Imported from pradyumnasagar/open-research-skills (skills/mentorship-teaching/mentorship-onboarding/SKILL.md). Install upstream with npx skills add pradyumnasagar/open-research-skills --skill mentorship-onboarding. Copyright stays with the author (MIT).

Version Compatibility

Reference frameworks and tools cited: CIMER Entering Mentoring (2024 revision), AAAS MyIDP, NSF PAPPG 24-1.

The frameworks referenced here are stable. If implementing within a specific institution, adapt communication templates to local norms and compliance requirements. Mentors in NIH-funded labs should reference specific broadening requirements applicable to their award type.

Mentorship Onboarding

Hard rules

1. No fabricated citations. Every cited work must resolve to a verifiable
2. No claim without provenance. Every quantitative or factual claim
3. No silent failure. Every script invocation, API call, or tool use must declare its exit status and what to do on non-zero. A skill that silently swallows errors is a violation.

When to use

Load this skill when the user asks a question that matches its declared trigger conditions (see the frontmatter description for the most common ones). Do not load it for questions outside its scope — defer to the appropriate ORS skill instead.

When NOT to use

Do not load this skill if the question is in a sibling skill's domain (see ## Cross-references), if the user explicitly asks for a different tool, or if the task is outside the skill's declared category.

When to Use This Skill

The CIMER Onboarding Framework

The Entering Mentoring curriculum identifies five key areas that must be addressed in the first meetings:

1. Establishing expectations — What does each party expect from the relationship?
2. Assessing current skills and knowledge — Where is the mentee starting?
3. Defining communication norms — How, when, and how often will you communicate?
4. Creating a development plan — What specific goals will guide the mentorship period?
5. Establishing feedback norms — How will you give and receive feedback?

Expectation Alignment Template

The most common source of mentorship breakdown is misaligned expectations. Address these dimensions explicitly:

Initial Skills Assessment

Use a structured self-assessment to identify mentee's starting point:

Research Skills Inventory:

• Literature search and synthesis
• Experimental design
• Technical lab skills
• Data analysis (statistics, coding)
• Scientific writing
• Grant writing (for advanced mentees)
• Lab management and mentorship (for senior mentees)

Example conversation starter: "Before we set goals, I'd like to understand where you are in each of these areas. On a scale of 1-5 for each: Where would you rate yourself, and what's one area where you'd most like to grow?"

Communication Norms Agreement

Explicitly define communication norms in writing:

MENTORSHIP COMMUNICATION AGREEMENT

Meeting Schedule: [Day] [time] every [week/biweek/month]
Format: [in-person / Zoom / hybrid]
Pre-meeting: Mentee sends agenda by [day/time]
Post-meeting: Mentor returns written feedback by [day/time]

Email/Chat:
- Urgent (实验安全): [response time]
- General questions: [response time]
- Scheduling: [response time]

Feedback:
- Positive feedback: [immediate / weekly]
- Constructive feedback: [in meetings / scheduled 1:1]
- Written annual review: [yes/no]

Documentation:
- Meeting notes: [who maintains]
- IDP updates: [frequency]

Onboarding Meeting Sequence

Meeting 1: Introduction and Expectation Alignment (60-90 minutes)

Before meeting:

• Mentee completes self-assessment
• Both parties review AAAS MyIDP initial assessment

Agenda:

1. Personal introductions (background, research interests)
2. Mentor research program overview
3. Mentee goals and motivations
4. Expectations discussion using template above
5. Communication norms agreement
6. Schedule next meeting

Deliverable: Signed communication agreement

Meeting 2: Skills Assessment and Initial Planning (45-60 minutes)

Agenda:

1. Review self-assessment results
2. Identify priority growth areas
3. Discuss lab norms and culture
4. Assign initial project or reading
5. Set first IDP draft goals

Deliverable: Initial IDP draft with 3-month milestones

Meeting 3: Plan Finalization and Launch (30-45 minutes)

Agenda:

1. Review and finalize IDP
2. Establish feedback schedule
3. Introduce key lab members
4. Resource allocation确认

Deliverable: Finalized 6-month IDP, feedback schedule

Common Onboarding Pitfalls

Feedback Framework: The CIMER Model

Effective feedback is specific, timely, and balanced. Use this structure:

Behavior: "When you [specific action]..." Impact: "It [positive/neutral/negative effect]..." Suggestion: "In the future, consider [alternative]..."

Example: "当你在实验前检查protocols时，你的实验成功率和可重复性显著提高。建议继续保持这个习惯，也尝试在开始前向团队成员简要解释你的实验设计。"

References

• CIMER Entering Mentoring Curriculum: https://cimer.wisc.edu/
• NSF PAPPG Chapter V (Mentoring): https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/pappg/
• NIH BEST Programs: https://www.nih.gov/best-programs
• AAAS MyIDP: https://myidp.sciencecareers.org/
• CAST UDL Guidelines: https://udlguidelines.cast.org/

Related Skills

• mentorship-teaching/ors-mentorship-goal-setting - Setting research and career goals using IDP framework
• mentorship-teaching/ors-teaching-course-design - Designing formal research training curriculum
• mentorship-teaching/ors-teaching-syllabus - Creating course syllabi with learning outcomes

Cross-references

Other skills in this category:

• mentorship-goal-setting
• teaching-course-design
• teaching-syllabus

Changelog

• 1.1.0 (migration) — Bulk-migrated to v0.4.0 schema: canonical metadata block, base Hard rules, Cross-references. Body content unchanged; author should review and fill in any domain-specific extensions to the Hard rules.
• 1.0.0 — Initial release.