Mentor Like Minnesota: Outcomes of an undergraduate research mentorship program

Abstract

Commission on Dental Accreditation Standards require that dental hygiene students are competent in evaluation of scientific literature. A current problem is the lack of faculty mentorship to develop allied oral health student researchers. The goal the University of Minnesota (UMN) undergraduate research program was to utilize an existing writing curriculum thread and mentor students interested in research through the development of research question(s), study design, conducting research, and the manuscript development process to achieve a publication.

The UMN dental hygiene program assessed the writing within the program, created standardized rubrics for research and reflective writing, and calibrated dental hygiene faculty on their use. Additionally, a writing orientation workshop was established to increase student success in writing. Students were also encouraged to apply for a dental hygiene writing award as this was used to select students for the research mentorship program. Writing outcomes were assessed and improvement was demonstrated in several key writing standards defined by the program. A total of nine (n=9) students have participated in the faculty research mentorship program from 2019 to 2023 and eight students completed the program assessment questionnaire (n=8, 87.5%). All participants reported strong agreement that they felt supported in all aspects of the research process and expressed confidence that they could complete research in the future. Six students had publications and one student was under review. The development of a writing enriched curriculum and a writing orientation workshop has improved student writing outcomes and student engagement in research and publication at UMN. Faculty mentorship resulted in students’ experience with manuscript development and the peer-review process to obtain a publication. More faculty mentorship in undergraduate allied oral health education is needed to engage students in the research process.