UROP Research Mentor Project Submission Portal: Submission #1244

Research Mentor Information
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Primary Research Mentor Name: Yang Li
Research Mentor Preferred Pronouns: she/her/hers
When potential research assistants are reaching out via email, what is your preferred honorific?: Dr.
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): yl18bs@fsu.edu
Position Title: FSU Staff/Campus Partner
FSU College (if applicable): N/A
FSU Department or Non-FSU Organization Affiliation: FSU Career Center
Headshot (optional): https://cre.fsu.edu/system/files/webform/urop_project_proposal_portal/20816/yang%20professional%20headshot%20%28small%20size%29%20PM.png

Additional Research Mentor(s)
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Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from above): {Empty}
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
Research Assistant Supervisor Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
Contact Email (FSU Email if affiliated): {Empty}
Name of Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) (if applicable): {Empty}
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Pronouns: {Empty}
Other Faculty/Collaborator(s) Preferred Honorific?: {Empty}
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Overall Project Details
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Title of the Project: Mapping Career Readiness at FSU: Student, Faculty, and Career Services Perspectives
Project Keywords: • Career readiness • NACE Career Readiness Competencies • Undergraduate students • Faculty perspectives • Academic advising / career services • Curriculum integration • Assessment & measurement alignment • Qualitative interviews Brief pulse survey
Are you currently looking for research assistants?: Yes
Number of Research Assistants Needed : 2
Relevant Research Assistant Major(s):
Preferred at Education/Social Works/Psychology, but also Open to all majors 

Project Location:: On FSU Main Campus
If the project location is off campus, does the research assistant(s) need to provide their own transportation?: Yes
Please select the choice that most accurately describes your expectations for the research assistant(s):: Partially Remote
Approximately how many hours a week would the research assistant(s) need to work?: 7-9 hrs a week 
Roughly what time frame do you expect research assistant(s) to work?: During business hours
Overall Research Project Description:
This project examines how students, faculty, and career practitioners at Florida State University understand and apply “career readiness.” Grounded in the NACE Career Readiness Competencies, we will clarify definitions, map interpretations within the FSU context, and compare perspectives across campus stakeholders who advise students. A recent campus report indicates that over 44% of faculty regularly advise students on career exploration , underscoring the need for shared language and practical supports. The project will generate concise, equity-minded guidance that institutions can use to define, assess, and strengthen career readiness for undergraduate students entering the workforce.	
	RQs: 
	- How do students, faculty, and Career Center staff at FSU define and apply the Career Readiness Competencies?
	- Where do these interpretations align or diverge from FSU’s current assessment framework and practices?
	- What guidance and assessment tools would help faculty and advisors integrate and evaluate career readiness in curriculum?


Research Tasks:
• Literature synthesis
	- Review definitions, use cases, and measurement of career readiness/NACE from the perspectives of (a) students, (b) faculty, and (c) career services staff.
•  Tool/measure design (assessment prototypes)
	• Draft practical artifacts for campus use: a course integration checklist, advising prompts, and a brief rubric or rating scale tied to NACE.
	• Iteratively refine via think-alouds with 3–5 faculty/advisors.
• Synthesis & guidance
	• Deliver an equity-minded “FSU Career Readiness Guide” (concise definitions, examples by role, recommended indicators) + slide deck and one-page executive brief.

Optional if interested in 

• Stakeholder interviews ((optional, qualitative)
	• Conduct semi-structured interviews with Career Center staff and a purposive sample of faculty across high-enrollment colleges.
	• Analyze with a rapid qualitative approach to surface shared language, pain points, and examples of practice.
• Data alignment (optional, secondary analysis)
	• Map NACE competencies to the Career Center’s existing assessment pillars and available datasets.
	• Test face/construct alignment (e.g., compare current indicators to NACE definitions) and note gaps or redundancies.
• Tool/measure design (assessment prototypes)
	• Draft practical artifacts for campus use: a course integration checklist, advising prompts, and a brief rubric or rating scale tied to NACE.
	• Iteratively refine via think-alouds with 3–5 faculty/advisors.
• Campus pulse survey (optional, brief)
	• Field a short survey to students and faculty to gauge familiarity, perceived importance, and use of NACE; include 1–2 behaviorally anchored items per priority competency.
	• Coordinate with the supervisor and AVP for sampling and distribution; obtain IRB determination.


