At Elon University, faculty have for many years studied the benefits of undergraduate research that extends beyond traditional one-on-one supervision and support by mentors steeped in their fields of expertise. The benefits to this intentional co-mentoring approach can be expansive for professors and students at all universities.
More than two dozen faculty-led, co-mentoring collaborations currently exist across disciplines at Elon University. The growth of collaborative approaches to mentoring undergraduate researchers is fueled by the work of the Center for Engaged Learning, established in 2012 to study and promote high-impact learning practices across higher education.
As an example, faculty in exercise science and psychology combined expertise in survey research, data analysis and qualitative methods to mentor students with undergraduate research projects, while environmental studies and professional writing faculty have teamed on undergraduate research projects tied to sustainability and infrastructure.
“This allows you to draw upon the strengths of each mentor, and when there are multiple students involved, they’ll learn not only from faculty, but from each other,” says Professor Jessie Moore, director of the Elon University Center for Engaged Learning. “It also creates a sense of community so that the students are not only looking to their immediate mentor, but to other faculty whom they've had a chance to meet.”
Communities of practice – informal gatherings of faculty who meet multiple times each semester to discuss undergraduate research mentoring – are among the strongest support systems. These meetings, which take place in classrooms, conference rooms, and even campus coffee shops, allow faculty to exchange ideas, troubleshoot obstacles and refine research mentoring strategies.
Unlike structured workshops, communities of practice offer an open, casual space for discussion. Some meetings coincide with undergraduate research deadlines, helping faculty prepare students for applications to national conferences. Others focus on general mentoring challenges, giving faculty — both new and experienced — a platform to share insights.
By bringing together professors from diverse disciplines, communities of practice encourage unexpected collaborations, Moore says. Professors who may not naturally interact across their departments find opportunities to co-mentor students, sparking interdisciplinary research projects that benefit all involved.
“They tend to be a space where you can have a faculty member who has been at the institution for a while and is fairly experienced interacting with a colleague who is newer to the institution, a kind of a generational intersection,” Moore says. “That’s not one directional, either. The longstanding faculty member is learning from junior colleagues where everyone can share strategies and resources.”
At the same time, Elon University provides faculty and students with structured resources to deepen research experiences, such as the FIRE Toolkit, which prompts students and their mentors to reflect on how research connects to broader academic and career goals. Short for “Facilitating Integration and Reflection of the Elon Experiences,” the toolkit includes specific questions for faculty to use at different stages of the research process to guide students in making meaningful connections between their research, coursework and aspirations.
The Center for Engaged Learning hosts seminars that gather faculty from institutions around the world who publish studies, book chapters, and open-access resources that shape best practices in high-impact learning. One such seminar, focused on excellence in mentoring undergraduate research, brought more than 30 faculty from across the nation to answer questions aimed at helping students thrive in their work. That effort led to a special issue of the International Journal for Academic Development and an edited collection with the Council on Undergraduate Research.
Ongoing faculty development, interdisciplinary mentorship models and structured reflection tools ensure students receive the highest level of support in research and creative work. As new strategies — such as the use of AI in research ideation and visualization — continue to evolve, Moore predicts even more opportunities for professors to collaborate, innovate, and nurture their students’ academic growth.
Learn more about Elon University’s Center for Engaged Learning.
