For Mentees:
Each DRP project will be tailored to the undergraduate and graduate pair. This means that the specifics will depend heavily on what you and your mentor decide at the beginning of the semester. There are, though, a few baseline expectations for undergraduate particpants:
- The first thing you will need to do is decide on a project (with the help of your mentor). This will likely consist of selecting a text book, collection of books, or research paper and determining exactly which sections you plan to cover. Your mentor will help you find a topic that is accessible and assist you in determining how much of the book or paper is reasonable to complete. (Note: If you only have really vague ideas for a topic, this is okay! Something as simple as "I want to learn more algebra" is plenty; your mentor will help you go from there!)
- The biggest part of your project will be independently working on your project. You are expected to devote at least 2 hours a week on this. It will almost certainly be difficult to learn math on your own at first; you may feel like you are not making much progress. This is not only okay, but is expected! Learning mathematics independently is one of the skills you are working to strengthen by participating in this program.
- You will be expected to meet with your mentor for at least 1 hour each week. The nature of these meetings is determined by you and your mentor. There are no requirements for what must be done during your meetings, but you may expect to: ask questions about the content you've been working on, work out some exercises, or present the material you learned. It is a good idea to ask your mentor each week what you will be expected to do the following week.
- Finally, you will give a short, 10-15 minute, presentation on your project at the end of the semester. The audience will include all mentors and mentees in the program, but will also be open to anyone that wishes to attend.
The baseline expectations amount to
3 hours a week (2 hours of independent work and a 1 hour meeting with your mentor). On the other hand, you will get out of this project what you put in! The excited and motivated student may wish to spend more than 2 hours a week working independently and mentors are likely willing to schedule additional meetings.
For Mentors:
You are expected to assist undergraduate students with everything described above (including the presentation). Reading the mentee expectactions should give you a good idea of what is expected of you. In total, this should not amount to much more than an hour or two a week. As a mentor, you will be expected to:
- Facilitate your mentee in selecting a topic and finding resources on that topic. You will help your mentee decide how much content is reasonable to cover in a semester.
- Meet with your mentee weekly for an hour. These meetings can take any format that you and your mentee prefer.
- Assist with preparing their presentation and attend the end of semester presentation event. It will also be helpful to provide general tips on presenting mathematics.
