Mentor

Definition:

Advisor, monitor, counselor, tutor. A mentor is a person or friend who guides a less experienced person or small group of people by building trust and modeling positive behaviors. An effective mentor understands that his or her role is to be dependable, engaged, authentic, and tuned into the needs of the mentee(s).

Expectations:

  • Each pair begins by designing a set of goals for both the mentor and the mentee which they both agree upon.
  • The mentor will develop a supportive relationship with their mentee(s) and share information about his/her own successes, failures, career choices and life experiences, as appropriate.
  • Mentors are expected to have a minimum of eight years working experience in the Instructional Design or related field.
  • One hour a week working as a mentor/mentee pair, e.g., video conference, lunch meeting, e-mails, telephone conversations, etc.
  • One professional development activity per duration of the program where you attend in-person or virtually with your mentee. The program will provide a list of suggested activities, e.g. Educause ELI events, topic-specific webinars
  • One professional development 30-minutes series events that is hosted by the Advisory Committee.
  • One reflections that will be posted to a collaborative platform that the Advisory Committee will introduce during the kick-off session.

Commitment:

  1. Establish an ongoing relationship with your mentee(s) or small group based on mutual respect and trust, and provide constructive feedback that could include new ideas, practices, and strategies.
  2. Commit to regular contact (email, phone, online, and/or face-to-face) with your mentee(s) or small group, making sure to be on time and prepared.
  3. Practice confidentiality when working with your mentee(s) or small group.
  4. Share (early) experiences, communicate the challenges and lessons learned regarding instructional and learning design.
  5. Allow your mentee(s) or small group to observe/review your instructional and learning design projects.
  6. Invest time to help your mentee(s) or small group learn, grow, and develop as an instructional and learning designer.
  7. Reflect on your experience as a mentor in a journal, log or other form that will be shared with your committee member twice during the length of the program.
  8. Complete an end-of-semester survey and a mentor/mentee feedback activity on your mentor/mentee experience.

Mentor Resources: