In the Zoom Where It Happens: Virtual Mentorship in the Age of COVID-19

Abstract:

Mentoring students in 2020 has come with a unique set of obstacles that require innovative solutions and buy-in from both mentors and students. From dropped internet connections to managing a toddler in the background, nothing went quite as planned for a summer research project. In this talk, I’ll explore the challenges and rewards of virtual mentorship on a complex machine learning project that would have been ambitious even under ideal conditions.

• How did we manage expectations about communication?
• How did we address technological issues?
• How did we build a rapport without ever meeting face-to-face?
• What lessons did we take away from this experience?
• What are the implications for future student research experiences, both in-person and remote?

Additionally, I’ll discuss feedback from the student’s perspective about the remote experience and her suggestions about how virtual mentorship can be improved in the future.