Education and Outreach Program Managers’ Approaches to Engaging with Engineering Students in Summer Research Programs in the U.S.

Program managers of undergraduate research experience programs play a pivotal role in students’ learning experiences. However, their roles in this program are seldom understood and explored. One reason is that a greater focus has been put on faculty and student mentorship. Although many faculty mentors succeed in providing students with adequate support for their learning experience, students can also benefit from having access to multiple mentors, such as program managers. In this study, we employed a qualitative approach to identify the common experiences of education and outreach program managers in managing engineering undergraduate summer research experience programs and mentoring students in the United States. The findings indicate that the participants provided career and technical support that contributed to students’ success by providing general guidance, professional development opportunities, and access to resources. Also, the participants engaged in active listening and training, and supported inclusive activities to promote students’ psychosocial support. From the findings, we provide recommendations for program managers and faculty members to help reinforce students’ learning in research programs.