welcome to the “mentoring matters” presentation...
TRANSCRIPT
Welcome to the “Mentoring
Matters” presentation!
During the presentation we will be asking
interactive poll questions. If you would like to
participate in the polls, please send a text to
37607 with the message “jmputmancsu” to
join our poll group.
Mentoring Matters: Promoting Mentoring Relationships for your
Students and Self
Jill Putman
NACADA Annual Conference – October 2016
Presentation Outline:
– No “silver bullet”
• Time for discussion, reflection, and consideration
– What is mentoring and why is it important?
– Example mentoring programs in Geosciences Department at Colorado State University
– Taking our own advice
What is Mentoring?
• Previous studies (Jacobi, 1991 and Crisp & Cruz, 2009)
have discussed absence of a common definition of
mentoring across research literature.
• Some common themes identified:
– Relationship focused on individual growth
– Access to support and resources
– Relationships are personal and reciprocal
• Gray area around duration, title/expertise level of mentor
For Today’s Discussion:
• Mentoring is defined as a meaningful, mutually
reciprocal, and beneficial relationship between
two or more individuals. This relationship is
characterized by the sharing of resources, the
emphasis on personal and professional
development, and active engagement in a
continual learning and growth process for all
parties involved.
What is Mentoring?
• Coaching vs. mentoring
• Mentorship vs. sponsorship
Who are Mentors?
Discussion:
ARE ADVISORS MENTORS?
Why do we care?
• 2014 Gallup-Purdue Index Report:
– Alumni who reported having a professor that cared about
them as a person, a professor who made them excited about
learning and a mentor who provided encouragement had
more than double the odds of being engaged at work. *Only
14% of all graduates reporting having all three
– 22% report having a mentor who encouraged me to pursue
my goals and dreams (2.2x more engaged at work and 1.7x
higher odds of thriving in areas of well-being)
– Reports of mentorship also related to greater emotional
attachment to alma mater
Mentoring Research
• Mentored research program for STEM students (Haeger & Fresquez, 2016)
• Applications for online students (Harrell, 2008), need for interaction and support (Ludwig-Hardman & Dunlap, 2003)
• Underrepresented racial/ethnic minority students
– Assist with managing stressors
– Facilitate persistence, more positive perception of university environment (Bordes & Arredondo, 2005)
• Assist with academic and social integration into institution for community college students, goal commitment to persist (Crisp, 2010)
Benefits of Mentoring
MENTEES
• Academic achievement (Haeger & Fresquez, 2016 and
Good, Halpin & Halpin, 2000)
• Self-confidence and critical
thinking (Erkut & Mokros, 1984)
• Positive behavioral,
attitudinal, health-related,
interpersonal, motivational
and career outcomes (Eby, et
al., 2008)
MENTORS
• Kupenda, 2016:
– Career
validation/confirmation
– Promotion of student allies
– Building a legacy
• Good, Halpin & Halpin,
2000: (Peer mentoring)
– Learning strategies, GPA,
knowledge of content,
personal skills, greater
connection to community
Mentoring Research
• Additional empirically based, methodologically rigorous,
and theoretically sound research studies needed (Crisp
& Cruz, 2009)
• Hierarchical nature of traditional mentor/mentee roles
can create confusion or detrimental power dynamics,
particularly with peer mentoring relationships (Colvin &
Ashman, 2010)
Diversity of Mentoring Models
• Formal vs. informal (planned vs. spontaneous)
• Peer vs. faculty vs. professional
• Individual vs. team/mentoring circles
• In-person vs. virtual/remote/distance
• Goals established vs. organic process
– Crisp & Cruz, 2009
Mentoring Programs in
Gesociences Department at
Colorado State University
Geosciences Department at CSU
• ~180 Undergraduate Students, ~60 graduate students
• .75 FTE Academic Success Coordinator
• 14.5 Tenure-Track Faculty
• STEM discipline
– Calculus, Chemistry, Physics
• Student demographics
– Few students of color, low percentage of women in major
– Veteran, non-traditional, transfer student representation
– ~17% first-generation, 20% Pell-eligible
Faculty Mentor Program
• Undergraduate students assigned faculty mentor by ASC
• Students are required to see ASC, encouraged to see
faculty mentor
• Receive assignments within first two weeks of semester
• Welcome letter on behalf of faculty
• Continual “nudging” throughout semester
– Infographic
– Email etiquette
– Discussed in advising appointment
Faculty Mentor Program
• No formal training provided to faculty– Some informal requests for assistance
• Independently-initiated major
concentration gatherings
Grad/Undergrad Program
• Developed as a result of graduate student request
• Piloted in SP15 as semester program
• Volunteer program
• Mentors must apply and attend “training”
• Mentees apply and must attend initial program meeting
• Addition of group activities (planned by ASC)
• End of year recognition event
• Program evaluation
Grad/Undergrad Program• “I enjoyed the chance to connect with other people besides
undergraduates in the department. I feel like graduate and
undergraduate students sometimes fall only into a teacher-student
relationship, and this program gave us the opportunity to have a
different kind of interaction.”
