4.2.2.2 Mentored Project
While academic coursework and clinical training are designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills required to be successful audiologists in the profession today, the 6-credit, elective, mentored project equips students with the skills to successfully contribute to, and lead, the profession in the future.
Interested students may fulfill their elective coursework requirement by completing a mentored project. During the summer of the second year, students will indicate their decision to complete a project and identify a project mentor. Together, the student and mentor will formulate a question in their chosen area of interest. Six general areas are offered for consideration (see Table 3) along with an example product for each as well as potential professional aspirations to help guide the decision process. Other areas of interest not listed in the table will be considered and approved if the resources are available to complete the project. Students are expected to generate new knowledge for their project through the collection, analysis, and interpretation of their own data or the compilation of data from multiple other sources.
Table 3. Mentored Project Areas of Interest
| Science |
Clinical or Basic Research |
Research Lab or Clinic |
| Teaching and Learning |
Delivery teaching/learning in audiology |
Academia or Continuing Education |
| Interprofessional Clinical Practice |
Develop Clinical Skills or technology development |
Specialized Clinical Service Provider |
| Entrepreneurship |
New product proposal/business model |
Business Owner or Consultant |
| Advocacy and Policy |
Legislative or Professional Policy gap |
Professional Leadership |
| Quality Improvement |
Assessment of clinical or academic program/service delivery |
Management Administration |
Once an area of interest has been identified, the mentor and student will work together to form a team of advisors to assist the student with the project. Minimally, the team will consist of the student’s faculty mentor, a content expert, and a third member from within IHP or an affiliate institution.
In the spring semester of the second year, the student will prepare and submit a report to their project team and present their findings to the IHP community during research and scholarship day (usually in the form of a poster).
The team will assess the student’s progress each semester and assign a letter grade according to the successful completion of the objectives for the project.
CA-891-6 Mentored Project (1 credit) In this elective, mentored experience, students identify a knowledge gap in an area of audiologic practice or hearing science and generate new knowledge through meta-analysis of existing data or through original research. Students may enroll for up to 6 credits but no more than 3 credits in a semester. Prerequisites: None