To mentor is to teach.
Faculty at VIU are actively engaged in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in research and creative activity. We know that these experiences provide deep and transformative learning experiences that ignite a sense of curiosity in students while teaching them critical and transferable skills in critical thinking, problem solving, project management, analysis and communication. These experiences also provide them with opportunities to apply their disciplinary knowledge or to work with students in other disciplines to address complex societal problems.
As more and more VIU students seek research and creative activity experiences, we rely on faculty members to provide mentorship support.
How can you mentor students in research and creative activity?
- Hire them as a research assistant on one of your own projects or a project with one of VIU’s Institutes, Centers or Labs using the Work Opportunities Fund.
- Encourage them to undertake their own research and apply for a REACH Award or an external Research Award like an NSERC USRA or SGSM Award.
- Build their research skills in the courses that you teach so that they learn how knowledge is created in your discipline and so that they feel confident to contribute to the knowledge base through their own inquiry.
- Foster opportunities for your students to work in a research capacity for one of your community partners that is seeking new insights to challenges or opportunities.
- Encourage them to share their research by participating in VIU’s CREATE Conference during Research Week each April.
- Host an international or domestic visiting student researcher.
