Definition

Characteristics of Mentorship

Responsibilities

Tips and Tools

Connects the student to other people, places, and opportunities

A mentor guides students toward academic maturity. As mentors, you can help students to recognize their full professional potential by:

• opening doors
  
• providing support
  
• exposing students to additional mentors
  

Opening Doors

• Invite guest speakers to address topics of interest in applied fields. Make arrangements for this guest speaker to be available at another time either in a chat room or via e-mail (for a specified number of days) to field additional questions. 

• Create a technologically-driven mentoring program that would allow students to gain more of an understanding and appreciation for the writing process.  The above example shows a student-driven project where outside mentors help students with the writing process. Using student created Web pages and e-mail, students can post their writing for outside mentors to comment on. 

• Create an "Ask the Experts" Web page. 

• Solicit experts in the field to participate in on-line discussion forums. Provide a photograph and biographical information about each expert on your Web page. Using what they have learned in your course, students can pose questions to experts. Keep the discussion on-line throughout the term for everyone to see. 

 
• Create a discussion group for students and mentors using the Message Board tool in ANGEL. This forum would allow students to discuss field-related issues and problems. It could be a sounding board for students involved in course-related internships where they could discuss how ideas/theories presented in class worked in a practical environment. Other students as well as the mentor/s could provide solutions, support, and feedback. 

• Set up a team of mentoring experts in your department. Students could send their questions to a listserv and every member of the mentoring team would receive a copy. Members of the team could take turns answering questions so as to lower the demands on everyone and to get questions answered quickly. Other mentors could contribute answers even if it wasn't their turn. 

 
• Message boards provide a prime opportunity for peer modeling. As students post their discussion contributions in the message board, their written remarks become models for good or poor writing (and thinking). Posting a comment for the whole class to see is a form of publishing that is subjected to the scrutiny of more than just the instructor. Students who tend to not spend enough time on traditional classroom contributions may feel embarrassed about such inadequate contributions in a message board after seeing samples of thoughtful writing from their peers. 

• Have students compose writing assignments using a word processing program. After students have completed an assignment, have them send it (via e-mail as an attachment) to two other classmates. These students will read and comment on the assignment and return it to the original author with suggestions for revision. Once the suggestions are returned to the original author he/she will make the necessary corrections/changes. This is an opportunity not only to improve writing skills but also editing skills (through teaching, the students are learning). Students may put forth a greater initial effort knowing that their peers will be reviewing their work. In addition, the final results should indicate an improvement if the assignment has been peer reviewed.