Online Courses with University of Minnesota

Develop your research mentoring skills through self-paced, online courses. Courses are available at no charge to people affiliated with the University of Minnesota and to external users who create a guest account with the University.

Optimizing the Practice of Mentoring (OPM) 101: For Research Mentors of Graduate Students, Fellows, and Early-Career Faculty

  • Defines different types of mentoring models that are applied in research settings.
  • Summarizes the roles and responsibilities of research mentors.
  • Outlines steps for navigating the core phases of a mentoring relationship.
  • Offers strategies for supporting mentees' intellectual, professional, and psychosocial development.
  • Includes online activities designed to help address specific mentoring challenges.

Note: If you registered for this module before the updated version launched on August 19, 2019, you’ll need to re-register using the new system.

Optimizing the Practice of Mentoring 102: For Research Mentors of Undergraduate Students

  • Adaptation of Optimizing the Practice of Mentoring 101.
  • Features content and activities specific to mentors working with undergraduate research trainees.

Enhancing Motivation Using the CARES Mentoring Model

  • Describes a theoretically driven approach to mentoring that focuses on attending to the core psychological needs that enhance a mentee’s motivation.
  • Covers basic motivation concepts and their well-researched impact on mentees' satisfaction, performance, and persistence in educational and professional settings.
  • Guides learners on strategies for putting the model’s principles into action with their mentees.

How to register (external users)