First Year Mentors: Fall 2016-Spring 2017
Suggested Activities
Fall Quarter 2016:
- Attend 1 chapel together
- Attend 1 CSFD/ETM event together
- Go off campus once: Get lunch! Invite another mentor group to join.
- Visit each other’s class: Mentor and Mentee – Invite each other to observe each other’s classes,
- During informal meetings, use this time to discuss how adjustments are going and get to know one another
- During formal meetings, create conversations around the topic of the month.
September topic: Syllabus, (over) prepping and First class[1]
- Mentor Tea
- Meet your mentor/mentee (at Faculty Retreat if possible)
- Get to know your mentor/mentee over coffee. Share a bit about each other, talk about goals for the mentoring program, what you each expect, time commitments for each person. Discuss the Mentee’s syllabus, talk about prepping for class and their first day teaching.
October topic: How to structure meaningful conversations in class
- Two meetings
- Meet informally and formally
November topic: How to create a meaningful final
- Two meetings
- Meet informally and formally
December topic: Overview of the first Quarter
- One Meeting
- meet informally or formally
Winter Quarter 2017 Suggested Activities:
- Attend 1 chapel together
- Attend 1 CSFD/ETM event together
- Go off campus once: Get lunch! Invite another mentor group to join
January topic: Reviewing your course evaluations
- Two meetings
- meet informally and formally
February topic: The dark side: incivility, cheating and plagiarism: “dark-proofing” your class
- Two meetings
- meet informally and formally
March topic: Setting boundaries with students outside of class time
- Two meetings
- meet informally and formally
Spring Quarter 2017 Suggested Activities:
- Attend 1 chapel together
- Attend 1 CSFD/ETM event together
- Go off campus once: Get lunch! Invite another mentor group to join
April topic: How much help should you give for mid-terms and finals? – creating self-regulating students.
- Two meetings
- meet informally and formally
May topic: Group work without tears
- Two meetings
- meet formally & attend tea
- Mentor Tea: End of year 1 celebration
Second Year: Winter 2017-Fall 2017
Winter Quarter 2017 Suggested Activities:
- Attend 1 chapel together
- Attend 1 CSFD/ETM event together
- Go off campus once: Get lunch! Invite another mentor group to join.
- During informal meetings, use this time to discuss how adjustments are going and get to know one another
- During formal meetings, create conversations around the topic of the month.
January topic: What goes into a pre-tenure file?
- Mentor Tea
- Two meetings
- Meet formally and informally
February topic: Writing an internal faculty grant
- Two meetings
- Meet formally and informally
March topic: Bringing your Christian faith into your classes
- Two meetings
- Meet formally and informally
Spring Quarter 2017 Suggested Activities:
- Attend 1 chapel together
- Attend 1 CSFD/ETM event together
- Go off campus once: Get lunch! Invite another mentor group to join.
April topic: Differences in teaching small and large groups
- Two meetings
- Meet formally and informally
May topic: Getting the average students engaged or making 8am classes useful
- One meeting
- Meet formally
Fall Quarter 2017 Suggested Activities:
- Attend 1 chapel together
- Attend 1 CSFD/ETM event together
- Go off campus once: Get lunch! Invite another mentor group to join.
September / October topic: Ending your course strong in week 9 & 10
- Two meetings
- Meet formally and informally
November topic: Creating your pre-tenure file statements
- Two meetings
- Meet formally
December topic: Putting together a successful file
- Two meetings
- Meet formally
[1] The suggested topics – are just that. Suggestions! However, most of the writings on higher ed mentoring list these as important attributes for a mentoring program. You don’t need to be an expert – just share what works for you and what you learned from your own history, practice and mistakes.
