FAQs on Summer RAs – Faculty

The program supports PhD students in developing research skills, advancing their scholarly trajectory, and building mentoring relationships with faculty. It is intended as a structured but flexible opportunity for professional development—not solely as labor in service of a faculty member’s project.

Faculty supervisors are expected to:

• Provide intellectual guidance and mentorship
• Help define a feasible scope of work for the summer period
• Offer periodic feedback on the student’s progress
• Support the student’s development of research skills and professional goals

Supervision can take a range of forms depending on the nature of the project and the student’s level of experience.

This role is voluntary. We understand and appreciate that you have many commitments and that summer can be a time for stepping away from various obligations. The center encourages faculty who have benefitted from CIS support over the previous year to consider this mentorship arrangement as part of your informal membership in the CIS community.

Faculty involvement is generally modest and may include:

• An initial planning conversation
• Regular (e.g., biweekly or as-needed) check-ins
• Occasional feedback on work products

In most cases, supervision can be effectively managed within a light-touch mentoring model rather than intensive day-to-day oversight.

The assistantship is designed as approximately 10 hours per week over 10 weeks.

This should be understood as a general guideline rather than a strict accounting system. Work may naturally fluctuate across the summer depending on the phase of the project.

Key principle: The focus is on meaningful engagement and progress, not precise hourly tracking.

Faculty are encouraged to:

• Define clear, achievable goals for the summer period
• Break work into manageable phases or milestones
• Align tasks with both project needs and student learning goals

Projects that combine contribution and skill development tend to be most successful.

Appropriate tasks may include:

• Literature reviews or annotated bibliographies
• Data collection, cleaning, or preliminary analysis
• Archival or fieldwork support
• Drafting memos, reports, or early-stage writing
• Learning and applying specific research methods or tools

Where possible, tasks should contribute to the student’s intellectual growth, not only project output.

There is no required meeting schedule, but many faculty find that:

A brief initial planning meeting followed by biweekly or periodic check-ins works well.

Check-ins can be adjusted based on:

• The student’s level of independence
• The complexity of the work
• The stage of the project

It is helpful to:

• Agree early on goals, timelines, and communication norms
• Establish reasonable milestones rather than rigid quotas
• Encourage open communication about progress and challenges

Program norm: The assistantship is not intended to function as hourly wage labor with strict time accounting, but as a mentored research experience.

If concerns arise:

• Initiate a supportive conversation to clarify expectations
• Identify any barriers or misunderstandings
• Adjust scope or timeline if needed

If challenges persist, faculty are encouraged to reach out to the CIS director or director of graduate studies for guidance.

The formal assistantship is limited to the summer period. Any continued collaboration beyond that point should be:

• Mutually agreed upon
• Clearly defined in scope
• Not assumed as an obligation tied to the summer appointment

Chairs are asked to:

• Confirm that the proposed assistantship aligns with the student’s academic progress
• Support the feasibility and appropriateness of the plan
• Indicate that the student is in good standing

The endorsement is brief and submitted via a Google form.