Martha's Mentor Blog

Parise, M.R. & Forret, M.L. (2008) Formal Mentoring Programs: The relationship of program design and support to mentors perceptions of benefits and costs, Journal of Vocation Behavior , 72, 225-240. The above article looks at four key aspects of mentoring programs. These include the extent to which mentor participation is voluntary, mentor input into the matching process with proteges, the perceived effectiveness of the training mentors receive, and the perceived level of management support of the program. Additionally, the article looks at the costs and benefits of mentoring programs. In this post, let’s look at the benefits of mentoring. My next post will address the costs of mentoring that the article identifies. Benefits of mentoring include personal satisfaction of mentors as proteges experience success.  Mentees can impact the job performance of mentors by providing a new perspectives and knowledge, such as skills relating to new technology.  Thirdly, proteges may be

I just read an article called Mentoring the Mentors in the College Student Journal. It identifies various practices used to set up a mentoring program between MD-PhD. students and undergraduates. The program identified that reflective practice for both mentors and mentees is essential. The mentors used a number of tools to promote active listening. This included an exercise called “Chalk Talk” which was done in silence, with all participants identifying the qualities of a good mentor. This activity helped them to recognize the similarities in their expectations. Group activities promoted active listening. Games such as “two truths and a lie” reinforced the skill.  Strategies included teaching the mentors to ask open-ended questions of their mentees, rather than simply providing an answer.  Mentors were also encouraged to bounce ideas off each other. The article identifies that mentoring is a learned skill and sound listening skills are essential for the process to be successful.      

The article, Mentoring 2.0, found at www.training.org recommends that individuals participating in mentoring meet face to face regularly, but suggests leveraging technology if distance or time is an issue. During face-to-face meetings, cell phones should be silenced to respect each member’s time.  For communications that are not face to face, recommendations included the use of Google Hangouts, Skype, and message boards as appropriate avenues for communication.  Participation in webinars can improve the skills of both mentors and proteges.  Technology tools such as Google docs and Pinterest are suggested as a means to share ongoing ideas. Communication is meant to be a two way street, with both participants benefiting from the mentoring process.  Mentors may view this as an opportunity to learn new tools to enhance their productivity and technological expertise.  Please share your experiences using technology to support your mentoring experience. Thanks. Martha

  There is plenty of research regarding mentoring in Higher Education. The Mentoring programs seem to fall into two camps; one for mid career faculty who need support to achieve full professor status, and the other for recently hired faculty members, who are new to the institution.  I focused on the latter, since that is the best "fit" for the CCRI Mentor program. One of the articles that I found helpful is "Mentoring in the Digital Age" by M. Weinstein which is linked below.  The article identifies that metrics which track a mentee's performance are important to have to measure progress. By developing objective clearly measurable goals, the metrics will be in place. We have tech tools available through the Blackboard Mentor Program shell. This is an avenue to use to reach out to other mentors. The site offer information sharing and promotes communication via the wiki.  You and your mentee may prefer other channels of communication such as texts, email, ca