MENTORING MATTERS

Program Description

Mentoring Matters is a community learning opportunity structured through workshops and sessions that emphasize the importance of mentorship to professional, personal, and academic success for mentors and mentees at all stages of their careers. The series prepares participants to engage in and grow meaningful and productive mentoring relationships through targeted skill development, reflection, and implementation of strategies for success.

All faculty, staff, and students interested in topics and discussions centered on mentoring are invited to participate. Mentors will become familiar with tools and strategies to develop and improve their mentorship skills and help their mentees achieve their goals. Mentees will learn to recognize effective mentorship strategies and “mentor up” to proactively manage and navigate their mentoring relationships.

Workshops and series focus on three main competencies (C) essential to productive mentoring relationships.

C1: Leadership & Organization

Goal Setting
Aligning Expectations
Resource Mapping

C2: Communication

Effective Conversation
Active Listening
Providing Feedback

C3: Relationship-Building

Cultural Awareness
Equity & Inclusion
Motivation & Trust

To earn the Mentoring Matters micro-credential and badge, hosted on Accredible, participants will:

Attend at least three (3) Mentoring Matters workshops/sessions during the 2024-25 AY.
Participate in at least one (1) synchronous, facilitated Mentoring Matters community discussion.
Submit a structured reflection essay (max 250 words) describing your mentoring practice, plans to implement high-impact mentoring practices in the coming semester, and the impact of such practices on your teaching.

The series emphasizes the importance of mentorship to professional, personal, and academic success for mentors and mentees at all stages of their careers. The series prepares participants to engage in and grow meaningful and productive mentoring relationships through targeted skill development, reflection, and implementation of strategies for success. Participants have the opportunity to earn the Mentoring Matters micro-credential and badge.

If you are interested in earning the badge, please join our Canvas site and click "Join This Course" in the upper-righthand corner. (If you are already a member of the site, you will not see this button.)

Mentoring Matters Spring 2025 Workshops

To complete Mentoring Matters Competency 1, participants must attend at least three (3) Mentoring Matters workshops / sessions during the 2024-25 AY. We will check attendance. (Watching recordings of the workshops will not count towards attendance.)

Developing Effective Mentoring Relationships to Improve Student Experiences and Academic Outcomes

Wednesday, March 12, 2025, 2:30 PM - 3:50 PM
Presenter: Sophie Kuchynka, Equity Accelerator, Research Scientist

This session will be offered remotely via Zoom.

The mentoring workshop explores effective mentorship practices that facilitate positive psychological and academic outcomes for students across disciplines. The workshop begins by covering why mentorship and psychosocial support contribute to short-term and long-term persistence and performance gains among students across educational trajectories. Then, we will focus on how to engage in psychosocially supportive mentorship to increase student belonging, academic identity, and self-efficacy, which all contribute to educational and career success. This workshop combines empirical evidence with interactive activities to further develop our skills as mentors to meet and satisfy the psychological needs of all students across disciplines and high education institutions.

Mentoring Matters Magna Self-Guided Workshops

In addition to the offerings above, you can complete these self-guided workshops at any time and upload your certificate to Canvas to work towards your badge.

Magna 20-Minute Mentors: How Can I Be an Effective Mentor? Self-Guided Online Course

Learn the essential principles you need to know about mentoring Junior Faculty in this Magna Publications online course: How Can I Be an Effective Mentor?

You’re an expert in your field of study, and you can skillfully navigate the culture of your campus. Yet you may not have experience with mentoring junior faculty beyond lending some friendly advice upon occasion. Balancing theory and practice, this fast and focused Magna 20 Minute Mentor session will show you how you can be an effective advisor and coach without detracting from your other responsibilities. You’ll learn the principles of mentoring new faculty from their first semester teaching through the tenure process. Guiding your mentee toward self-sufficiency and success is the goal!

After participating in this program, you’ll be able to do the following:

Describe the basic principles of effective mentoring and recognize how these principles can be applied
Design and operate a productive mentoring relationship
Support a mentee through the five stages of development
Assemble additional resources as you manage new mentoring situations

To earn the Mentoring Matters micro-credential and badge, upon completion of this course, please create your Certificate and upload to our Canvas site.

Rutgers-Newark Magna Login/Registration Instructions

Magna 20-Minute Mentors: How Can I Effectively Mentor Students?
Self-Guided Online Course

Learn some essential principles of mentoring students in How Can I Effectively Mentor Students? Designed for faculty and instructors, the course aims to increase your potential to mentor every time you have contact with students. Topics include opportunities and ways to engage with students through casual interactions, and how to help students learn and practice life skills through teaching.

To earn the Mentoring Matters micro-credential and badge, upon completion of this course, please create your Certificate and upload to our Canvas site.

Rutgers-Newark Magna Login/Registration Instructions