Academic Institution
The institution itself bears much of the responsibility in the outcome of the advisor/student relationship. Before faculty and students can engage in a productive relationship, the universities must make clear the importance of quality faculty mentoring. Faculty development and training is essential. The most direct way for institutions to improve the quality of mentoring is to reward good mentoring. Universities exist to educate and make future leaders of the graduates. The development of the students should be as important as the research dollars that come in but it is not. I have personally witnessed outstanding junior faculty mentors denied promotion because of the lack of grant support on their CV. The message
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sent to faculty is focus on your research first, then the student. Institutions should incorporate mentoring and advising effectiveness in the criteria including for promotion and tenure (NAS, 1997, p. 66). Mentor Does the problem lie with the mentor?
At the university where I work, faculty members are expected to support 70% of their salary through governmental and non-profit grants and contracts. In 2004 US-based organizations funded 57% of the world's biomedical research; in 2012 the number was down to 44% (Tijan, 2015). Funding further declined by -an estimated 7.1 percent decline from fiscal year 2012 to 2013 (Boroush, 2014). More pressure than ever was placed on research faculty resulting in stressed out professors with less money, more competition and little time for anything else. Faculty are often overcommitted with teaching, advising and conducting current research, the decline in funding changed the game and put even more strain on the mentor/mentee relationship.
Time management is essential for the faculty mentor. They must have protected time to work on their own projects. Often they are required to teach and participate in other ancillary types of duties for the school or the department. Without an effective time management system in place, students can fall through the
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cracks. Moreover, faculty must determine what kind of mentor they will be and communicate it to the student. The authors of the article Mentoring Relationships in Graduate School identify a distinction between mentoring/advising help that is practical and help that is socioemotional and the advise mentors to “think about the type of outcome you desire and then match your help to produce the desired outcome. Socioemotional mentoring increases student satisfaction, whereas instrumental help increases student productivity.” (Tennebaum, Crosby, & Gliner, 2001). The relationship is at best a four year commitment, for many it is longer. Avoiding the wrong match will save time and headaches for all. Student Students who are not paired with the best adviser are at risk, some possible effects are a longer time to degree or perhaps even a withdrawal from the program.
This is failure on all levels and must be fixed. At the graduate level, students' choice of a research adviser is one of their most important decisions-and yet some of them exercise less care in this decision than they do in the purchase of a car (NAS, 1997, p. 24). Students have an important role in the process, understanding the importance of the relationship is crucial. Researching their mentor early, speaking to them, even interviewing the mentor, could save them a great deal of grief in the long
run. Communication on the part of the student is key. One state university study showed that the characteristics that were most sought in a mentor concerned personal supportiveness rather than professional competence, Cronan-Hillix, Gensheimer,Cronan-Hillix, & Davidson, (as cited in Tenenbaum, Crosby, Gliner, 2001, p. 338). Students need to be able to communicate their needs to the mentor at the beginning of the relationship. This can be an intimidating idea to a first or second year PhD student, but it must happen. Conclusion Our students are our future, without the proper guidance from faculty advisors we risk a generation of mediocrity. It begins with the university but the mentor and the student must also accept their role if improvement is sought. To enrich the mentor/student relationship students must understand and communicate their needs, faculty must manage their time adequately and encourage open communication, and the universities must do a better job of preparing their faculty for the role of mentor and communicate the importance of mentoring to the faculty.
Flaxman, E. Evaluating Mentoring Programs. New York: Institute for Urban and Minority Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1992.
There is little scientific knowledge when it comes to mentoring effects on future outcomes; in addition posing confusion as to how these programs continue to emerge. A major component in regards to program effectiveness is in measurement or evaluation of its structure (Deutsch, N., & Spencer, R., 2009). This is done by conducting surveys, focus groups, and interviews (Deutsch, N., & Spencer, R. (2009); Karcher, M., & Nakkula, M. (2010); Diehl, D. C., Howse, R. B., & Trivette, C. M. (2011); Osgood, 2012; Williams, 2011). Studies gives the researcher insight into knowledge that otherwise wouldn’t be known, in order to understand mentoring reactions and relationship styles better (Karcher, M., & Nakkula, M. (2010); Christens, B. D., & Peterson, N. A. (2012); Diehl et al., 2011; Leyton‐Armakan, J., Lawrence, E., Deutsch, N., Lee Williams, J., & Henneberger, A. (2012); Meyer, K. C., & Bouchey, H. A. (2010).
