The review committee for the GW Undergraduate Research Award and the Luther Rice Undergraduate Research Fellowship has adopted the following rubric in its evaluation of student applications. Students and faculty mentors are encouraged to review this rubric so that students' application materials clearly address each element.
The rubric is focused on five categories, each of which are weighted equally.
- Disciplinary context and significance, and project objectives
- Are the context and significance of the project well described?
- Are the project objectives well defined?
- Are the project objectives well-grounded in prior scholarship, research and/or creative practice?
- Do the project objectives include a concrete outcome (paper, product, performance, etc.)?
- Project feasibility
- Is the project plan detailed, with methodologies/processes well described?
- Is there an appropriate timeline?
- Is the budget justification reasonable?
- Is the project realistic and achievable overall?
- Proposal writing
- Is the proposal structured and organized?
- Is the proposal written with an appropriate level of detail?
- Is the proposal written with the appropriate broad audience in mind?
- Student preparation & ownership
- Is the student well prepared, given coursework and/or previous experiences?
- Does the student demonstrate genuine ownership of the project?
- If applicable, does the proposal show an awareness of potential ethical issues and address them appropriately (e.g. includes IRB approval)?
- Student-advisor relationship
- Is the student-advisor relationship well established?
- Is it clear how the faculty advisor will support the student?
- Are the expectations between student and advisor, and the expectations they both have for the project, consistent?
- Is the faculty letter strong? Does it speak to the student’s preparation and skills, and to the value, timeliness, and feasibility of the project?
Guidance for Faculty Mentor Letters of Support
Note that this statement of support for the student’s application is not a standard recommendation letter, and that one of the evaluation rubric elements above regards the student-advisor relationship.
Faculty may either submit a letter of support that addresses the following bullet points, or respond to each of them individually using the faculty mentor form. That mentor form may be obtained through students who have opened an application through the InfoReady portal.
- Describe how the faculty member will support the student through regular interactions, possibly together with other members of the faculty or their collaborators, and also describe previous interactions between the faculty member and the student.
- Give a short description of the project, and the value, timeliness and feasibility of the project.
- Describe concrete outcomes that result from the project, for instance a publication, a public presentation or a performance.
- Describe the student’s preparation and current skills, how they tie into the project, and what kind of skills will be developed for and/or during the project.