The Gold Standard for Mentoring New Faculty: Veteran Faculty and Supervisor

It can be so easy—and so fulfilling—to offer a mentee the anything and everything of your experience and guidance. But, whoa—might there be some areas of what you do that may not be in your purview to offer a mentee? As an example, your knowledge of when to post announcements in class, how best to engage students in discussion, and the content of class e-mails might be fine for you to share, but perhaps an area that is more technical, such as grading or responding to students who are suspected of plagiarizing, may better be handled by a supervisor—and so you may be told “hands off!” these items. Be quite clear on what subjects you are asked not to touch— and it’s best to jot these down as reminders: you don’t want your emotion of wanting to help grey out areas that you can’t touch. (And by the way: a simple “It’s best if that question is handled by XXX” will keep your guidance clear.)

Once you get the green light to begin communications with your mentee do so immediately. This individual is either new to your school or returning to teaching after an absence, and the more prepared and comfortable that individual feels prior to class beginning the better. And included in your first welcoming e-mail should be a request for his or her phone number, and a best day/time to call once weekly. These calls are tres important: they not only allow for the establishment of a closer, more comfortable relationship, but also almost always result in additional questions from your mentee not initially considered in e-mails. Additionally, you can guide your mentee through certain areas of a course as the two of you simultaneously look at his or her course on the computer. As for the contents of that first e-mail? An enthusiastic welcome is crucial, of course, but then lay out—in bullet form—your responsibilities, including what guidance you intend to offer. And remember to end by letting the mentee know he or she is always welcome to contact you via phone, text, or e-mail with any questions or confusion— this lets the person know you really ARE there with a sincere interest to help!

It is because of your stature as a veteran online educator familiar with the school and the course your mentee will be teaching that you have been asked to serve as a mentor. This should be treated as the honor it is, and know that it does not come with any of the “boss” abilities the supervisor carries. In fact, an easy and quick way to turn off your mentee from wanting to be a contributing member to your institution is by playing the “now-do-as-I-say-or-else” card! Your role is one of guide, of facilitator, and always friendly, always motivating, always enthusiastic. And if your mentee wants to do or does do something you know is wrong, never scold or admonish, but rather offer the correct alternative (with rationale) that makes him or her feel you are helping—this will go a long way in giving your mentee more confidence in the role of online instructor.

As the course begins and then continues not only will you have weekly guidance, suggestions, insights, and information to offer but your mentee will no doubt have questions about what he or she encounters as the weeks roll by. Knowing you are there for constant communication is a dependable lifeline that will make the mentee feel more secure and more comfortable in the course, with the students, and as an asset of the school. Always stress to the mentee he or she can always contact you—and always be enthusiastic about this. Having a direct supervisor that will be constantly providing input and feedback to a mentor who really cares about the mentee succeeding is a great formula for creating a successful and nicely contributing faculty member.

Keep an online record of all important points—including quotes that stand out— from each contact you have with the mentee. There are three reasons to do this: (1) You can look over the mentees’ problem areas to see what progress has been made, including issues that have yet to be resolved/concerns the mentee can’t seem to resolve; (2) This log is a great reminder of areas you might have overlooked or you think need reenforcement simply because they are so important; (3) You have complete information to share with the mentee’s supervisor, as you will no doubt be asked to give regular updates on your mentee’s progress. And a word of caution: do not let the mentee know you are taking notes—this could make the person hesitant about being fully open with you.

Being a mentor is never about only you giving this, suggesting that; rather, it is also important—nay, mandatory!—the mentee be allowed to open up. His or her thoughts on how things are going, questions that are lingering, confusion about any formal training received before working with you, and anything else relating to the mentee being a part of the teaching team are all contributing areas as to what you can offer, how you can guide, where you can point … and what you can’t do. The mentee must feel you are a listener as well as a talker: this combination makes for the perfect mentor!

There are three words that make the difference between a mentor who can be trusted and one who might show a crack in that trust: “I don’t know.” There is no way you will have a definitive, concrete, you-can-take-this-to-the-bank answer to every question and every piece of confusion a mentee throws your way. By no means does this diminish you; rather, it’s called “being human”—and of course you always follow up those three words with the clincher: “I will get the answer, and have it back to you within 24 hours”—and then be sure you do it! This goes a long way in establishing your cred as a mentor who is honest, real, down-to-earth, sincere—and really gives a damn about helping the mentee every way possible.

