Mentoring

Definition

• When the term mentor is used, an image of older, wiser individuals leading around young proteges and passing down age-old secrets comes to mind. In fact, the principals of mentoring and modeling have been around since ancient times (Murray and Owen, 1991) cited by Hull (20002).

• A mentor relationship is a deliberate pairing of a more skilled or experienced person with a lesser skilled or experienced person, with the agreed-upon goal of having the lesser skilled person grow and develop specific competencies (Murray & Owen, 1991).

• A mentoring relationship is characterized by an experienced faculty member (mentor) taking an active role in the development of the academic career of a less experienced faculty member (mentee) by offering guidance, support and advice. A mentor's guidance is rendered with an inside knowledge of the norms, values and procedures of the institution and from a depth of professional experience. (UTS)

Mentoring components

Facilitated mentoring is a process designed to create effective mentoring relationships, to guide the desired behavior change of those involved, and to evaluate the results for the protégés, the mentors, and those supervising the mentoring relationship. Facilitated mentoring includes the following components (Murray and Owen, 1991):

• A design that meets the perceived needs of the organization;
• Criteria and a process for the selection of protégés;
• Strategies and tools for diagnosing the developmental needs of protégés;
• Strategies and tools for diagnosing the developmental needs of protégés;
• Criteria and a process for qualifying mentors;
• Orientation to the responsibilities of the role for both mentors and protégés;
• Strategies for matching mentors and protégés on the basis of skills to be developed and compatibility;
• A negotiated agreement between mentor, protégé, and other involved agencies;
• A coordinator responsible for maintaining the programs and supporting relationships;
• Formative evaluation to make necessary adjustments to the program;
• Summarative evaluation to determine outcomes for the organization, the mentors, and the protégés.

References

• Boice, R. (1992). Lessons learned about mentoring. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, no. 50. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

• Clark, Sheila, Mentoring, [Promoting Critical Thinking Through Academic Service Learning: A Cognitive and Affective Model for Learning How to Learn]

• Hull, H. (2000). Mentoring. In B. Hoffman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Educational Technology. Retrieved May 24, 2006, from HTML

• Schoenfeld, A.C., & Magnan, R. (1992). Mentor in a Manual. Madison, WI: Magna Publications.

• Sands, R.G., Parsons, L.A., & Duane, J. (1991). Faculty mentoring faculty in a public university. Journal of Higher Education, no. 62, pp. 174-193.

• Murray, M., & Owen, M.A. (1991). Beyond the Myths and Magic of Mentoring. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass

• National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering & Institute of Medicine. (1997). Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend: On Being a Mentor to Students in Science and Engineering. Washington D.C. This book is available online at: http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/mentor

• Paterson, B. (1993). Mentoring: What does it involve and how can I be a good mentor? in B.J. Cameron, Teaching at The University of Manitoba: A Handbook. Winnipeg, MB: The University of Manitoba.

• Taylor, L.J. (1992). A survey of mentor relationships in academe. Journal of Professional Nursing, 8, 48-55.

• Wunsch, M.A., & Johnsrud, L.K. (1992). Breaking barriers: Mentoring junior faculty women for professional development and retention. To Improve the Academy, no. 11 , pp. 175-187.

• University Teaching Services (1993). Mentoring, A Strategy for Career Development. University of Manitoba. PDF, Retrieved 14:47, 24 May 2006 (MEST)