Academic Mentoring
Please send your completed and signed Academic Mentoring Expression of Interest forms to Max Soyref.
2009 Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How long is the program?
The first intake of program takes place in 2009 from February to August, second intake runs between June and December. The mentoring is for a period of six months and it is entirely up to the mentor and mentee whether any other form of relationship extends beyond this time.
Q2. Who can participate?
The program is open to all permanent academic staff. If there are more expressions of interest than places, then preference will be given to:
- new staff
- staff who are not already in a mentoring relationship
- staff who have not already participated in the program as a mentee
- those whose mentoring goals are about developing their teaching and/or research-enhanced learning
Q3. How do I find a mentor?
After the expressions of interest have been submitted, a list of potential mentors will be made available to potential mentees. This will include mentor contact details and areas of expertise. At your one-to-one session with Dr Lesley Treleaven (senior lecturer/senior academic adviser), we will talk about different ways people might like to choose a mentor that feels right for them and their current career goals. We will consider different ways of approaching potential mentors.
Your mentor should not be your doctoral or PM&D supervisor, and should be in the Faculty of Economics and Business.
Q4. Why is the pairing done in this way?
The program provides flexibility and independence for mentees by facilitating choice from a pool of potential mentors. This is done in a confidential and supported manner, rather than at a face-to-face meeting of all potential mentees and mentors. Such meetings were trialled in the 2005 pilot program and many participants found the meetings awkward and confronting.
Q5. What is the minimum amount of time I should meet and how many times should I meet with my mentor/mentee?
The amount of time will vary depending on the mentoring pairs. We?d expect you to spend at least 2 hours per month on this program. It?s up to you how you do this ? face to face, via email, reviewing documents, giving feedback etc. This is something you and your mentor should agree at the outset and record on the mentoring agreement.
Q6. Are there any guidelines for the meetings?
You can choose to set up your meetings however and wherever you like. As a general rule though - meetings are best held in a quiet environment (or environments for telephone meetings) where both parties feel they can speak freely without being overheard. Meetings should be long enough and paced so as to allow the two people to get to know and feel comfortable with each other. If meetings are cancelled or delayed, adequate warning should be given. Postponed meetings should be re-booked promptly. The usual professional standards you would apply to any other work role are a good guide.
Q7. Are there any whole-group meetings?
There will two optional meetings: a development session for mentees and a program wrap-up with mentees and mentors in October or November.
Q8. Who can I see to get help on setting my goals?
Talk about this with your mentor. The mentoring agreement is designed to help you work through this. Remember it?s a good idea to make sure goals are specific and realistic (6 months time frame) and are agreed between you.
Q9. Is there anything I have to submit during and at the end of the program?
You will be asked to participate in evaluating the mentoring initiative. It is helpful to keep some notes about your meetings as well as your reflections on conversations with colleagues about the program and your thoughts about the process. We will not ask you to share your notes or records of your meeting - just to use these to help you respond to evaluation and feedback questions.
Q10. How will a record of meetings or a diary help me?
It is useful to keep a record of your meetings with your mentor - what you wanted to discuss - any decisions you made - how you decided to move forward - as well as how you felt and what you learned. It is up to you and your mentor to agree how each of you will keep this record. The record provides an opportunity for you to focus reflection on the mentoring process and thereby to increase its benefits to you.
Q11. What happens if our mentoring pair is not working out or if I want to provide feedback?
You are always welcome to talk to any of the program team in confidence and they will explore the issue with you ? the earlier the better. Either person has the right to withdraw from the mentoring agreement if, after genuinely trying, the relationship is not working. Wherever possible we?ll try to establish you in a different pair. Obviously it is important for us to understand why mentoring arrangements don't work - as well as why they do - so please let us know if there are problems.
Hopefully the goals and expectations which you set with your mentor/mentee at the outset (in the mentoring agreement) will reduce the likelihood of expectations not being met. If you feel your mentor/mentee is not fulfilling their side of the agreement, you should feel comfortable discussing it with them. Please also feel free to talk to one of the program team members if any issues arrive.
Either party has the right to ask for a review of how the mentoring is progressing or for agreements or plans made at an earlier stage to be reviewed. If either party feels that unclear about what the current status of the mentoring is, that party should seek to clarify the views and wishes of the other party. Notice to end the mentoring should allow for at least one meeting where a final review and proper closure can take place.
Q12. How can I ensure that what I discuss with my mentor/mentee will be kept private?
Discussions between mentees and mentors are private. This is something both parties agree to when they sign the agreement. Information shared in mentoring meetings is subject to standard rules of professional confidence and the relationship is conducted under the usual values of ethical and professional conduct.
Q13. Will information collected by the program team be kept confidential?
We will ask you to share your reflections of the mentoring experience and these will be made available to the program team in written form. A template will be provided. It is possible that you may be asked to participate in an interview at the end of the program and if so, such information will also be depersonalised to ensure confidentiality.
Q14. How do I go about accessing the funds due to me for participating in this program?
The funding will be provided upon completion of the program and is triggered by the submission of your written reflection on the program. Note that both mentors and mentees receive funds ($2000 each).
Q15. What can I use the funds for?
Examples include conference registration, marking, research assistance (data collection or analysis), teaching, purchase of books, software, equipment etc.
Q16. What happens once the program is completed?
We are establishing a sustainable mentoring culture within the Faculty through the program and we hope that your participation will continue (e.g. mentees may choose to become mentors). In light of your experience, you can consider if you wish to continue in your mentoring relationship on an informal basis. The program team will produce an evaluation report and provide feedback on the overall outcomes of the program.
Q17. Do you have any tips about the role of the mentor?
While often the mentor will have more experience of academic life or an aspect of work, the relationship is one of partners who jointly make decisions. Mentees should not expect mentors to deal with long standing issues or major emotional events that are more properly the province of professional counsellors and psychotherapists. Mentors should recognise their limitations and avoid working with the mentee in ways that exceed those limitations. Should a mentor sense there is a conflict of interest between the mentoring and any other role, the mentor should make this conflict of interest known to the mentee as soon as is practicable.