ECE affiliation and SPT access

Researchers are referenced as Project Instructors throughout the SPT projects portal. All faculty have access to SPT and the ability to post research projects for student consideration. Faculty from departments other than ECE may be asked to connect with an ECE Faculty Advisor before posting a project for which accepted students will earn ECE degree credit.

If you are a faculty member and experiencing issues logging into or posting a project in SPT, please contact ece-academicaffairs@andrew.cmu.edu.

Project Instructor User Capabilities and Limitations

Upon being granted access to SPT, all project instructors have the same level of access, with the capability to:

• Open and close projects as desired
• View submitted applications to these projects, including student profiles and resumes
• Accept or deny applicants

Eligibility Requirements for student Research Participation

SPT helps ECE researchers advertise open research projects to find students with the appropriate background and experience required for specialized research areas. When project instructors post a new research project through SPT, they can specify by class level who is eligible to apply. Currently, project availability in SPT can be extended to ECE students in the following class levels:

• ECE Sophomore
• ECE Junior
• ECE Senior
• ECE MS-IMB
• ECE Masters (MS)

Doctoral students conducting research are not routed through SPT.
First-year ECE students may apply, but it is strongly recommended that they speak with the Advising office first.

Setting Expectations

Though research projects may be ongoing, student research assignments are on a one-semester basis. Students must receive compensation for research work via either Units or Pay, and may only receive one form of compensation per semester.

When posting an SPT project, instructors will indicate which compensation option is available for that specific project:

• Units (i.e., research for credit)
• Pay (i.e., research for an hourly wage)
• Units or Pay (i.e., a given student can select either compensation type)

RESEARCH FOR UNIT CREDIT

When accepting a student to work on a project for unit credit, instructors will indicate how many units the student will earn that semester. Units earned must align with the number of hours to be worked (i.e. 12 units = an average of 12 hours of work each week for the semester). Students can use these units toward degree requirements and instructors will be asked to submit a letter grade at the end of the semester.

Once a student is accepted to join a research project for credit in SPT, the student will be registered for the stated number of units by their Academic Advisor.

Students in the MS-ECE programs in Pittsburgh may work on a single research project with a CMU faculty member in greater depth over more than one semester, allowing them to count additional project units toward their degrees. This is called the Intensive Project Option, and Project Instructors will be asked whether a project could be pursued in this manner at the time of posting. More information can be found at this website.

RESEARCH FOR PAY

When accepting a student to work on a project for pay, instructors should clearly convey the expected workload. Student hours worked may vary based on the needs of the project and shared availability, but may never exceed 20 hours worked in a single week.

Upon accepting a student for pay, instructors must provide the account string to be charged to the ECE Business Office at ece-business@andrew.cmu.edu. Hourly pay rates are set by the Department and increase with the student's class level.

To add a research project to SPT:

1. Login to the Student Project Tracker (SPT) application portal using your CMU Andrew userID.
2. From the SPT Projects main page, click the Add New Project button below the banner on the left-hand side of the screen.
3. On the following screen, enter project details to advertise your project to qualified students. Form fields to complete include:
   

• Title
• Description/Abstract
• Skills required/desired for position
• Project location 
• Class level(s) permitted to work on project
• Compensation Type
• Maximum students needed for project
• Whether the project can be used toward the Intensive Project Option for MS students (see applicable note under Research for Unit Credit within Compensation Options, above)
• OPTIONAL: Project file
• OPTIONAL: Co-project instructors affiliated with project

To modify the details an exisiting research project:

1. Login to the Student Project Tracker (SPT) application portal using your CMU Andrew userID.
2. From the SPT Projects main page, click the My Projects button below the banner on the left-hand side of the screen.
3.  From the My Projects page, scroll the projects page to locate your desired project(s).
4. Click on the project title hypertext to open the project details page.
5. Edit or adjust project details as needed, including the project status (open/closed), adding a co-PI, changing remote research settings, and more.

To review applications for open research projects:

1. Login to the Student Project Tracker (SPT) application portal using your CMU Andrew userID.
2. From the SPT Projects main page, click the My Projects button below the banner on the left-hand side of the screen.
3.  From the My Projects page, scroll the projects page to locate your desired project(s).
4. Click the Profile icon to activate a dialog box that highlights the applicant's student information, including a photo of the applicant, name, class level, ECE courses taken, and other key information.
5. Click the Application icon  to view the students application submission, including the compensation selection and short essay response.
6. OPTIONAL: Add notes to individual student applications by clicking  at the bottom of the student's application summary.
7. Under the application status, make a decision a student application by selecting either the Accept or Deny button from either the project dashboard or the student's application. When you accept a student's application for your project, SPT will notify the student and their advisor through an automated messaging system.
    

When a student is earning units for their research assignment, the Project Instructor submits the final letter grade earned directly in SPT. The Academic Services Center team will enter the grade in the student's record accordingly. Please contact them at ece-asc@andrew.cmu.edu with any questions or grade changes.

Q: Am I able to modify a project after submitting?

A: Yes. Project instructors (PIs) can update the project description, project title, project file upload (PDF), desired skills, compensation type, and maximum students. After a project is created, either ECE staff advisors or the PI can add a co-PI to the project.

 Q: Can a non-ECE student participate in a research project?

A: Yes. However, only currently enrolled ECE students can access SPT. If you wish to work with a non-ECE student on your research project, please contact the ECE Advising team at ece-academicaffairs@andrew.cmu.edu for assistance.

Q: Are students permitted to work on projects remotely (i.e., off-campus)?

A: It depends. Students may only work for pay if physically located in Pittsburgh or Silicon Valley for the duration of the application semester. Students may support a project remotely if receiving credit only. Project Instructors indicate the location of the project when creating the posting, and should be clear about the expectations for the work.