Feedback is a two-way street! No doubt, you will receive input and suggestions on your communication with the mentee from your or his/her supervisor during the time of your “mentorship,” but once that relationship ends reach out to whomever is involved in overlooking your mentoring duties, and ask two simple questions: “How did I do?” and “What advice can you give me to improve?” This shows you really are interested in helping future new faculty, but want to be sure you continue to improve as a mentor. And be sure you jot down that feedback in a “Mentoring” online folder for reference the next time you mentor: you’ll be better for it!

From my standpoint, an institution needs to start paying very close attention to the new faculty member as soon as he or she is hired. Many will be involved with this new hire; however, providing the correct guidance and direction from the get-go can be the thing that determines if this new faculty member will become an effective and contributing member of the faculty team or remain mediocre. What does this mean? Support from a seasoned instructor (the mentor), support from the faculty supervisor, support from the department manager, as well as support from other areas of the institution are critical from the start. What does this look like?

It is important that from the date of hire, faculty new to the team are welcomed into the fold. This warm “welcome” should start even prior to new faculty joining the team and extend back to the interview. New faculty will remember a management team that is easy-going during the interview. A welcome e-mail from the new faculty member’s supervisor prior to orientation should ease fear related to engagement in the faculty orientation session, and introduction to the mentor before the start of the course session begins a much-appreciate camaraderie and introduction to the institution. New faculty should also be “introduced” to their faculty peers as quickly as possible, starting the process of integration into the faculty group.

Mentoring is essential to the success of new faculty, therefore utilizing seasoned faculty members as mentors is most effective. Mentors are asked to communicate with their mentees at least weekly—via phone and/or e-mail and even text messages—for effectiveness, the mentee should help drive the communication method. In order for mentoring to be effective and consistent, mentors must be provided clear directives on their role as mentor. At a basic level, mentors should share knowledge on campus life and academic life, discuss support services for faculty, and provide tactical and functional support in the classroom. In a broader sense, mentors will offer peer-to-peer support, share student experiences, and best practices related to effective communication and instruction in all areas of the classroom. Mentors are most effective when they are sharing what they do or do not do the in classroom and can provide relevant and real examples to the mentee. For example, if a mentee is struggling with how to craft an effective, motivational message or discussion board response to a student, the mentor can provide a sample and discuss what makes that message or response effective.

Mentors should make it a practice to copy the new faculty member’s supervisor (and their own supervisors) on all correspondence with the mentee. This is to ensure proper follow-up by the supervisor to both mentor and mentee, as well as provide instruction when the discussion reaches policy and procedural items. Additionally, as mentors provide much guidance and best practices, supervisors are able to draw from what is shared for provision to the entire faculty community as applicable. On occasion, a concern related to a classroom practice shared by the mentor may be noted, which can also be clarified for the mentor. As we’re all human, we should approach such discussions as learning opportunities.

Collaboration comes in many forms. Partnering new faculty with both mentor and supervisor serves to strengthen the learning experience for all. Knowing there are at least two individuals providing guidance and giving sound advice is a win-win, but do not overlook other individuals or departments within the institution. One such department is the institution’s faculty development/training team. As the mentor places focus on classroom-facing items, such as course navigation, content, and student engagement, and the supervisor provides support in process and procedure, drawing upon the resources and services of the faculty development/training team will also prove beneficial. This supplemental support often comes in the form of live chat sessions and trainings and affords new faculty an opportunity to interact with their faculty peers—new, newer, and seasoned—thus taking advantage of questions asked by and best practices shared by others. It also serves to provide different perspectives for the instructor.

New faculty are hired because the management team has seen something in them that will gel with the institution and student population—it’s not only about meeting the minimum academic credentials. New faculty often have great ideas! Mentors should not only be mentoring; they should also be listening and sharing these great ideas and best practices the new faculty bring to their new teaching experience. So often, these are “Why didn’t I think about that?” moments. And sharing these ideas in a forum or via e-mail with experienced faculty will be an uplifting and motivational feel-good moment for this new faculty member.

Remember: To reach a beautiful bloom, flowers need many helping hands—fertilizer, water, sunlight, weeding, and good soil; take one away, and the garden never reaches its full potential … and thus neither does a mentee without full focus from the mentor.