Graduate Researchers as Educators: How Presenting to First-Year Students Sparks Interest in Teaching Careers

Elisa Schlesner Alves; Nathalie Lavoine; Julio Enrique Teran

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Conference: 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Publication Date: June 22, 2025
Start Date: June 22, 2025
End Date: August 15, 2025
Conference Session: Cooperative and Experiential Education Division (CEED): Developing Professional and Career Readiness
Tagged Division: Cooperative and Experiential Education Division (CEED)
Page Count: 12
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/56670

Paper Authors

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Elisa Schlesner Alves

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Nathalie Lavoine North Carolina State University at Raleigh orcid.org/0000-0002-8259-4070

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Since 2018, Nathalie Lavoine has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Forest Biomaterials at NC State University (Raleigh, North Carolina, US). She received her PhD degree in 2013 from the Laboratory of Pulp & Paper Sciences, and Graphic Arts under the supervision of Dr. Julien Bras and Dr. Isabelle Desloges, in Grenoble, France. She then conducted two postdoctoral research experiences under the supervision of Prof. Akira Isogai at the University of Tokyo, Japan (2014-2016) and Prof. Lennart Bergström at Stockholm University, Sweden (2016-2018).
Her research activities center on the development and engineering of advanced sustainable
materials from biomass, particularly renewable nanomaterials. She has built a research-education integrated platform towards advancing the commercialization of sustainable packaging and renewable nanomaterials and tackle these important research challenges with the help of students, industrial partners, and researchers. This program fosters entrepreneurial thinking to boost outcomes in sustainable advanced materials meanwhile offering career opportunities and professional development support to undergraduate and graduate students.
Dr. Lavoine was recently awarded the 2022 TAPPI NanoDivision Mid-Career award and the 2022 Quanser Sustainability award; both awards recognizing her research and education activities in renewable nanomaterials, sustainability and innovation.

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Julio Enrique Teran North Carolina State University at Raleigh orcid.org/0000-0002-8503-9216

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Dr. Julio E. Terán (he/him) is a Lecturer and Academic Advisor in the Engineering First Year Program, College of Engineering at NC State University (Raleigh, NC). He received his PhD degree in 2023 from NC State University in Polymer Science. He has a Master degree in Chemistry (Physical Chemistry) from the University of Bordeaux in France, and an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering. His primary research interests focus on integrating sustainability concepts into fundamental engineering courses, developing assessments for open education and open access activities, and characterizing polymer surfaces degraded through various processes. Dr. Terán has a rich background in engineering education, having designed and taught courses in both Ecuador and the USA. His expertise spans experimental and theoretical aspects of polymer science and thermodynamics.

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Abstract

This Work in Progress Evidence-Based Practice paper aims to present the Peer Mentor Major Exploration Program (PME). Graduate teaching experiences play a critical role in shaping the professional and personal development of these professional students. The ability to effectively communicate complex ideas and engage diverse audiences is increasingly important in the engineering landscape. However, traditional graduate teaching roles, such as serving as a teaching assistant or participating in faculty preparation programs, often depend on personal interest and availability, which can limit broader exposure and mentorship opportunities. To address this gap, we propose using teaching as a structured mentorship experience, enabling graduate students to inspire and guide undergraduates during their crucial major selection process in the first year of engineering education. This study introduces the Peer Mentor Major Exploration (PME) module, a novel educational initiative that provides a platform for graduate students to present both their academic journey and current research efforts to first-year undergraduates. Six graduate students, including Master's and Doctoral candidates from diverse engineering disciplines in the College of Engineering at R1 university, participated in the program. Each graduate student delivered two concise presentations: the first highlighting their undergraduate journey and major selection, and the second summarizing their current research addressing the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenges. These presentations were designed to resemble the format of the 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, with each talk limited to three minutes to encourage clear and impactful communication. To prepare for these sessions, graduate students received coaching on content delivery and slide preparation. Feedback was provided both before and after each session, including insights from faculty members, undergraduate students, and their graduate peers. Additionally, undergraduate students completed surveys following the presentations, which, along with recorded videos of the first session, were used in post-presentation coaching to further refine the graduate students' teaching and communication skills. The PME initiative was implemented in Engineering in the 21st Century, a first-year course with 726 students across 10 sections, divided into two groups. Group A participated in the PME activities throughout the semester, in addition to attending departmental presentations and workshops. Group B only engaged in the traditional departmental workshops and presentations about the same majors during class. Pre- and post-surveys were administered to first-year students in both groups to assess their understanding of the NAE Grand Challenges, their awareness of various engineering disciplines, and their perceptions of undergraduate research opportunities. Additionally, graduate students completed surveys assessing their teaching experiences, previous exposure to educational activities, and perceived challenges in delivering the PME presentations. Initial findings suggest that the PME module successfully engages undergraduates in major exploration, promoting interdisciplinary curiosity and a deeper understanding of research in engineering. Students in Group A showed greater interest in pursuing research opportunities and had a broader understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of engineering fields compared to Group B. Furthermore, graduate participants improved their public speaking and mentorship skills, gaining confidence in presenting to a diverse audience and refining their teaching abilities through structured feedback and coaching. The PME module creates a bridge between graduate and undergraduate education, fostering a collaborative and interdisciplinary learning environment. By emphasizing real-world research applications and personal academic journeys, PME not only enhances major exploration but also encourages undergraduates to explore research and academic growth. For graduate students, the experience offers valuable teaching practice and mentorship opportunities, preparing them for future academic and professional roles. This model offers a scalable foundation for future innovations in engineering education, supporting both groups in addressing the complex challenges facing the engineering field today.

