Mentoring

All graduate students are invited and encouraged to participate in mentoring as a professional practice, becoming either mentors or mentees. The purpose of mentoring is to provide support to new graduate students in the Department, and to allow for more experienced graduate students to share their knowledge, professional and teaching experience. It is expected that mentoring will be mutually beneficial both personally and professionally for mentor and mentee.

A graduate student mentor has taught at least some classes in the Department, has experience with instruction, and typically has achieved teaching and academic/scholarly success. A mentor can offer advice on studying for and participation in graduate seminars, department policies, conference participation, time management, and/or teaching (i.e. lesson planning, activity development, grading). A mentor may be invited to opine on a mentee’s writing or seminar presentations. A mentor may even be invited to observe the mentee’s classes, and to offer feedback.

A mentee has more limited experience in graduate school and/or teaching, or is teaching for the first time in the Department, and/or voluntarily seeks mentorship. A mentee seeks advice and assistance with graduate seminars, bureaucratic concerns, and/or their teaching (i.e. lesson planning, activity development, grading). A mentee can ask for advice about a range of issues from procedures and seminar expectations to technology and campus organization. A mentee can allow a mentor to observe their classes, receiving constructive feedback and advice.

Mentor and Mentee benefit from a collegial relationship that contributes to the professional growth of both. Mentor and mentee support and learn from each other as they broaden their scholarly, teaching and service experiences.