ECE affiliation and SPT access

Researchers are referenced as Research Instructors (RI) throughout the SPT projects portal. Depending on their affiliation with ECE, faculty will have different levels of access to SPT and the ability to post research projects for student consideration. 

ECE Core Faculty and Courtesy Faculty

A CMU person with an Andrew userID is granted access to SPT if their primary affiliation with CMU is listed as faculty according to the university directory. Most ECE faculty and ECE courtesy faculty fall under this category, and thus can post research projects to recruit student researchers.

ECE Adjunct Faculty

ECE adjunct faculty may be categorized either as faculty or staff in the university directory. Adjunct faculty member listed as staff with an interest in posting open research projects should contact ECE's Academic Affairs office for guidance.

RI User Capabilities and Limitations

Upon being granted access to SPT, all research instructors (RI) have the same level of access, with the capabilities to:

• Open and close projects as desired
• View submitted applications, 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 a researcher posts a new research project through SPT, (s)he can specify by class level who is eligible to apply. Currently, research projects in SPT are open to qualified ECE students who are enrolled in the following class levels:

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

Compensation Options

Each SPT project listing will indicate one or more compensation options: Units (i.e., research for credit) or Pay (i.e., hourly pay). Depending on the project offering, students may choose to apply research credits toward their degree requirements. Students may also apply for opportunities for hourly pay. However, students cannot receive both forms of compensation for the same research project.

Research for credit

ECE Undergraduate students

Students that engage in research for academic credit may apply the units toward either their ECE coverage requirement or toward their free elective requirements. Before applying for a research project through SPT, students should contact their academic advisor and/or faculty mentor for specific information on how to register for research units.

ECE Master's students

ECE Master's students can apply up to 27 units(in the course option) or 36 units (in the project option) of research credit towards degree requirements by registering for 18-980, 18-981 or 18982. In the course option, 12 units of research can be applied toward the ECE core coursework requirement and up to 15 project units can be applied toward CIT elective requirements. Please note, the project option is only available in select program locations.

The number of units registered for should equal the number of research hours completed each week. For example, registering for 12 units of research should equate to the student conducting 12 hours of research per week throughout the semester.

If the student accepts an offer to join a research project for credit, the student will be registered for the appropriate number of research units by the ECE Academic Affairs office staff.

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
• MS Student Course/Project Option (only select if you are looking for MS students to apply. Hover over the info button for more information)
• OPTIONAL: Project file
• OPTIONAL: Co-research 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-RI, 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.
    

To assign a final grade for a student's performance for credit, research instructors must first post a final grade in SPT. The Academic Services Center team then take the SPT grade and match it to the student's CMU academic record.

Please note that the grade entered into SIO will supersede any grade changes in SPT. Therefore, research instructors should contact the ECE Academic Services Center if a grade change is required. For record-keeping, the Note history will keep a record of grades and grade changes entered for the student.

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

A: Yes. Research instructors (RIs) 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 RI can add a co-RI 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 a staff advisor of ECE's Academic Affairs office for assistance.

Q: Are students permitted to work on projects from a remote (i.e., off-campus) location? Are students able to see if a given project offers remote research?

A: To both questions, yes. Working remotely on a research project is determined by the research instructor. If a project permits working remotely, then the student is presented with following prompt in the application details: The project location is <LOCATION> and permits working remotely. Do you wish to work on this project remotely? Yes/No.