graduate Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

来自德克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥分校和堪萨斯大学的研究人员将研究在COVID-19大流行期间，电子辅导（e-mentoring）如何影响学生的学业、职业和心理健康结果。 这是一个重要的话题，特别是对于那些被迫继续通过计算机媒介通信技术指导和支持学生的教师来说。该研究调查了受COVID-19疫情影响的工程研究生的生活和工作挑战，以及美国机构的电子辅导态度，支持和实践。这项研究将产生重要的见解，电子辅导，并产生经验数据，以记录电子辅导的做法对研究生的不同影响。研究结果还将为如何应对受COVID-19疫情影响的工程专业研究生的生活和学术挑战提供可操作的指导。调查人员将研究四个研究问题：（1）受COVID- 19疫情影响的工程专业教师和研究生的生活和工作/学术挑战是什么？(2)在COVID-19爆发期间，工程学院的电子辅导态度、支持和广告做法是什么？ (3)在COVID-19爆发期间，工程研究生对电子辅导支持的看法如何与他们的学术，职业和心理健康结果相关联？以及（4）在何种程度上，感知的电子辅导支持和学生的成果之间的关系不同的人口统计学，学科，和机构的特点？ 这项研究的概念模型是来自文学教师，学生的辅导和采用新技术/做法，面对面的辅导，电子辅导。研究人员将采用多阶段分层抽样设计，使用Qualtrics对来自美国机构（包括少数民族服务机构）的教师和学生进行两次全国性在线调查。将使用描述性统计来分析调查数据。通过强调代表性不足群体的不同电子辅导做法和成果，该项目将提供证据，为旨在扩大危机期间STEM参与的干预措施提供信息。该奖项由研究生教育部/教育和人力资源局的EHR核心研究（ECR）计划颁发，使用冠状病毒援助，救济和经济安全（CARES）法案的资金。ECR支持专注于STEM学习和学习环境的基础研究、扩大STEM参与和STEM劳动力发展。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响力进行评估而被认为值得支持审查标准。

Researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio and University of Kansas will examine how electronic mentoring (e-mentoring) affects student academic, career, and mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an important topic particularly for faculty who are forced to continue mentoring and supporting students through computer-mediated communication technology. The study investigates the life and work challenges for engineering graduate students affected by the COVID-19 outbreak and e-mentoring attitudes, support, and practices at U.S. institutions. The research will yield important insights about e-mentoring and generate empirical data to document the differential impact of e-mentoring practices on graduate students. The research results also will shed actionable guidance about how to address the life and academic challenges of engineering graduate students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.The investigators will examine four research questions: (1) What are the life and work/academic challenges of engineering faculty and graduate students affected by the COVID- 19 outbreak? (2) What are the e-mentoring attitudes, support, ad practices of engineering faculty during the COVID-19 outbreak? (3) How do engineering graduate students’ perception of e-mentoring support associate with their academic, career, and mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 outbreak? and (4) To what extent do the relationships between perceived e-mentoring support and student outcomes vary by demographics, disciplines, and institutional characteristics? The conceptual model for the study was derived from the literature on faculty-student mentoring and adoption of new technologies/practices, face-to-face mentoring, and e-mentoring. The researchers will employ a multistage stratified sampling design to conduct two national online surveys using Qualtrics with faculty and students .from U.S. institutions, including minority-serving institutions. Descriptive statistics will be used to analyze the survey data. By highlighting the differential e-mentoring practices and outcomes for underrepresented groups, the project will offer evidence that can inform interventions aimed at broadening participation in STEM during a crisis. This RAPID award is made by the EHR Core Research (ECR) program in the Division of Graduate Education/Directorate of Education and Human Resources, using funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. ECR supports fundamental research focused on STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation in STEM, and STEM workforce development.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.