Maximizing a Multilevel Mentoring Model to Improve Research Experiences for Undergraduates Student Outcomes

Since 1989 the Maryland Sea Grant REU program's mentoring approach evolved considerably from a near `hands-off' approach to one that explores ways to maximize mentoring effectiveness. Our current model creates a multi-tiered system: the REU - research mentor relationship remains central to setting the student's science project, but greater student growth is supported by REU program leaders, visiting researchers, graduate students, and peer and near-peer mentors. Evaluation of our evolving mentoring program suggests our approach is successful and serves a diversity of students well, but we recognize the challenge of devising an evaluation system, given our limited annual cohort number (15 - 17 students), that fully captures the nuances of student - mentor relationships. We present multiple years of data on student skills, networks of relationships, student goals, and mentor goals using qualitative, quantitative and interview assessments. Further, we explore opportunities to strengthen our efforts and evolve our evaluation approach as we aspire to more accurately identify the components of our multilevel mentoring model that contribute most significantly to student success.