The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM


Book Description

Mentorship is a catalyst capable of unleashing one's potential for discovery, curiosity, and participation in STEMM and subsequently improving the training environment in which that STEMM potential is fostered. Mentoring relationships provide developmental spaces in which students' STEMM skills are honed and pathways into STEMM fields can be discovered. Because mentorship can be so influential in shaping the future STEMM workforce, its occurrence should not be left to chance or idiosyncratic implementation. There is a gap between what we know about effective mentoring and how it is practiced in higher education. The Science of Effective Mentorship in STEMM studies mentoring programs and practices at the undergraduate and graduate levels. It explores the importance of mentorship, the science of mentoring relationships, mentorship of underrepresented students in STEMM, mentorship structures and behaviors, and institutional cultures that support mentorship. This report and its complementary interactive guide present insights on effective programs and practices that can be adopted and adapted by institutions, departments, and individual faculty members.




A Field Guide to Grad School


Book Description

An essential handbook to the unwritten and often unspoken knowledge and skills you need to succeed in grad school Some of the most important things you need to know in order to succeed in graduate school—like how to choose a good advisor, how to get funding for your work, and whether to celebrate or cry when a journal tells you to revise and resubmit an article—won’t be covered in any class. They are part of a hidden curriculum that you are just expected to know or somehow learn on your own—or else. In this comprehensive survival guide for grad school, Jessica McCrory Calarco walks you through the secret knowledge and skills that are essential for navigating every critical stage of the postgraduate experience, from deciding whether to go to grad school in the first place to finishing your degree and landing a job. An invaluable resource for every prospective and current grad student in any discipline, A Field Guide to Grad School will save you grief—and help you thrive—in school and beyond. Provides invaluable advice about how to: Choose and apply to a graduate program Stay on track in your program Publish and promote your work Get the most out of conferences Navigate the job market Balance teaching, research, service, and life







Getting Mentored in Graduate School


Book Description

Getting Mentored in Graduate School is the first guide to mentoring relationships written exclusively for graduate students. Research has shown that students who are mentored enjoy many benefits, including better training, greater career success, and a stronger professional identity. Authors Johnson and Huwe draw directly from their own experiences as mentor and protege to advise students on finding a mentor and maintaining the mentor relationship throughout graduate school. Conversational, accessible, and informative, this book offers practical strategies that can be employed not only by students pursuing mentorships but also by professors seeking to improve their mentoring skills. Johnson and Huwe arm readers with the tools they need to anticipate and prevent common pitfalls and to resolve problems that may arise in mentoring relationships. This book is essential reading for students who want to learn and master the unwritten rules that lead to finding a mentor and getting more from graduate school and your career.




Paving the Way Toward Faculty Careers in Higher Education


Book Description

Abstract: Research focusing on online doctoral programs in preparation for academic careers consistently reveals a perception that online doctoral degree programs lack opportunities for social learning, mentoring, and submersion in the academic culture (Adams & DeFleur, 2005; Flowers & Baltzer, 2006; Columbaro, 2007; Guendoo, 2007; Good & Peca, 2007; Columbaro & Monaghan, 2009; DePriest, 2009). In addition, the value of mentoring within doctoral programs has been addressed in several empirical studies (Green & Bauer, 1995, Golde & Dore, 2001; Paglis, Green, & Bauer, 2006; Creighton, Parks, & Creighton, 2007; Mullen, 2006; 2008; 2009). However, little research has specifically attended to the mentoring experiences of online doctoral students and their perceptions of how those experiences prepared them for tenure-track employment within four-year, land-based higher education institutions.The purpose of this study was to explore the existence and nature of mentoring relationships within online doctoral degree programs. Further, it explored how these relationships prepare online doctoral degree graduates for full-time, tenure-track employment in four-year, land-based higher education institutions. The following research questions guided this study:1) How did graduates of online doctoral degree programs, currently employed as tenure-track faculty members at four-year land-based colleges or universities, experience mentoring while completing their online doctoral degree programs? 2) How did mentoring relationships prepare these graduates to become tenure-track faculty members in four-year, land-based colleges and universities? The study was informed by social learning theory in that it explores the role and purpose of interpersonal mentoring relationships in supporting doctoral students, as well as preparing them to serve as faculty in higher education environments. The research design employed basic interpretive qualitative research approach using semi-structured interviews focusing on participants' critical mentoring episodes to explore their experiences and perceptions. The lens through which findings were analyzed was social constructivism in that it accounted for the varied experiences and meaning making of individuals in their doctoral education mentoring relationships. Findings from this study may provide insight for academic institutions adopting online doctoral degrees as part of their strategic direction and for prospective online doctoral students.