• “I would and have already suggested the program to both graduate
and undergraduate students. First of all is a great way to network
students within the department in a relaxed environment. I will also
suggest the mentoring program because as a transfer student it was
an amazing opportunity to create rapport with faculty, staff and
students that I was unable to do if I started at CSU.”
First-Generation Community Mentoring
• Initiatives developed to address needs identified through
retention/graduation data at CSU
• Identification of first-generation faculty and staff
members
• Letter to students
• Invitation to pizza lunch
• Promotion of undergraduate research, department
positions
Lessons Learned
• “Forced” mentorship and personality mis-match
• Training and development of mentors (faculty and
students)
• Power dynamics, particularly with graduate students
• Success of organic and informal programs and
relationships
• Program models with peers and alumni
• Low-cost initiatives
• “You can lead a horse to water…”
THINK – PAIR – SHARE
What mentoring initiatives do you
currently use or promote in your role?
How do you encourage/coach students to
find and utilize mentors?
TAKING OUR OWN ADVICE
Reflection Activity
Resources
• http://www.case.edu/facultydevelopment/media/caseedu/
faculty-development/Full-mentoring-workbook-for-PDF-
link.pdf
• https://hr.osu.edu/public/documents/learning-
development/mentoring-mentor-toolkit-%20final-508.pdf
• http://www.cod.edu/teleconf/soaring/pdf%20files/mentor
worksheet.pdf
• http://www.adapp-advance.msu.edu/Faculty-Mentoring-
Toolkit-
Resources%20for%20Mentors%20and%20Mentees
ReferencesBordes, V. & Arredondo, P. (2005). Mentoring and 1st-year Latina/o college students. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 4, 114-133.
Colvin, J.W. & Ashman, M. (2010). Roles, risks, and benefits of peer mentoring relationships in higher education. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnerships in Learning, 18, 121-134.
Crisp, G. (2010). The impact of mentoring on the success of community college students. The Review of Higher Education, 34, 39-60.
Crisp, G., & Cruz, I. (2009). Mentoring college students: A critical review of the literature between 1990 and 2007. Research in Higher Education, 50, 525-545.
Darwin, A., & Palmer, E. (2009). Mentoring circles in higher education. Higher Education Research and Development, 28, 125-136.
Eby, L. T., Allen, T. D., Evans, S. C., Ng, T. & DuBois, D. L. (2008). Does mentoring matter?: A multidisciplinary meta-analysis comparing mentored and non-mentored individuals. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 72, 254-267.
ReferencesErkut, S., & Mokros, J. R. (1984). Professors as models and mentors for college students. American Educational Research Journal, 21, 399-417.
Gallup-Purdue Index Report. (2014). Great jobs, great lives: A study of more than 30,000 college graduates across the U.S.
Good, J.M., Halpin, G., & Halpin. G. (2000). A promising prospect for minority retention: Students becoming peer mentors. The Journal of Negro Education, 69, 375-383.
Haeger, H., & Fresquez, C. (2016). Mentoring for inclusion: The impact of mentoring on undergraduate researchers in the sciences. CBE – Life Sciences Education, 15:ar36, 1-9.
Harrell, I.L. (2008). Increasing the success of online students. Inquiry: The Journal of the Virginia Community Colleges, 13, 36-44.
Kupenda, A. M. (2016) Mentoring pluses for underrepresented faculty. Diverse Issues in Higher Education, (http://diverseeducation.com/article/85249).
Ludwig-Hardman, S. & Dunlap, J.C. (2003). Learning support services for online students: Scaffolding for success. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 4.