NRMN Courses

Enroll in our courses within MyNRMN:

Advancing Inclusive Mentoring (AIM)

Course Description

The AIM program, is a mentor training program developed at California State University Long Beach (CSULB) as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) Initiative. The overarching goals of AIM are to provide a variety of engaging faculty training resources to promote student success through positive and inclusive mentoring, particularly for mentors of undergraduate research students. Because student involvement in high impact practices such as research, scholarly, and creative activities boost student success – particularly when associated with strong mentorship, learning the best practices for mentoring is a critical component of facilitating student success.

CSULB BUILD’s innovative mentor training program, tailored for mentors of undergraduate students, builds off of NRMN/CIMER programs, and is now available to all members here on MyNRMN.

Unconscious Bias Course

Course Description

Unconscious Bias is a prejudice we have or an assumption we make about another person based on common cultural stereotypes, rather than on thoughtful judgement. Nobody is immune from unconscious bias, regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, orientation, etc., because humans have the tendency to make associations to help us organize our social worlds. Unfortunately, these biases can affect the type and quality of healthcare received, hiring practices, and workplace environments.

The Unconscious Bias Course will help you address your personal unconscious bias, teach you about microaggressions, provide a solutions toolkit, develop your self-awareness, and discuss bias and disparities in medicine and healthcare. A certificate is awarded upon completion of these modules. The course may be completed all at once or each module may be taken separately. There is no set completion window, but all five modules must be completed to receive credit for the course. Each module takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.

Launching Research Pt. 1: Laboratory Readiness

Course Description

The purpose of this course, Launching Research, Part 1: Laboratory Readiness, is to inspire students to confidently explore research and acquaint them with skills that they will use throughout the course of their education and career. The purpose is also to introduce the concept that research can provide new and exciting opportunities. This course will help mentees or students get acclimated and introduced to the research laboratory and laboratory setting.

This course is divided into three modules. The first module introduces the user to research, provides guidelines for mentor and mentee responsibilities, and discusses the development of a professional image. The second module addresses research compliance including the protection of human subjects, the welfare of laboratory animals, and guidance for developing standard operating procedures. The third module covers research ethics including conflicts of interest, article perspectives, research articles, and provides instruction for creating and maintaining a laboratory notebook.

Each module will take approximately 45 minutes to complete, and users are able to pause between lessons within the modules. A certificate is awarded upon completion of the course.

Launching Research Part 2: Tools for Organization and Investigation

Course Description

The purpose of this course, Launching Research, Part 2: Tools for Organization and Investigation, is to inspire students to confidently explore research and acquaint them with skills that they will use throughout the course of their education and career. The purpose is also to introduce the concept that research can provide new and exciting opportunities.

This course is divided into three modules. The first module introduces the user to data gathering, scientific and engineering methods, and data management and practices. The second module addresses the SWOT analysis, collaboration, research misconduct, and citation /reference management. The third module covers authorship and publication, theses and dissertations, scientific meetings, and intellectual property (patents and other IP).

Each module will take approximately 45 minutes to complete, and users are able to pause between lessons within the modules. A certificate is awarded upon completion of the course.

Mentoring Undergraduate Students

Course Description

This self-directed course is designed to help faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, or graduate students optimize their mentoring relationships with undergraduate mentees. The course predominantly addresses research mentoring that occurs within biomedical, behavioral, and social science fields. However, many of the principles and approaches covered in this course are applicable to other disciplines and other types of mentoring relationships.

Mentoring Graduate Students, Post Docs & Early Career Faculty

Course Description

A self-directed course is designed to help faculty members (or other experienced researchers) optimize their mentoring relationships with graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and early-career faculty. The course predominantly addresses research mentoring that occurs within biomedical, behavioral, and social science fields. However, many of the principles and approaches covered in this course are applicable to other disciplines and other types of mentoring relationships.

2. Curriculum Vitae (CV) and Statement of Purpose (SOP)

This is the 2nd mini-course in the series “Applying to Graduate School and Summer Research Experiences.”

The purpose of this series of mini-courses is to provide students from historically underrepresented groups the training, support, and resources necessary to successfully apply to Ph.D. programs in health-related research fields.

