As the lone experimentalist in my group, I end up supervising most of the students (M.S., B.S. and high school) who do experimentation-focused research in my lab.
I am always trying to improve my mentoring and supervision skills. So I would like to ask my current students for some feedback at the end of the summer.
However, I want to make sure they don't feel pressured in any way by this request, that they are assured there will be no negative or positive consequences to them, and that they understand that I really want honest answers. (I'm not fishing for compliments.)
And, I am looking for specific feedback that I can use to improve or build on, not just general complaints or reassurances that everything was fine.
Given the goals stated above, what's the best way to ask for this kind of feedback? Should we speak face to face in an "exit interview" kind of thing, or should I ask them to write something in an anonymous form online, or something else entirely?
What specific questions can I ask to get focused, helpful feedback on my supervision and mentoring abilities?
Does anybody here have experience (as either supervisor or supervisee) with this kind of assessment, and have useful techniques to share?