Supervision: [MENTORED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE]
Course Overview
This Mentored Research Experience is designed to introduce undergraduate/graduate (Master Level with no prior research) students to the process of academic research in Computer Science. Conducted over a structured 12-week period, the program engages students in reading, analyzing, and synthesizing recent research literature while gradually transitioning toward formulating their own experimental framework and research questions.
The experience is built around weekly discussions, a detailed research analysis matrix, and guided mentorship that helps students bridge the gap between being consumers of research and contributors to it.
Course Snapshot
- Credits: [3]
- Audience: [Undergraduate & Graduate Students]
- Delivery Mode: [In-Person + Weekly Research Meetings]
Learning Objectives
Students who complete the program will be able to:
- Critically read and analyze academic research papers.
- Identify and classify variables, methods, and metrics used in software engineering research.
- Formulate research questions based on literature gaps.
- Propose experimental frameworks with clearly defined direct and indirect measurements.
- Engage in structured weekly reflection and guided discussion on research processes.
Mentorship Style
- Weekly 1-on-1 or small group discussions
- Iterative feedback on evolving research maps
- Support with tools like Overleaf, and Google Scholar alerts
- Scaffolded progress: from passive reading → active questioning → initial design thinking
Program Structure
- Duration: 12 Weeks
- Modality: In-Person + Weekly Research Meetings
- Target Students: Juniors and Seniors interested in graduate school or academic exploration
- Credit: [Optional – Research Credit / Recognition / Presentation Opportunity]
Phase 1: Exploration & Exposure (Weeks 1–6)
Students select 5–10 recent peer-reviewed conference or journal papers in a topic area of interest (within my research scope). For each paper, they complete the first column set of the research mapping table below.
| Phase 1 Columns |
|---|
| Topic |
| Keywords |
| Specific Keywords |
| Description |
| Purpose |
| Resources |
| Findings |
| Potential Variables |
| Research Questions |
| Methods and Tools |
| Direct Variable Measurement |
| Indirect Variable Measurement |
| Future Work |
Weekly meetings are used to guide their comprehension and teach research literacy—how to extract methods, interpret variables, and identify research gaps.
Phase 2: Research Formulation (Weeks 7–12)
In the second phase, students shift toward applying what they’ve learned by constructing their own initial research design based on trends and patterns they observed in the literature.
They fill in the second column set, focusing on their own ideas:
| Phase 2 Columns |
|---|
| My Research Keywords |
| My Research Question |
| My Variables |
| Potential Experiments |
| Tools |
| Variable Measurement |
| References |
| Experiment Section |
| Research Process |
| Research Question (Refined) |
| Final Variables |
| Final References |
| Methods and Tools |
| Direct Variable Measurement |
| Indirect Variable Measurement |
By the end of the 12 weeks, students have developed a mini research blueprint, which may lead to a formal proposal, poster, or extended research opportunity.
Example Topics Explored
- Software Reliability in Embedded Systems
- AI-Assisted Code Review and Quality Metrics
- DevOps & Team Performance Measurements
- Usability Testing in Educational Platforms
- Cognitive Load Measurement in Debugging Tasks
Student Reflection Highlights
“I used to skim research papers—now I dissect them and know what to look for.”
“The mapping framework helped me move from confusion to clarity.”
“By week 10, I realized I had a research question that mattered.”
Future Directions
Plans are underway to:
- Guide select students toward poster or symposium presentations
- Publish a student co-authored research primer
- Explore NSF REU-style structure for further scaling
Acknowledgment
This program is built on the belief that students are capable of meaningful research when given structure, mentorship, and encouragement. I am proud of the students who’ve participated and the insights they’ve contributed.
- 🎓 Fall2024 (1 undergraduate & 3 graduate students), Spring2025 (5 undergraduate & 1 graduate students), Summer2025 (2 undergraduate students) have earned internship credit to date
If you’re a student interested in participating in the next cycle, or a faculty member seeking to collaborate, feel free to contact me.
Testimonials (optional)
If you’ve taken this course and you’re visiting this site, feel free to drop a comment and share your thoughts or experience!