Master of Public Health programs train students on health promotion and disease prevention within communities. One identified gap was the lack of the ability for students to conduct research projects in their area of interest. Thus, we recruited students to collaborate with faculty on research projects and sought out an online platform to serve as a hub for student research assistants (RAs). Slack is a communication platform that allows for creating a workspace with various “channels” accessible by invitees. We created a workspace titled “Public Health Research Assistants” where RAs could have access to information in one place and communicate with faculty mentors and other RAs. RAs were recruited through faculty courses. Three students were selected and granted access to the workspace. Faculty regularly posted resources in the Slack channels to encourage student engagement. Through using Slack, interactions with students increased; however, there were many lessons learned. Students appeared to be overwhelmed by the provided information and unsure of where to begin or how to utilize the information. Students struggled with time management and being able to prioritize the unpaid research opportunity. Lastly, faculty learned an essential lesson with boundary setting and student expectations.

Authors:
Danielle Henderson, Grand Canyon University, United States
Dulce Maria Ruelas, Grand Canyon University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Professor Danielle Henderson is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Grand Canyon University, United States

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