Mentoring Plan WorkshopUniversity of Texas – El

PasoLorraine Gutierrez

Introductions

Provide an overview of mentoring and promising practices

Learn the elements of a mentoring plan and how to write one

Break out into faculty and student groups to examine the roles and responsibilities in the mentoring relationship

Engage in mentor/student discussion to start development of your own mentoring plan

Plans for today

Mentoring includes

Advising Supporting Tutoring Sponsoring Role Modeling Life-long

Relationships

Different Mechanisms for Mentoring

Academic advisor/mentor: 1-on-1

Mentoring teams - e.g. dissertation

committees

Peer mentors - structured or informal programs

Mentoring organizations

Definitions

Research advisors are typically synonymous with “mentors”

Academic advisors are individuals who help enforce and provide guidance on curriculum requirements; shared by all students in department; sometimes Grad Chairs

Graduate Coordinators are typically departmental staff familiar with degree/Rackham requirements

Careful mentoring can help avoidmany pitfalls

What is Effective Mentoring?

taking an interest in developing

another person’s career and well-being

a personal and a professional

relationship

advancing the person’s scholarly and professional goals in directions they desire

tailoring mentoring styles and

content to an individual’s age, culture, ethnicity, gender, and disabilities

Benefits of mentoring to students

Improved academic performance Increased productivity Improved professional skills Higher self confidence Expanded social and professional

networks

Benefits of mentoring to faculty

Attract good students Increased productivity Develop your

professional network Satisfaction of seeing

your students succeed

Expand your knowledge of the field and life experiences

Issues in mentoring

Mismatch in interests, goals, communication styles

Unrealistic expectations

Conflicting interpersonal styles

Problematic behavior

Competing responsibilities

Promising Mentoring Practices

o Develop mentoring plansAlign faculty and student expectations

o Mandatory yearly performance reviewsWritten and oral discussions of strengths and weaknesses

o Honest communicationo New student orientations and cohort

meetingso Peer mentoring programs that match more

advanced grad students with new oneso Frequent contact/interaction with students

Academic activities: brown bags, colloquia, workshopsSocial activities: pot lucks, movie nights, picnics

o Match students and faculty with similar intellectual interests Brown, M. Davis, G., McClendon, S. (1999) Mentoring Graduate Students of Color: Myths, Models,

and Modes. Peabody Journal of Education, 74, 2, 105-118; George, Y. & Neale, D. (2006) Report from study group meetings to develop a research and action agenda on STEM career and workforce Mentoring. American Association for the Advancement of Science Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programs, December 2006.

Developing a Mentoring Plan

Mentoring is two-way street

What is a mentoring plan?

Agreement between mentor & student about training/educational goals Both short-term and long-term goals Specifies amount/type of mentoring

needed to accomplish goals Modifiable (e.g. yearly) Establish process to evaluate whether

goals are met

Mentoring Plans are about Expectations

For mentor: What help/support willing to provide? And how much?

For student: What help/support needed?

Elements of Mentoring Plan: Meetings

Frequency of one-on-one meetings Participation in group meetings Scheduling & rescheduling

Elements of Mentoring Plans: Means of Communication

Means of communication Varies (e.g., out-of- town, field work) In-person, phone, email, Skype Sabbatical arrangements Progress reports

Elements of Mentoring Plans

Program requirements Research skills Responsible conduct of research and

scholarship Conference attendance & participation Presentation skills Norms of authorship Publications

More on Mentoring plans

Teaching skills Career development activities Prioritizing & time management Writing grant/fellowship proposals Building networks Career goals Job Market

Elements of Mentoring Plans

Feedback Form (written,

etc.) Turnaround time

for mentor feedback

How does student ask for more feedback?

Mentoring Plans

How much is too much to ask for? How will mentor communicate that? How will student communicate that?

What do you have in common?

EXERCISE: List at least five (5) ways in whichyou two are similar – think broadly

Perceived similarities between mentor and student have the greatest impact on success of mentoring relationship...

Ensher, E.A., and Murphy, S.E. (1997). Effects of Race, Gender, Perceived Similarity, and Contact on Mentor Relationships. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 50 (3), pp. 460-481.

Develop Mentoring Plan Together

Sample mentoring plans provided – select one (or use a hybrid) and develop your plan.

Make a real and sincere effort to develop a work-able plan that you both agree on.

Revisit this plan periodically and revise as necessary.

MORE Mentoring Resources

MORE website - www.more.umich.edu/ Bibliography Downloadable documents Links to web resources