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MENTORING
by Joe Cuseo
Working Definition of Mentoring:
"A one-to-one learning relationship between an older person and a younger person that is based on modeling behavior and extended dialogue between them. A way of individualizing a student�s education by allowing or encouraging the student to connect with a college staff member who is experienced in a particular field or set of skills."
--Cynthia S. Johnson (1989). (Of course, in KCTCS the age hierarchy is meaningless)
Potential Roles/Functions of Mentors:
1. Advocate
2. Cheerleader
3. Coach
4. Confidante
5. Friend/Colleague
6. Guide
7. Resource-&-Referral Agent
8. Role Model
Potential Benefits of Mentoring for the Student Mentee/Protegee:
1. Increased likelihood of persistence to graduation
2. Increased academic achievement
3. Increased satisfaction with the college experience
4. Increased educational aspirations
Potential Benefits of Mentoring for the Mentor:
1. Revitalization/Vitality
2. Generativity/Fulfillment
Why Faculty-Student Mentoring Does Not Happen �Naturally�:
1. Faculty lack background experience and training in the skills needed for effective mentoring.
2. Student-faculty ratios for teaching and advising are often too large for personalized mentoring to take place.
3. Faculty tend to be discipline-centered and content-oriented, often lacking the college-wide and process-oriented perspective needed for effective mentoring.
4. Faculty interest in mentoring is often compromised by competing professional responsibilities that carry more weight in their retention and promotion (e.g., teaching, research, and committee work).
5. Faculty rarely are provided with incentives or reward systems that encourage professional pursuit of mentoring.
Logistical Issues: The Dirty Dozen
1. How will the mentees (protegees) be selected & recruited?
2. How will the mentors be selected & recruited?
3. How will mentors & mentees be paired?
4. What should be the mentor:mentee ratio?
5. When should the mentoring relationship begin and end?
6. How will mentors & mentees be prepared/oriented for their
roles?
7. When & how often should mentors & mentees meet?
8. What "things" (activities) should they do together?
9. How should the program be assessed/evaluated?
10. What resources are needed to support or enhance the program?
11. Who should coordinate the program?
12. How can the program become most visible so as to stimulate
institutional awareness, institutional support, or program
expansion?
THE ART & SCIENCE OF MAKING STUDENT REFERRALS: SOME SUGGESTED STRATEGIES
* Describe the goals and services of the referred service. (Don't assume that the student already has a clear idea.)
* Personalize the referral: Refer the student to a person (rather than an office).
* Reassure the student of the qualifications and capability of the person to whom the s/he is being referred.
* Help the student identify what questions to ask or what approaches to take with the resource person.
* Make explicitly sure that the student knows where to go and who to ask for.
* Phone for an appointment while the student is in your presence. * Walk with the student to the referred person�s office.
* Follow up the initial referral by asking the student if the contact occurred, how it went, and whether there will be future contact.
RAPPORT & RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING STRATEGIES:
A BAKER'S DOZEN (+ 2)
1. Always refer to your mentee by name.
2. Learn & remember personal information about your mentee.
3. Do something nice (and unexpected) for your mentee.
4. Show interest in the mentee's life and college experience:
Ask focused, open-ended (divergent) questions.
5. Engage in active listening.
6. Be empathic: Acknowledge & inquire about your mentee's
feelings.
7. Share personal experiences with your mentee.
8. Be prepared for scheduled meetings (esp. the first meeting).
9. Be reliable & punctual for meetings with your mentee.
10. Schedule some interactions with your mentee in informal
settings.
11. Be easily accessible/available to your mentee.
12. Provide effective, constructive feedback to your mentee.
13. Seek input from your mentee.
14. Provide your mentee with opportunities for personal choice &
decision-making.
15. Remain positive & enthusiastic in the face of frustrations.
MENTOR PROGRAM ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
1. Assessment Purposes
:
* Formative Assessment: to help "form," shape, fine-tune,
and improve the program.
* Summative Assessment: to "sum up" the program's overall
worth, value, or impact.
2. Assessment Outcomes:
* Mentee (Student) Outcomes:
- retention
- academic achievement
- satisfaction with the program
- satisfaction with the college
- use of campus services & participation in campus
activities
- quantity & quality of interaction with faculty
- quantity & quality of interaction with peers.
* Mentor Outcomes:
- satisfaction with mentor training program
- satisfaction with the mentoring experience
- continuing with the mentoring program (mentor retention)
- recommending the mentoring program to colleagues
(mentor recruitment)
* Institutional Outcomes:
- cost-effectiveness of the program
- institutional revenue generated by the program via
increased student retention
- impact of the program on stimulating campus partnerships
and building campus community
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES FOR MENTORS
* Keep a mentor log or journal in which you record your specific experiences and reflect on how they could be improved.
