Two students working together on a laptop indoors at college.
Play
Preview This Course

Research Networks & Mentorship

  • 17 Lessons
  • 45min
  • 4.7 Reviews

This module is designed to help you build a strong research network and develop meaningful and sustainable student-faculty mentor relationships. You will explore strategies for connecting with professors and peers, within and beyond the university; engage in collaborative research; and become an active member of a community of scholars. The module is divided into four sections, each building upon the previous one to support your growth as a researcher.

Get Started!
Course Features
  • 17 lessons
  • 4 Sections
  • 45 mins on-demand video
  • 6 downloadable resources
  • 10 Knowledge Checks
  • 10 Self-paced Learning Activities
  • Access on mobile and PC
Get Started

What you’ll learn

  • Discover: Understand the role of research networks, mentorship, and faculty supervision to support your academic goals and research interests.
  • Connect: Identify potential research mentors and faculty supervisors and building meaningful academic connections.
  • Engage: Establish sustainable working relationships and collaborative research partnerships.
  • Become: Support and mentor the next generation of researchers by sharing your knowledge and skills and contributing to sustainable research futures.

Source: Parts of this module are an adaptation of the following open education resource: GO-GN Guide to Doctoral Supervision   

Farrow, R. (ed.), Ashman, M., Baff, D., Bozkurt, A., Dubien, D.,   Eldridge, B., Elias, T., Iniesto, F., Jacobsen, M., Jhangiani, R. S., Johnson, K. R., Johnston, S. L, Katz, S., Khetarpal, M., Mayisela, T., McGreal, R., O’Reilly, J., Peramunugamage, A., Pete, J., Pitt, B., & Vladimirschi, V. (2024). The GO-GN Guide to Doctoral Supervision. Global OER Graduate Network / Open Education Research Hub. https://go-gn.net/gogn_outputs/go-gn-guide-to-supervision/ 

Learn the Art of Academic Research

Gain the skills to navigate, evaluate, and synthesize scholarly literature, ensuring your research is grounded in credible and relevant sources.

Build a Strong Foundation for Your Literature Review

Learn how to effectively identify key themes, trends, and gaps in the literature, positioning your work at the forefront of academic conversations.

Boost Your Research
Confidence

Through interactive activities, this module equips you with the tools and strategies to conduct thorough, impactful literature reviews that stand out.

Here’s What’s Covered

:Explore These Resources to Enhance Your Research Skills

In this section, you’ll discover why developing a research network is beneficial and its role in an emerging scholar’s life. You’ll discover the role of research networks, mentorship, and faculty supervision to support your academic goals and research interests. You’ll learn how to grow your research network by finding the right mentors and faculty supervisors; and explore the role and responsibilities of both mentors and mentees.

After completing this section, you will be able to:

  • Describe the value of a research network;
  • Describe what faculty members look for in student researchers and the different types of opportunities available; and,
  • Practice navigating common barriers that students experience when seeking supervision.
Go to Section

In this section, you will learn how to identify and connect with potential research mentors, faculty supervisors, and professional networks that can support your academic and research journey. You will explore best practices for reaching out to faculty members, including how to prepare before and after contact, strategies for effectively communicating your interests, and understanding faculty expectations.

By addressing common concerns such as the fear of rejection and the need for a defined research idea, this section will equip you with confidence and practical strategies to initiate meaningful mentorship relationships. Additionally, you will examine mentorship opportunities both within and beyond the university, and across disciplines, to expand your research network.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Identify potential research mentors and faculty supervisors based on your interests and research goals.
  • Develop a strategic approach to reaching out to faculty mentors.
  • Identify and manage expectations (both student and supervisor).
  • Understand that rejection is possible when approaching a professor for supervision and identify alternative strategies for finding a supervisor.
  • Leverage the professional network of a faculty mentor to grow your research community within and beyond the university, and across disciplines.
  • Expand your professional and research network by identifying mentorship opportunities beyond traditional academic settings.
Go to Section

In this section, we’ll discuss how to foster sustainable working relationships between students and their supervisors. You’ll practice setting professional boundaries and realistic expectations; navigate conflicts and manage student/supervisor power dynamics; learn how to develop a scholarly identity; and understand your intellectual property rights.

After completing this section, you will be able to…

  • Identify positive and negative attributes of a student/supervisor relationship;
  • Articulate professional boundaries and set realistic expectations for working with a supervisor;
  • List your intellectual property rights;
  • Describe the importance of developing an independent scholarly identity.
  • Map your research journey from novice to independent scholar.
Go to Section

Once you’ve become an established researcher, it’s time to give back to the community that you benefited from. In this section, we’ll explore ways to give back by paying it forward to emerging scholars like you once were. You’ll learn how to share your research, mentor emerging scholars, and sponsor others. We’ll explore how your research skills can benefit the local community and society more broadly, and how you can support your community with your research skills.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

  • Actively pursue mentorship opportunities while engaging in knowledge mobilization activities.
  • Distinguish between “mentorship” and “sponsorship” and describe how they are necessary for creating sustainable research networks.
  • List different types of knowledge mobilization activities (e.g., policy briefs, reports, seminars, symposia, workshop, exhibition, refereed journal articles, presentations, etc.).
  • Articulate the skills that you’ve acquired as a researcher, and how you might contribute to community projects.
Go to Section

Stay Updated!

Stay in the loop with the latest news, resources, and updates from the Research Hub. Get alerts for new module releases straight to your inbox.