As a trained mentoring facilitator, I partner with the USD-HHMI Inclusive Science Initiative to offer Entering Mentoring training, a facilitator-guided workshop that teaches the principles and best practices of mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. The curriculum has been developed and validated by the nationally recognized Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research or CIMER (https://cimerproject.org/).
Mentoring Training
Each spring, we offer an intensive mentoring training program. Past participants reported benefiting greatly from their participation in this training.
- Week 1: Introduction to Mentor Training Program
- Week 2: Aligning Expectations
- Week 3: Promoting Professional Development
- Week 4: Maintaining Effective Communication
- Week 5: Addressing Equity and Inclusion
- Week 6: Addressing Inclusion at USD/Multi-Culturalism vs. Color-Blind Approaches
- Week 7: Assessing Understanding
- Week 8: Fostering Independence
- Week 9: Cultivating Ethical Behavior
- Week 10: Articulating Your Mentoring Philosophy and Plan
Mentoring Up
During the fall, I offer supplemental mentoring training that invites participants to the full program and offers further professional development. These workshops and descriptions are adapted from the curriculum developed by CIMER.
The Elements of Effective Mentoring
Mentoring and relational pedagogy are important practices for promoting student retention. In this workshop, participants will compare different approaches to mentoring and identify specific elements of their own mentoring practices in light of research on effective mentoring.
Mentoring Challenges and Solutions
In this workshop, participants will explore the dynamics of mentor-mentee relationships and discuss strategies for addressing mentoring challenges.
Achieving Work-Life Integration
Addressing the complementary roles of work and family life as part of a more comprehensive view of one’s career development is often a feature of successful mentoring relationships. Considerable planning and foresight are required to manage the inevitable conflicts of commitments. This session will introduce scholars to a well-established program of materials designed to guide participants through a series of reflective exercises assessing personal goals in four domains of their life: 1) work, 2) family, 3) community, and 4) self. The exercises culminate in a small-scale “experiment” designed to have participants make a small but meaningful change in their behavior that will achieve better integration of their goals across these four domains.