Faculty and Student Mentoring

• In Event: 30.076 - Communities of Practice: A Framework for Mentoring and Professional Development in Educational Psychology

Abstract

Recent work related to the conceptualization of faculty mentoring programs has focused on utilizing the CoP framework to both develop and sustain support networks for faculty in higher education (Bottoms Kegg, KeWu, Risser, & Kern; 2013; Calderwood & Klaf, 2014; Smith, Calderwood, Dohm, Gill Lopez, 2013). The elements of mentoring integrated into programs that adopt this framework include the elements that have been identified as effective in the research on mentoring. In a review of studies examining faculty mentoring programs, Zellers, Howard, and Barcic (2008, p. 563) found that the most effective “…mentoring relationships were no longer framed within a hierarchical apprenticeship model,” that relied on knowledge flowing from experienced faculty to early career faculty. Instead, effective mentoring relationships were egalitarian in nature, displayed reciprocity in the sharing of knowledge and experiences and involved a “constellation of mentors.” Effective programs with these characteristics have also been described as having a community orientation that often cuts across disciplines and institutions. This collective and pluralistic approach to mentoring supports a multi directional transfer of information and skills that most likely motivates all participants to stay committed to maintaining the relationships.

Mentoring relationships are also more likely to be maintained and to be successful if participants choose to be a part of the program. Interview data from faculty in a social work department involved in a mentoring program revealed this to be true and indicated that organizational support was also a key to success. In addition, participants reported that it was beneficial to have similar professional interests and to interact frequently (Wilson, Valentine, & Pereira, 2002).

Viewing mentoring as a tool for professional development can aid us in creating roles and responsibilities for faculty at all levels. When these roles and responsibilities are clearly delineated for all participants, the goals and benefits of the program can be realized. These goals include developing and retaining faculty, formulating academic identities, increasing productivity, maintaining organizational stability, socializing faculty into the profession, and building leadership capacity (Zellers et al., 2008). According to Jawitz, (2009), early career faculty often develop their academic identity through meaningful mentoring relationships. From a network of mentors, new faculty can learn how to resolve tensions among the often-conflicting demands of teaching, research and service. As alluded to above, our focus in this session is to create a CoP within the Teaching Educational Psychology Special Interest Group (TEPSIG) that supports mentors in serving as role models for forming teaching and research identities reflective of the unification of these three areas of the academy.

Author

• Sandra A. Deemer, Millersville University