undergraduate-checkin

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Undergraduate Researcher Weekly Check-in Template

Name: [Your Name] Date: [YYYY-MM-DD] Week of: [Start date of week] Supervisor: [Supervisor name] Project: [Main project name]

This Week's Work

Tasks Completed

  • [ ] [Specific task completed - be detailed]
  • [ ] [Specific task completed - be detailed]
  • [ ] [Specific task completed - be detailed]

Hours Worked

Total Hours: [Number] hours Breakdown:

  • Research tasks: [Hours]
  • Learning/training: [Hours]
  • Meetings: [Hours]
  • Documentation: [Hours]

Key Accomplishments

[What are you most proud of completing this week?]

Skills Used/Developed

[What technical or research skills did you practice or learn?]

Learning and Growth

New Things Learned

Technical Skills: [Programming, analysis methods, tools, etc.]

Research Methods: [Data collection, analysis techniques, research processes]

Domain Knowledge: [Subject matter expertise gained]

Questions That Came Up

  1. [Question about the research/project]
  2. [Question about methods or tools]
  3. [Question about next steps]

Resources Used

[Papers read, tutorials completed, tools explored]

Challenges and Problem-Solving

Challenges Faced

Challenge 1: [Describe the problem]

  • What I tried: [Your attempts to solve it]
  • Outcome: [What happened]
  • Still need help with: [If unresolved]

Challenge 2: [Describe the problem]

  • What I tried: [Your attempts to solve it]
  • Outcome: [What happened]
  • Still need help with: [If unresolved]

Problem-Solving Approaches

[How did you approach problems? What strategies worked?]

Next Week's Plans

Priority Tasks

  1. [Most important task for next week]
  2. [Second priority task]
  3. [Third priority task]

Learning Goals

[What do you want to learn or improve next week?]

Questions to Explore

[What questions do you want to investigate?]

Time Commitment

Available Hours: [How many hours can you work next week?] Schedule: [When are you available to work?]

Support Needed

Help Requested

  • [ ] Explanation of [concept/method/tool]
  • [ ] Feedback on [specific work]
  • [ ] Guidance on [next steps/direction]
  • [ ] Access to [resource/data/tool]
  • [ ] Introduction to [person/resource]

Specific Questions for Supervisor

  1. [Specific question about your work]
  2. [Specific question about methods]
  3. [Specific question about next steps]

Resources Needed

[Software, data, equipment, training materials, etc.]

Reflection

What Went Well?

[What worked effectively this week?]

What Was Challenging?

[What was difficult or frustrating?]

What Would You Do Differently?

[How could you improve your approach?]

Most Interesting Discovery

[What was the most interesting thing you learned or found?]

Connection to Bigger Picture

Project Contribution

[How does your work contribute to the overall project?]

Research Understanding

[How has your understanding of the research area grown?]

Career Relevance

[How does this experience connect to your academic/career goals?]

Ideas and Suggestions

Ideas for the Project

[Any suggestions or ideas for improving the project?]

Process Improvements

[Any suggestions for improving workflows or methods?]

Future Directions

[What would be interesting to explore next?]

Professional Development

Skills Building

[What skills are you actively developing?]

Networking/Connections

[New people met or relationships developed?]

Portfolio Development

[Work that could be included in your portfolio?]

Future Opportunities

[Conferences, presentations, or other opportunities to consider?]

Quick Metrics

Productivity Indicators

  • Tasks completed: [Number]
  • Code written/modified: [Lines or files]
  • Data processed: [Amount]
  • Documents created/updated: [Number]

Engagement Level

Rate your engagement this week (1-5): [Number] Why this rating? [Brief explanation]

Confidence Level

Rate your confidence in your work (1-5): [Number] What would help increase confidence? [Brief explanation]

Looking Ahead

Upcoming Deadlines

[Any deadlines or important dates coming up?]

Semester Goals Progress

[How are you progressing toward your semester goals?]

Summer/Future Plans

[How does current work connect to future plans?]

Additional Notes

Random Thoughts/Ideas

[Any other thoughts, observations, or ideas?]

Lab Community

[How did you contribute to or benefit from the lab community?]

Personal Wins

[Any personal achievements or breakthroughs?]

Action Items

For You to Do

  • [ ] [Task for you to complete before next meeting]
  • [ ] [Task for you to complete before next meeting]

For Supervisor

  • [ ] [What you need from your supervisor]
  • [ ] [What you need from your supervisor]

For Next Meeting Discussion

  1. [Topic to discuss]
  2. [Topic to discuss]
  3. [Topic to discuss]

Meeting Preparation:

  • [ ] Review this check-in before meeting
  • [ ] Prepare questions and materials
  • [ ] Think about what feedback you want

Meeting Notes (to be filled during/after meeting): [Space for notes from supervisor meeting]