Differences in mentoring and guiding styles of the mentors can have a considerable influence and impact on the mentee’s development of the skills and personalities. Through the arrogant and ambitious yet skillful guidance of Dr. Blalock, Vivien Thomas is able to learn how to rightfully challenge conventional theories in order to develop revolutionary changes in science. Additionally, Thomas also gains more confidence in himself and has the courage to stand up against discrimination. On the other hand, I have also learned how to be diligent and passionate about what I do as a consequence of Dr. Cron’s caring and dedicated mentoring styles. In the end, the tutelage and guidance of the mentors can have lasting effects on their mentees’ lives.
In addition, for some mentors, mentoring was a burden or workload issue that often went unnoticed by others. Mentees, too, were concerned by a lack of mentor interest and training and a host of problematic mentor attributes and behaviors (e.g. critical or defensive behaviors). Professional or personal incompatibility or incompatibility based on other factors such as race or gender was also seen by both mentors and mentees as impediments to the success of the relationship. Organizations, too, were confronted with difficulties arising from mentoring programs. Lack of commitment from the organization, lack of partnership and funding problems were reported in some studies, while in others, cultural or gender biases meant that some mentees’ experiences were not
The value of a good education for a student is the ability to learn, graduate in a timely manner, and implement in their jobs what they have gained from their education. Another value for students is engaging them so that they will go onto further their education through graduate studies. As stated by Ehrenberg & Zhang, (2005) “increases in either the percentage of faculty that are part-time or the percentage of full-time faculty that are not on tenure-tracks, is associated with a reduction in graduation rates” (p. 651). The percentage is greater in larger public colleges and universities (Ehrenberg & Zhang, 2005, p. 651). The value of a student education is magnified when they have professors that are experienced and have the expertise in their field of study. The experience and the expertise comes f...
I write this clear and concise reflection to identify and evaluate an academic problem that I feel is negatively impacting my studies which is time management; otherwise, I find lot of difficulty to manage my time.
Having an effective working relationship with a student is an important goal and will underpin all other aspects of mentoring (Walsh, 2014). It is advisable to build this relationship quickly and effectively within the first week of the student’s placement, this is known to be the mentor’s responsibility and allows the mentor to demonstrate to be organised, productive and welcoming (Walsh,
After analyzing the causes of the tension between grad students and their PI it is important to bring forth the issues that can arise because of the constant friction. As Leonard Cassuto, an English Professor from Fordham University, explained that when the environment the advisor helps to create is mostly filled with frustration, it can sometimes cause the students to drop out from the graduate program at the alarming rate of approximately 50% of students across several different disciplines (1). Both of the grad students I met with explained that recently one of their peers exited the program primarily due to a lack of communication between him and the PI (Mays and Smith). Additionally, as Mays explained the actions and behavior of their advisor has caused him and several of his peers to battle periods of depression during their time in the program, and that the depression had forced he and several other students to seek
The problem of time management can be said to be universal not only affecting students but also other people in careers. This problem is seen to transition from a person’s life from different cadres of his or her engagement specifically from home, school and at work. It is also a problem that is internal and not external.
There are many different parts to time management, such as procrastination, strategy, organization, expectations and being prepared. All of them contribute equally in many ways. All of the things that we have spoken about in this paper are highly recommended. The best thing to do when it comes to time management is to set a strategy, become organized and do your best to avoid procrastination. When you manage your time make sure you include the following; studying, sleeping, eating, relaxing and other necessary things. No matter what our circumstances are, we can all use some time management skills in our lives.
A faculty advisor can have a tremendous impact on a student’s college experience in addition to being a phenomenal referral source. In fact, referral to academic sources was a key aspect of the advisor’s duty according to Allen et al. (2008). Social and cognitive development were also noted as positive outcomes of effective advising( Allen et al 2008:609).
Many young people just need to be motivated and given a fair chance at success. Young people need mentors to help them find their way and to help them stay focused. Mentors play an intricate roll in your lives and are sort of liaisons between your parents or guardians and your educators.
(Claessens, Brigitte J.C.2004). adds that time “cannot be managed, because time is an invariable factor. Only the way a person deals with time can be”. Nevertheless, time management has become increasingly essential to businesses and organizations. This is especially true over the last two decades, as a result of expanding global competition and increased demands for the immediate availability of products and services. Given the increased pace of everyday life, people increasingly need to be more organized. Efficient time management practices support business students in acquiring key skills that will assist them both in their educatio...
Time management skills have a good deal of things behind it, such as timeliness in showing up to commitments (such as work and school), timeliness in following through with commitments (such as turning school assignments in), making sure you do things in a timely manner (avoiding procrastination), and prioritizing tasks. These all
When you control your time, and work more efficiently, you're able to learn more and increase your experience faster. Time management should also include more than teaching, scholarship, and service. Effective time management also means reserving time for recovery, and time for financial factors, time for family, and time for friends. Having a goal-oriented strategy that makes an effective use of your time will bring you success no matter how you look at it. There isn’t anything we can do about time itself. We can change how we deal with events