Opportunities to Address Clinical Research Workforce Diversity Needs for 2010


Book Description

Based on a 2003 workshop, this study describes current public and private programs and recommends ways to recruit and retain more women and underrepresented minorities into clinical research, especially physician-scientists and nurses. Federal sponsors should improve data collection, evaluate existing training programs, and increase the diversity of study section review panels. Public and private sponsors should create funding mechanisms with flexible career paths, and universities and professional societies should both play enhanced roles in fostering diversity. A significant push is needed to recruit minorities into nursing and provide more clinical research training for nurse-scientists, nursing students, and nursing faculty.




Exploring Perceptions of Mentor Relationships in Doctoral Programs


Book Description

The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory, multiple-case study was to explore mentoring relationships and student compatibility in doctoral programs. This design offered and explained an in-depth understanding of what creates a mentor relationship for mentors and doctoral students. The knowledge gained from this study will assist institutional leaders to focus on continuously developing effective strategies to help bridge the gap of failed mentoring relationships between doctoral candidates and their mentors. This book is a must read for doctoral chairs, academic deans, and provosts at colleges and universities that have doctoral programs as a guideline to institute, improve, and enhance mentoring relationships between organizational, doctoral-level mentors and doctoral candidate students. Key Search Terms: academic institutions, academic leaders, academic performance, advisor, career success, coach, communication skills, compatibility, cultural compatibility, developmental stages, doctoral chairs, doctoral mentors, doctoral programs, doctoral students, Emotional Intelligence (EI), emotional stability, enrollments, face-to-face mentoring, faculty members, formal mentoring process / formal mentoring program, higher education leaders, identity development, interpersonal relationships, leaders, leadership, Leadership development, matching process, mental attitudes, mentees, mentor programs, mentor training system, mentor/mentee relationship, mentoring, mentoring models, mentoring practices, mentoring relationships, mentors, mentorship practices, mentorship training, non-traditional mentoring, professional relationship, prot�g�s, relationship building, role model, self-awareness, self-efficacy, sense of belonging, theory and model of mentoring




Adviser, Teacher, Role Model, Friend


Book Description

This guide offers helpful advice on how teachers, administrators, and career advisers in science and engineering can become better mentors to their students. It starts with the premise that a successful mentor guides students in a variety of ways: by helping them get the most from their educational experience, by introducing them to and making them comfortable with a specific disciplinary culture, and by offering assistance with the search for suitable employment. Other topics covered in the guide include career planning, time management, writing development, and responsible scientific conduct. Also included is a valuable list of bibliographical and Internet resources on mentoring and related topics.







Benefits of Mentoring Female Doctoral Students


Book Description

Research studies on issues affecting female doctoral students' success has shown the mentoring relationship to be a theme throughout research. Studies have examined the importance of female faculty academic mentoring relationships in relation to doctoral students' feelings of satisfaction with the program and institution; however, few studies have explored the influence of this relationship on female doctoral students' degree completion. With the projected rise in female enrollments in doctoral programs, it is beneficial to understand the relationship between the female doctoral student and the female faculty academic mentor. The perceptions of female doctoral students and their experiences in the dissertation writing process were explored in this phenomenological study. The participants' responses signified the importance of centric interaction with the faculty academic mentor. The findings provided evidence that there are certain issues that are important to female doctoral students with female faculty academic mentors, and that specific elements of mentoring are more useful to the female doctoral students and their success in the doctoral program.