About this Course

This mini-course has two lessons, one on the CV and one on the SOP. For the CV lesson, students are introduced to components of a CV and given guidance. Specific topics for the CV lesson include: biographical information, education, research activities, teaching activities, additional professional experiences, grants, honors, and awards, service and demonstrated commitment to diversity. The SOP lesson includes topics of: planning the SOP, finding essay prompts by a program, general tips, developing an SOP template, and sample SOPs.

3. Letters of Recommendation (LOR)

This is the 3rd mini-course in the series “Applying to Graduate School and Summer Research Experiences.”

The purpose of this series of mini-courses is to provide students from historically underrepresented groups the training, support, and resources necessary to successfully apply to Ph.D. programs in health-related research fields.

About this Course

This mini-course informs students about the materials and processes they should take for obtaining letters of recommendation. This module also includes topics of: What do graduate programs look for in letters of recommendation, who should you ask to write a letter, who is qualified to write you a letter, the request timeline, as well as examples for an application portfolio.

4. GRE Preparation and Expectations

This is the 4th mini-course in the series “Applying to Graduate School and Summer Research Experiences.”

The purpose of this series of mini-courses is to provide students from historically underrepresented groups the training, support, and resources necessary to successfully apply to Ph.D. programs in health-related research fields.

About this Course

This mini-course introduces the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and explains why the GRE is important. Specific topics in this module include: how to create an ETS account, what to expect on the day of testing, the structure of the computer delivered test, a discussion of when to take the GRE, and a description of each section of the test. In addition, students are introduced to fee reduction programs as well as given guidance for test preparation and how to select and send their scores to a graduate program.

5. Seeking Financial Support for Graduate Schools

This is the 5th mini-course in the series “Applying to Graduate School and Summer Research Experiences.”

The purpose of this series of mini-courses is to provide students from historically underrepresented groups the training, support, and resources necessary to successfully apply to Ph.D. programs in health-related research fields.

About this Course

This mini-course discusses funding options available to students for graduate school. Specific topics include: how to fund graduate studies available within the California State System, student debt that may occur, when and how to apply for funding, types of funding packages, and tips for managing finances as a graduate student.

6. How to Interview Successfully for Graduate School

This is the 6th mini-course in the series “Applying to Graduate School and Summer Research Experiences.”

The purpose of this series of mini-courses is to provide students from historically underrepresented groups the training, support, and resources necessary to successfully apply to Ph.D. programs in health-related research fields.

About this Course

This mini-course discusses what students should expect and plan for when interviewing for graduate school. Specific topics include: the purpose of the interview, how to prepare for an interview, what to expect in terms of funding (i.e., travel and lodging), know who is interviewing you, preparation of a list of questions to ask and common interview questions, online versus in-person interviews, and post-interview etiquette.

7. Individual Development Plan (IDP)

This is the 7th mini-course in the series “Applying to Graduate School and Summer Research Experiences.”

The purpose of this series of mini-courses is to provide students from historically underrepresented groups the training, support, and resources necessary to successfully apply to Ph.D. programs in health-related research fields.

About this Course

This mini-course introduces students to the Individual Development Plan (IDP). Topics include: what is an IDP; the difference between short-term, intermediate, and long-term goals; the importance of setting goals and re-visiting/up-dating them; how to identify and assess skills; tips for bridging gaps in desired skills; how to get input from mentors, peers, and family members; and an example template for an IDP.

8. Summer Research Experiences

This is the 8th mini-course in the series “Applying to Graduate School and Summer Research Experiences.”

The purpose of this series of mini-courses is to provide students from historically underrepresented groups the training, support, and resources necessary to successfully apply to Ph.D. programs in health-related research fields.

About this Course

This mini-course provides tips and guidance for students who are looking for and applying to programs that provide summer research experiences (SRE) for undergraduate students. Topics include: what is an SRE and what are the benefits of undergraduate research, where to look for SRE programs (including references to programs sponsored by NIH and NSF), how to apply to SREs, the SRE application timeline, how to discuss SRE programs with family members, and useful tips from past alumni.