An effective Faculty Mentoring Program can help faculty members share (mentors) and acquire (mentees) the professional skills and attitudes for personal, institutional, and career success. The information is adapted from a resource created by World Campus Faculty Development in 2011.
Special thanks to the following Faculty Mentor Programs used as models: Georgetown University Medical Center; Palomar College; Penn State University; University of Maryland; University Of Washington School of Medicine; Western Illinois University
A mentoring program can promote the development of self-confidence and professional achievement, and ultimately enhance institutional stability and continuity. Ideally, participation in a mentoring program will help to improve instruction and enhance communication between new faculty and experienced faculty.
A facilitated mentoring program described here has specific implementation guidelines, outcome measurements, and built-in rewards and recognition for those who participate. The relationship is based on a negotiated agreement between a mentor and a mentee and includes a description of skills to be learned, the types of activities to be engaged and learn new skills, and decisions regarding time and frequency of meetings and feedback sessions.
The goals of the Mentor Program are as follows:
- To provide instructional support for new faculty,
- To strengthen professional relationships, and
- To provide experienced faculty the opportunity to develop their instructional support skills.
The mentor relationship is a developmental opportunity for both the mentor and the mentee; it should be collegial, informative and flexible. In no way is the mentor program intended to be supervisory or evaluative.
Characteristics
A mentoring program is devoted to the individual mentee’s career and individual development, providing personal guidance and support that complements professional development and activities that lead to tenure or promotion. Mentors should not be in the mentee’s “chain of command”: that is, contributors to the mentee’s performance appraisal. Look for mentors who are peers but who have experience that can be shared with the mentee.
Frequent communication between mentor and mentee should occur. Effective mentoring involves regular interaction between the mentor and mentee, but the relationship should not consume so much time as to become burdensome. As a rule, contact should occur at least once every two weeks. The possibilities and combinations for interaction are endless, and the process doesn’t need to be complicated.
Mentoring goes beyond subject matter expertise to new skills the organization needs (tied to competencies) .
The Mentor’s Role
- Be available….schedule opportunities to meet, communicate and collaborate.
- Listen…be a sounding board; empathize; zero in on specific interests and concerns.
- Facilitate…tap in to your experience; lead the way; help locate a resource or solution.
In practice, the Mentor’s role will vary depending upon the unique needs and concerns of the new faculty member and could include any of the following:
- Sounding Board…listen to and supporting creative ideas and suggestions.
- Resource…lead the new faculty member to information or the person with the answer.
- Advisor…offer your opinion or advice on a real or hypothetical problem.
- Guide…help navigate the maze of buildings, offices, and resources.
- Interpreter…decipher policies, contracts, campus acronyms and “codes.”
- Reviewer…provide feedback on a proposal, paper, or handout.
- Role Model…share your teaching and research practices, tips and techniques.
- Advocate…facilitate the new faculty’s social and professional network.
The Mentee’s Role
- Reflect…on your experiences and your interactions with your mentor; this is your chance to learn from the experiences of your mentor, as well as to ask for feedback
- Engage…ask the mentor questions, share comments, voice concerns, and identify issues.
- Seek…look for and utilize opportunities for professional growth and excellence in teaching, research, and service.
- Take personal responsibility…for your academic career; be an active agent and judge of the appropriate course of action for career advancement.
Mentor Checklist
Below is a suggested plan for mentoring over the course of a semester, provided as a recommendation. It suggests topics to be covered that coincide with various points in the semester and resources to share. Ultimately it is up to the mentor and mentee to determine how frequently to meet and which topics to discuss.
Several weeks before the semester begins:
- Call the new faculty member and identify yourself and the mentor program.
- Arrange a convenient time to meet with new faculty member.
First meeting (prior to the start of the semester):
- Reaffirm the goals of the mentoring program and answer questions.
- Discuss both mentor and mentee expectations.
- Discuss the importance of trust and confidentiality in the mentoring relationship.
- Discuss the preferred channels of communication (e.g., meeting, email, phone) and the schedules/commitments of each participant.
- Ask “Do you know of a formal mentor requirement in your program? If so, is there a way that this process can support that requirement?”
- Discuss the course to be taught, including related administrative and instructional policies.
- Share “Checklist for Syllabus Content” and “Evaluating the Syllabus” in Appendix 1, Peer Review Handbook.
- Share copies of course syllabi on file in college/department/DAA office and/or that are available on ANGEL or other online site.
- Review relevant best practices and expectations for online teaching (e.g., https://www.e-education.psu.edu/bestpractices).
- Review relevant teaching evaluation instruments that can help the mentee know what is expected of them as online educators (e.g., Faculty Peer Review of Online Teaching.
- Describe online college students; there are many different “typical” ones.
- Share and briefly walk through the Managing Your Online Course guide.
- Share your department’s/program’s Faculty Manual for Online Teaching (if applicable – e.g., http://facdev.e-education.psu.edu/FacManualforOnlineTeaching).
- Make sure that the mentee has everything ready for the first week of class.
- Identify common interests related to online teaching that you might want to address together during the semester.
- Set up a regular meeting schedule (e.g., weekly) for the rest of the semester.
Throughout the semester:
- Make an effort to discuss and document the specific needs, interests, and concerns of the new faculty member.
- Keep the communication balanced between listening and advising. Avoid dominating the discussion with too much prepared and sage advice.
- Keep the new faculty member apprised of professional development events and resources that might be helpful.
- Invite the new faculty member to any appropriate program/department/college activities. Plan to attend as many of these as possible together!
- Give the mentee member contact information for other individuals who could be of assistance in addressing specific concerns/needs (e.g., faculty, learning designers, technology support, etc.).
During the first few weeks of classes:
- Discuss how things are going for the mentee – What seems to be working? What concerns have arisen? Share your own experiences and strategies.
- Brainstorm specific objectives that could be addressed by the mentoring relationship and discuss ways to reach those objectives.
Several weeks into the semester:
- Discuss ways the mentee can gather teaching feedback, such as one-minute papers, “muddiest point” papers, informal surveys and polls, or the use of mid-semester SEEQs and similar assessment tools for getting formal student feedback during the semester (the latter is available from Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence)
During the last few weeks of classes:
- Make sure the new faculty member understands proper procedures for turning in grades at the end of the semester.
- Discuss the administration of final exams.
At the end of the semester:
- Make sure the new faculty member knows you are available for any last minute questions or assistance.
- Schedule a final appointment to review the semester.
Additional Topics That Might Be Addressed During Mentoring Sessions
Engaging Students
- Motivating students to do high-quality academic work
- Helping students with deficiencies: resources available at campus
Understanding Penn State evaluations of teaching
- Understanding Penn State evaluations of teaching using Student Ratings of Teaching Effectiveness (SRTEs)
- Using SRTEs to guide teaching improvements (e.g., what kinds of things are “red flags” that need attention immediately; impact on evaluations of course being required or an elective; relationship between verbal responses and numerical scores)
- Peer reviews of teaching: informal and formal
- Other evaluation methods used at a campus (e.g., surveys of past students)
Advising students
- Importance of academic adviser
- What students can expect of faculty advisor, and what adviser expects of students
- Academic planning resources, schedule planning, degree audits, academic review available through eLion
- Proactive academic advising and technologies available to use in the process
- Career paths and opportunities
Page Contact: Ann Taylor