* Talk with other mentors--collaborate with them, and learn from each other, by sharing your strategies, successes stories, and frustrations.
* Solicit feedback from your mentees, both formally and informally, and use this information to improve your skills.
* Read the professional literature on mentoring. (Perhaps the program coordinator could secure funds to purchase books/journals to be housed in a mini "mentor library.")
* Attend professional conferences on mentoring, such as the annual "International Conference on Mentoring". (Perhaps a program budget can be established that would allow at least one mentor to attend an annual conference and return to share the information with other mentors.)
* Join the International Mentoring Association by contacting:
David James, President
International Mentoring Association
Degree/Extension Centers and Special Programs
Prince George's Community College
301 Largo Road
Largo, Maryland 20772-2199
Phone: (301) 322-0495
Fax: (301) 808-0418.
For more: see document by Joe Cuseo which contains a synthesis of empirical evidence supporting the positive outcomes of student-faculty contact, plus a short series of institutional self-assessment questions designed to evaluate campus commitment to promoting faculty interaction with students outside the classroom.
http://www.geocities.com/deheky/fyejstufac.html
Extending Advising:
http://www.geocities.com/dkesters.geo/advising.ppt
University of Texas: Dev Advising/ Prescriptive Relationship & Developmental
Relationship
www.utdallas.edu/dept/ugraddean/devadvis.shtml
Valencia: Developmental Advising Definition
http://valenciacc.edu/lifemap/pbs/damodeldescription.htm
Background and References on Developmental Advising and
Advising Models
www.hvcc.edu/academ/acasenate/senate/reports/backgroundandreference.pdf
University of Wisconsin: Developmental Advising
www.cals.wisc.edu/students/advisor/developmental_advising.htm
Developmental Advising Inventory
www.daiassess.com/demo/inv01.htm
Developmental Advising: A Practical View
www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/990115wh.htm
Developmental Advising...
www.uni.edu/acaadvis/page2.html
Two Descriptions of Developmental Advising
www.cocc.edu/advising/faculty/issues/developmental.htm
The Use of Developmental Advising Models By Professional Academic Advisors
http://arc.cs.odu.edu:8080/dp9/getrecord/oai_dc/oai:VTETD:etd-64712549711241
RECOMMENDED REFERENCES ON MENTORING:
THEORY, RESEARCH, & PRACTICE
Alleman, E., Cochran, J., Doverspike, J., & Newman, I. (1984).
Enriching mentoring relationships. Personnel and Guidance
Journal, 12, 329-332.
Carmin, C. N. (1988). Issues in research on mentoring:
Definitional and methodological. International Journal of
Mentoring, 2, 9-13.
Chao, G. T., Walz, P. M. & Gardner, P. D. (1991). A comparison of informal mentoring relationships and formal mentorship programs. East Lansing Department of Management, Michigan State University. (ERIC Document Reproduction Document Reproduction Service No. ED 333 784).
Gray, W. A. (1986). Components for developing a successful formalized mentoring program. In Proceedings of the First International Conference on Mentoring, 1986, volume 2. Vancouver, Canada: International Association for Mentoring.
Hamilton, S. J., & Hamilton, M. A. (1992). Mentoring programs: Promise and paradox. Phi Delta Kappan, 73(7), 546-550.
Jacobi, M. (1991). Mentoring and undergraduate academic success: A literature review. Review of Educational Research, 61(4), 505-532.
Olton, J. D., Carroll, S. J., Giannantonia, C. M., & Feren, D. B. (1988). What do proteges look for in a mentor? Results of three experimental studies. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 33, 15-37.
Rice, M. R., & Brown, R. D. (1990). Developmental factors associated with self-perceptions of mentoring competence and mentoring needs. Journal of College Student Development, 31(1), 293-299.
Sandler, B. (1993, March 10). "Women as mentors: Myths and commandments." The Chronicle of Higher Education, p. B3
Terrell, M. C., Hassell, R. K., & Duggar, M. (1992). Mentoring programs: A blueprint for growth and academic development. NASPA Journal, 29(3), 199-205.
Walker, S. C., & Taub, D. J. (2001). Variables correlated with satisfaction with a mentoring relationship in first-year college students and their mentors. Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 13(1), 47-68.
Wrightsman, L. S. (1981, August). Research methodologies for assessing mentoring. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association, Los Angeles. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 209 339).
Wunsch, M. A. (Ed.)(1994). Mentoring revisited: Making an impact on individuals and institutions. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 57. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
