Undergraduate Research Assistants Woes

[dark_drake]

Anyone here ever have the pleasure/displeasure of mentoring one? This semester, I actually have two. The one doing experimental work is great. He'll read the literature, ask questions, and do excellent work in general. Also, I can give him a general assignment, and he'll figure out how to do it without me having to be in the same room. I look forward to working with him because I know something will get done.

The other one is the complete opposite, and she's doing data analysis. She refuses to read the literature, doesn't ask questions, and requires unbelievably detailed directions (e.g. more detailed than a gen. chem. lab). Even then, the work doesn't get done unless I send emails twice a week (on top of our weekly meetings) asking what's been done. I really don't know what to do about her; I feel that in some way I've let her down. I've written up detailed notes explaining the theoretical basis of the analysis. I've given her code samples and been available basically 24/7 to answer questions. None of this seems to be of any use. I can't help but think the time I've spent trying to break the project into infinitesimal parts, creating code samples, and making the detailed notes would have been better spent doing the data analysis myself. 

Do any of you have any recommendations for how to deal with this? I've already tried to subtly let her know I expect more, but it didn't really change anything. I'd really hate to ask my adviser to light a fire under her ass, but that might be the only way to go at this point.

[Falcon]

You should probably let her know research is not her thing and she should find something else to do. Research assistants should be doing the work and reading up on things because its interesting to them and they want to learn. Unfortunately in many cases RAs do it just for the stipend money to help pay for school, and not really for the experience. You're in a tough position; the right thing to do is to let her know the truth, but then what if she really needs the money to pay for school?

[while1]

Aye, sounds like she doesn't get what a RA is.  Perhaps no one has told her what an RA is expected to do, and how they are expected to work.  I'd first try tactfully presenting this information to her clearly and directly. 

If I were in your shoes, I would have probably tried to subtly let her know as you have already, but eventually if that did not work I would make it more obvious as to my displeasure; whether or not I'd do it tactfully would be dependent on whether or not she's genuinely clueless or just lazy.

For example, if I had a student that came to me asking me what to do and it was something that would be clear to her if she had read the literature, I'd say "You need to read ABC before you come to me.  If you have any questions with ABC pertaining to XYZ (where XYZ is the subject ABC covers pertaining to the work/ problem she is asking about>, let me know."  If she did so through an email, I might be nice this first time and give her some general direction on where in the literature to pay attention.  I'd then see how she responds... if she doesn't show that she made the effort to figure out from the literature what she's suppose to do or how to solve the particular problem, then I'd rinse and repeat then next time she seeks a hand-holding session. 

Hopefully she'd get the clue after the second time around, but if she doesn't then I'd probably seek the consul of someone with more authority and experience in such matters, in this case my adviser.  Your adviser is there for you to learn from, and I'm sure he/she has had plenty of experience having to deal with similar scenarios with his/her own graduate student RAs.  If you approach your adviser about the issue from an "asking advice" point of view, letting him/her know what you've tried to do so far to solve the problem and making it clear that you'd like to try to learn to resolve the matter on your own without his/her direct involvement/ "lighting of fire", then that reflects well on you.  Plus it would give your adviser the opportunity to shed his/her own wisdom on how to handle such situations and give you strategies and solutions you can try.

If everything you try short of seeking help from your adviser fails, I suspect it's more that she does not have the right personality to be a good RA, and to overcome such an obstacle is not going to be easy because it would require fundamentally changing the way she learns and thinks, things that have been ingrained in her ways.  Some people just aren't cut out for research oriented, open-ended, independent work environments- where it's not about just searching for the answers to questions, but discovering what the questions are that you must search for answers to.

I would at least make it clear to her that if she plans to pursue graduate studies, she needs to learn to adapt to a different paradigm of learning than she's used to.  You could directly tell her what is expected of graduate level RAs.  I learned a great deal about what I can expect from graduate school through my undergraduate research experiences, all by simply hearing directly from the current graduate students during the summer REU program orientation about what is expected of them from their advisers.

When I did my undergraduate research, I was like the first RA you mentioned, I was self-motivated and require minimal hand holding.  But I had been a self taught programmer years before I started college, and by the time I started my undergrad research, I was already well adept in the skills of speed self-learning; learning what I have to learn in order to accomplish or perform some task or goal, given a relatively short amount of time, and minimal direction/ hand holding/ supervision.

[Rule]

It's also possible that she's depressed, or just really doesn't enjoy this research. 

