Setting Expectations

As a faculty member, you have undergraduate and graduate students who contribute to progressing your research agenda. For those in departments with graduate degrees, you will spend a fair amount of time cultivating your graduate students. Incoming graduate students should realize the intent of graduate studies -- to train the students to be independent and critical thinkers and problem solvers. To increase the likelihood of receiving high quality work-product from your graduate students, you must set expectations of them and of you.

Research Advisor Expectations to Graduate Student Advisee

1. You should have successfully completed at least 1 data structures, 1 algorithms and 1 database management systems course (MySQL/Oracle) prior to becoming an advisee. You should have high programming languages proficiency in one of the following: C/C++, Java, Python.  
2. The advisee's funding through teaching or research assistantship is independent of the forward progress in both the coursework and MS Thesis/PhD Dissertation research responsibilities.
3. Your Plan of Study document should be completed within the first month of second semester of matriculation. It may change due to course offerings; however, you should have a plan of what skills you would like to enhance while in graduate school.
4. Be assertive by asking a lot of questions. This is crucial to make you a successful graduate of this program and, in turn, your career.
5. Weekly Meeting Scheduling: To be set-up by advisee (preferably the same day and time for the duration of the semester),  which will last 15-60 minutes.
6. Weekly Meeting Conduct: The weekly meetings are for the student and by the student. The advisee is expected to be in charge of the meeting. The advisee is expected to provide an agenda and email a copy to the advisor at least one hour prior to the meeting. The advisee has the responsibility to address all the task items outlined in the agenda. The advisor may add a task item that must be addressed in the next weekly meeting.
7. Be timely to all meetings. Unless otherwise discussed, all meetings will be in the advisor's office.
8. If a meeting must be cancelled, email the meeting invitees at least 12 hours prior to the scheduled beginning of the meeting. If it’s an emergency, please send a text message stating the following "emergency - no mtg" to my cell phone. Once the emergency is over, please provide greater detail either in person or via email, if necessary.
9. All written manuscripts submitted to the research advisor must be proofread, spellchecked and complete. Partial or incomplete documents should not be emailed or given to the research advisor unless requested. 
10. For Master's students, it is expected that you will graduate with at least 1 conference/workshop publication (submission acceptable, but paper acceptance preferred).
11. For PhD students, it is expected that you will graduate with at least 2 conference/workshop publications and 1 journal publication (journal submission acceptable, acceptance preferred).

Research Advisor Code of Conduct

1. Support advisee's career objectives. Many questions your coursework plans and research directions will be asked in order to ensure advisee's career objectives are understood and accomplished. 
2. Instruct advisee on improving technical writing skills. Technical writing is a learned skill. This skill can only be learned with many drafts provided to the advisor and in-person meetings. The advisor will teach these skills at the willingness of the advisee. Do not be discouraged if your returned manuscripts is filled with comments.
3. Be responsive to advisee correspondence. 
1.  For an email sent by the advisee, an email response will be given within 48 hours. This response may not answer all questions as answering can be lengthy.
2. For manuscript drafts provided by hard-copy or digitally, the advisee can expect written feedback on submitted text, graphs, papers or analysis within 5 business days.
4. In the case of an accepted publication, the advisor will attempt to fund the advisee's travel and registration to the conference. It would then be expected that the advisee would deliver the paper/poster presentation.
5. Be timely to meetings
6. If a meeting must be cancelled, the advisor will email the advisee at least 12 hours prior to the scheduled beginning of the meeting. If it's an emergency, the advisor will send a text message stating the following "emergency - no mtg" to your cell phone if it's provided.