Citation
Format

Schlesner Alves, E., & Lavoine, N., & Teran, J. E. (2025, June), Graduate Researchers as Educators: How Presenting to First-Year Students Sparks Interest in Teaching Careers Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/56670

TY - CPAPER
AB - This Work in Progress Evidence-Based Practice paper aims to present the Peer Mentor Major Exploration Program (PME).
Graduate teaching experiences play a critical role in shaping the professional and personal development of these professional students. The ability to effectively communicate complex ideas and engage diverse audiences is increasingly important in the engineering landscape. However, traditional graduate teaching roles, such as serving as a teaching assistant or participating in faculty preparation programs, often depend on personal interest and availability, which can limit broader exposure and mentorship opportunities. To address this gap, we propose using teaching as a structured mentorship experience, enabling graduate students to inspire and guide undergraduates during their crucial major selection process in the first year of engineering education.
This study introduces the Peer Mentor Major Exploration (PME) module, a novel educational initiative that provides a platform for graduate students to present both their academic journey and current research efforts to first-year undergraduates. Six graduate students, including Master&#39;s and Doctoral candidates from diverse engineering disciplines in the College of Engineering at R1 university, participated in the program. Each graduate student delivered two concise presentations: the first highlighting their undergraduate journey and major selection, and the second summarizing their current research addressing the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenges. These presentations were designed to resemble the format of the 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, with each talk limited to three minutes to encourage clear and impactful communication.
To prepare for these sessions, graduate students received coaching on content delivery and slide preparation. Feedback was provided both before and after each session, including insights from faculty members, undergraduate students, and their graduate peers. Additionally, undergraduate students completed surveys following the presentations, which, along with recorded videos of the first session, were used in post-presentation coaching to further refine the graduate students&#39; teaching and communication skills.
The PME initiative was implemented in Engineering in the 21st Century, a first-year course with 726 students across 10 sections, divided into two groups. Group A participated in the PME activities throughout the semester, in addition to attending departmental presentations and workshops. Group B only engaged in the traditional departmental workshops and presentations about the same majors during class. Pre- and post-surveys were administered to first-year students in both groups to assess their understanding of the NAE Grand Challenges, their awareness of various engineering disciplines, and their perceptions of undergraduate research opportunities. Additionally, graduate students completed surveys assessing their teaching experiences, previous exposure to educational activities, and perceived challenges in delivering the PME presentations.
Initial findings suggest that the PME module successfully engages undergraduates in major exploration, promoting interdisciplinary curiosity and a deeper understanding of research in engineering. Students in Group A showed greater interest in pursuing research opportunities and had a broader understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of engineering fields compared to Group B. Furthermore, graduate participants improved their public speaking and mentorship skills, gaining confidence in presenting to a diverse audience and refining their teaching abilities through structured feedback and coaching.
The PME module creates a bridge between graduate and undergraduate education, fostering a collaborative and interdisciplinary learning environment. By emphasizing real-world research applications and personal academic journeys, PME not only enhances major exploration but also encourages undergraduates to explore research and academic growth. For graduate students, the experience offers valuable teaching practice and mentorship opportunities, preparing them for future academic and professional roles. This model offers a scalable foundation for future innovations in engineering education, supporting both groups in addressing the complex challenges facing the engineering field today.
AU - Elisa Schlesner Alves
AU - Nathalie Lavoine
AU - Julio Enrique Teran
CY - Montreal, Quebec, Canada
DA - 2025/06/22
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Graduate Researchers as Educators: How Presenting to First-Year Students Sparks Interest in Teaching Careers
UR - https://peer.asee.org/56670
ER -