[nslay]

Anyone here ever have the pleasure/displeasure of mentoring one? This semester, I actually have two. The one doing experimental work is great. He'll read the literature, ask questions, and do excellent work in general. Also, I can give him a general assignment, and he'll figure out how to do it without me having to be in the same room. I look forward to working with him because I know something will get done.

The other one is the complete opposite, and she's doing data analysis. She refuses to read the literature, doesn't ask questions, and requires unbelievably detailed directions (e.g. more detailed than a gen. chem. lab). Even then, the work doesn't get done unless I send emails twice a week (on top of our weekly meetings) asking what's been done. I really don't know what to do about her; I feel that in some way I've let her down. I've written up detailed notes explaining the theoretical basis of the analysis. I've given her code samples and been available basically 24/7 to answer questions. None of this seems to be of any use. I can't help but think the time I've spent trying to break the project into infinitesimal parts, creating code samples, and making the detailed notes would have been better spent doing the data analysis myself. 

Do any of you have any recommendations for how to deal with this? I've already tried to subtly let her know I expect more, but it didn't really change anything. I'd really hate to ask my adviser to light a fire under her ass, but that might be the only way to go at this point.

Unless you're lucky enough to have been mentored from an early age, chances are you don't know how to do research and probably don't have a work ethic. This doesn't mean she's not genuinely interested though. This student just needs to be spoonfed initially.

How do I know? I started out this way! I was very lucky to have changed my ways prior to graduate school.

You need to provide feedback and go out of your way to make sure she's working (e.g. punctuality, reading papers, etc... start with punctuality) for a little while. Then she'll establish a habit which will reinforce motivation and interest ... assuming she is genuinely interested in research. Feedback is especially helpful.

[CrAz3D]

yall get drunk and fuck! yeah!

srsly, though:  fuck subtleties and niceties.  be clear and concise in your directions.  she _should_ do a lit review, but does she know that?  does she know how - she should...but does she really know how?  also, in regard to "asking questions" can I assume you've told her that if she has a question and cant find the answer, then to ask for help?

some people, like Rule suggested, just don't have their hearts in the game.  whatever.  it's your problem to the extent that she isn't helping you, but it isn't your obligation (might be what you should do, however) to help her understand and enjoy what she is (supposed to be) doing.

[dark_drake]

srsly, though:  fuck subtleties and niceties.  be clear and concise in your directions.  she _should_ do a lit review, but does she know that?  does she know how - she should...but does she really know how?  also, in regard to "asking questions" can I assume you've told her that if she has a question and cant find the answer, then to ask for help?

I don't expect a literature review. I do expect her to read the papers and chapters I've told her are worthwhile. If she's interested, she's welcome to look at more papers. I've told her if she is stuck to ask me questions, but she won't explore the literature for answers or ask questions at all. Usually, I show up to our weekly meeting thinking the work was done only to find out she was stuck for most of the week doing nothing.

Unless you're lucky enough to have been mentored from an early age, chances are you don't know how to do research and probably don't have a work ethic. This doesn't mean she's not genuinely interested though. This student just needs to be spoonfed initially.

How do I know? I started out this way! I was very lucky to have changed my ways prior to graduate school.

You need to provide feedback and go out of your way to make sure she's working (e.g. punctuality, reading papers, etc... start with punctuality) for a little while. Then she'll establish a habit which will reinforce motivation and interest ... assuming she is genuinely interested in research. Feedback is especially helpful.

The work is done remotely for the most part; I'm not real sure how to monitor that. I'll tell her to spend a little time writing down what was accomplished every week, and I'll try giving her more direct feedback.

[CrAz3D]

Have you told her to read those relevant papers and search for the answer?  Have you given her instruction on how to search for the answer?

[Rule]

Saying something is "worthwhile" is a bit passive.  You can get away with being passive like that if you have a self-motivated student.  But in this case I think you need to be a lot more direct.  Say, "I expect you to do these readings".  I also think you should "sit her down", so to speak, and have a proper talk with her.  Instead of speculating on why this isn't working out, let her explain it, let her tell you what she likes and doesn't like about this project, what she was hoping to get out of the project, let her think to see if she'd like to change directions.   Then you'll have a lot more information, and you'll be more able to know how to handle the situation.  I suspect she might just respond in a really short unhelpful way, like "oh, I just didn't know what to do next, etc."  If that happens, just keep asking questions: e.g. "why didn't you ask me then?".   Do stress that something does need to change though, or this just won't work.   There are ways to be direct without being mean.

[CrAz3D]

Agreed.

One note:  "I expect you to do these readings" seems somewhat harsh.  Maybe a "Please read these papers because______[why ever the hell they're important]."  Don't be blunt about it, just be clear.