Vignette--Lessons Learned from Adapting Professional Development to Fit a Remote, Academic-Year REU

The COVID-19 pandemic precluded the summer supplemental REUs that were planned as part of a collaborative NSF grant. Instead, a hybrid, cross-country, REU experience during the academic year was created. The fellowships (20 hours per week for 20 weeks) involved three faculty mentoring five students from Florida State University (a research university) and Pacific University (a primarily undergraduate institution) in Oregon.

Employing Faculty, Peer Mentoring and Coaching to Increase the Self-Confidence and Belongingness of First-Generation College Students in Biomedical Engineering

First-Generation College Students (FGCSs) face myriad challenges including the lack of parental guidance, economic and social burdens, isolation, decreased belongingness, and lowered self-confidence making them at an increased risk of dropping out of college compared to their Continuing College Students (CCSs) colleagues. In addition, being in a multidisciplinary Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field such as Biomedical Engineering (BMEG) is another challenge as it requires the integration of several disciplines. This study aims to maximize FGCSs' success and retention in Biomedical Engineering. We hypothesize that STEM-tailored faculty and peer mentoring that is focused on academic and professional development will significantly increase BMEG FGCSs' academic and professional success and enhance their belongingness to the engineering community. Study participants were assigned to either group; faculty mentoring combined with academic coaching or peer mentoring combined with academic coaching. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using two surveys; pre-mentoring and post-mentoring. Both faculty mentoring and peer mentoring led to increasing FGCSs' confidence, belongingness, and involvement in professional opportunities. To tackle the added challenge of studying a multidisciplinary STEM field to the challenges facing FGCSs, a mentorship program that is focused on enhancing self-confidence, sense of belonging and augmenting professional development can be employed to ensure the success, integration, and retention of FGCSs in multidisciplinary STEM fields such as Biomedical Engineering.

Student perceptions in online higher education toward faculty mentoring

Student persistence is important for students, faculty, and universities and online faculty mentoring supports student persistence to graduation. The online learning environment is increasingly a choice for more undergraduate students, and it continues to grow in popularity as an attractive option for adults. It is crucial to find ways to increase persistence and graduation especially given the increased use of virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Attrition rates in online learning can be high for a variety of reasons, including persistence and engagement. Faculty mentors in the online environment can strengthen connections and relationships with undergraduate students, and it is important to ask for and evaluate these student perceptions. This mixed methods study surveyed and interviewed undergraduate students in an online university to understand both their experiences with faculty mentoring in the online environment and the potential of a faculty mentor program in a large online university. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of four undergraduate student mentees with their faculty mentor at a large online university using mixed methods research design. In addition, survey data from one department are analyzed to guide future mentoring programs in online learning environments. Findings from the study indicate belief that mentoring and encouragement from faculty would enhance students’ scholarly experience. Students indicated they would like to participate in a faculty mentoring program, and it was clear that students welcome and appreciate the opportunity to further cement a professional relationship between themselves and faculty. This article makes a unique contribution to higher education research, providing a potential model for others seeking guidance in mentoring in online higher education. The data analysis and research indicate that a larger scale mentoring program might be more valuable for students.

Developing Faculty Mentoring Programs: A Comprehensive Handbook

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Designing a mentoring model to enhance the human capital of faculty members in medical universities

Introduction: The purpose of present study was to analyze the content of domestic and foreign articles in the field of mentoring faculty members to provide a model for promoting the human capital of faculty members in medical universities. Methods: This research has been compiled by a synthesis research review (Meta-synthesis strategy). Therefore, after designing the research questions (what are the main components of the faculty mentoring model? What are the factors influencing the faculty mentoring model? What are the main characteristics of mentoring and mentoring faculty members? What are the faculty mentoring challenges? Systematic search of articles in time period (1390-1399) (2000-2020) in Persian and English in Magiran databases, SID; Human, Noormags, ScienceDirect, Eric, Sage with the keywords of "Mentoring Faculty Members" and "Mentoring in Higher Education". Consequently, out of 73 researches, 38 researches acquired the final analysis. Result: Findings in response to the first question, with 5 sub-categories (regular prior planning, preparation, correct implementation, systematic feedback and results management), in response to the second question, in 3 sub-categories (incentive capacity development, effective cooperation, interests and expectations) Mentor and Menti), in response to the third question, with 3 secondary sub-categories (Menti personality traits, Menti specialized traits and Menti cognitive traits) and Mentor faculty members, including 5 traits (Mentor personality traits, Mentor specialized traits, counseling services, empowerment research and educational empowerment) were classified. In response to the fourth question, they were categorized into 6 sub-categories (inappropriate interactions, weak mental performance, weak mental performance, unfamiliarity with academic norms, inefficient management, lack of planning). Conclusion: Considering the importance of Mentoring programs in the development of human capital of faculty members of medical universities, the identified components should be considered by the managers of the higher education system to improve the performance of faculty members.