Skills that research assistant(s) may need::
Required 
	• Professionalism & communication: clear email/Slack etiquette; concise memo writing (150–250 words); collaborative note-taking.
	• Research literacy: how to read an abstract, identify a research question, and pull 3–5 relevant sources from library databases/Google Scholar.
	• Ethics & privacy basics: respect for confidentiality; intro to IRB/CITI and FERPA concepts; consent and data handling norms.
	• Spreadsheet fluency: sort/filter, basic formulas, data types, tidy column naming; create a simple pivot table.
	• Documentation & versioning: file naming, meeting notes, action items, and using shared drives.
Recommended 
	• Literature review skills: keywords, Boolean operators, citation managers (e.g., Zotero/EndNote), APA references.
	• Survey basics: write clear Likert items, avoid double-barreled/leading wording, pilot test, plan distribution.
	• Qualitative interviewing: build a semi-structured protocol, active listening, neutral probing, basic transcription.
	• Qualitative coding: open coding and theme development (Taguette/NVivo/Atlas.ti helpful but not required).
	• Quant basics: descriptive stats (mean/median/%), crosstabs, simple data viz (bar/column charts).
	• Tools: Excel/Google Sheets; Docs/Word; Slides/PowerPoint; Qualtrics;
        • Project management: time blocking, checklists, communicating blockers early.

Mentoring Philosophy:
I mentor to develop independent, reflective researchers. My default stance is high autonomy with purposeful scaffolding: mentees own questions, methods, and products; I coach strategy, quality, and next steps, especially when they feel stuck. We practice early, proactive communication about roadblocks so we can diagnose issues together. Our relationship rests on mutual respect, accountability, and curiosity, and we treat mistakes as data.
We co-define goals and milestones, map current skills, and agree on norms for communication, deadlines, and authorship. I take a strengths-based approach, assigning purposeful stretch work that builds confidence and competence. Learning is inquiry-driven and safe: questions are welcomed, assumptions are tested, and we iterate.
Feedback is timely, specific, and kind—focused on the work, with clear criteria and feedforward guidance. To keep momentum, we use short weekly updates (progress, blockers, next steps) and a shared task board. When a blocker arises, mentees timebox solo effort, document what they tried, and ping me early; we pair-problem-solve and capture lessons learned.
I aim for an inclusive climate that honors different backgrounds and commitments and provides flexible paths to shared outcomes. Ultimately, my goal is to help mentees leave with portable skills—clarity of purpose, credible methods, and the confidence to lead their own projects.

Please provide a link to your publications, a video clip, or a website for your research project (if applicable):: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yang-Li-964
Please add any additional information here (if applicable)::
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Are you interested in participating in the UROP Research Mentor Roundtable?: Yes
Roundtable times and Zoom links:
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Roundtable Info:
- Day: Friday, September 5
  Start Time: 12:00
  End Time: 1:00
  Zoom Link: Meeting URL:  https://fsu.zoom.us/j/95878197698?pwd=6lRF0PbBao1BAeGj5TbXAHT96A9S1W.1&from=addon  Meeting ID: 958 7819 7698 Passcode: 305026

UROP Program Elements
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Mentor Handbook, FAQs, and Communication: Yes
UROP Performance Evaluation: Yes
Materials Grant: Yes
UROP Poster Presentation: Yes

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Year: 2025
update url: https://cre.fsu.edu/urop-research-mentor-project-submission-portal?element_parents=elements/research_mentor_information/headshot_optional_&ajax_form=1&_wrapper_format=drupal_ajax&token=XLQDdOY7kvHBM55FFJyxXRc1AvAzDp_PmyzJU9nqBgI