Developing and Implementing a Credit Based Business Mentoring Program
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The document describes the development and implementation of a formal, credit-based business mentoring program aimed at enhancing students' academic achievement, persistence, and professional readiness. It outlines the program's structure, which includes meetings with mentors, reflective assignments, and integration of faith and work, along with various benefits observed from participant feedback. Challenges such as communication issues and differing expectations between mentors and mentees are also highlighted.
Developing and Implementing a Credit Based Business Mentoring Program
- 1. Mentoring Experience Developing and Implementing a Credit-Based Business Mentoring Program Aaron Burgess & David Farris June 13, 2015 10:30 am
- 2. Objectives • Describe our experience(s) with developing & implementing a formal mentoring program. • Allow you to share your experience & expertise. • Receive feedback to improve our program. • Answer questions.
- 3. What is Mentoring? • Scholars have struggled to develop a common definition of the term. • There are over 50 different definitions of mentoring in the social science literature (Crisp and Cruz 2009). • Some describe mentoring as a concept or process (Roberts 2000), while others use the term to describe a specific set of activities (Bowman and Bowman 1990; Brown, Davis, and McClendon 1999; Freeman 1999).
- 4. Common Features • Learning partnership between a more experienced and a less experienced individual (Garvey and Alred 2003). • Process involving emotional (friendship, acceptance, support) and instrumental(information, coaching, advocacy, sponsorship) functions (Jacobi1991; Kram 1985).
- 5. Common Features • Relationship that becomes more influential over a period time (Grossman and Rhodes 2002). • Encouraging the mentee’s social and psychological development, serving as a role model, and providing support for goal setting and future planning (Cohen and Wills, 1985; Roberts 2000; Miller 2002).
- 6. Benefits of Mentoring • Mentoring has a positive impact on students’ persistence and academic achievement in college (Crisp and Cruz 2009; Terenzini, Psacarella, & Blimling 1996) • Mentoring prepares students to be successful in professional careers, “market readiness” (Schlosser, Knox, Moskovitz, and Hill 2003).
- 7. Benefits of Mentoring • Mentoring minority college students results in those students being twice as likely to persist as non mentored minority students and to have higher GPAs (Crisp and Cruz 2009). • Students at the undergraduate and graduate levels report that mentoring helped them develop skills and behaviors necessary to succeed professionally (Schlosser, Knox, Moskovitz, and Hill 2003).
- 8. Formal vs. Informal Mentoring • Informal mentoring refers to organically occurring, supportive relationships students have with older and more experienced individuals. • Formal mentoring involves a structured and intentional approach to offering students those experiences and benefits similar to the ones provided by informal mentors. This usually occurs inside a program.
- 9. Stated Program Goals • Integration of Faith & Work. This experience will be a springboard for developing a theology of work perspective in our students. • Networking. This experience will connect students with professionals to establish connections in the professional world that can lead to internship & career opportunities. It will also demonstrate the importance of networking/mentoring to our students.
- 10. Stated Program Goals • Skill Development & Career Counseling. This experience will provide an opportunity for students to receive additional coaching to help them strengthen their interpersonal and networking skills through interactions with their mentors. • Persistence. A Stanford University School of Education study suggests that undergraduates who receive executive- style “coaching” — including guidance on setting goals and time management — are more likely to remain in college and graduate (March 2011).
- 11. How It Works • The program we’ve developed is a formal mentoring program. Business majors, starting their sophomore year, are required to participate in a mentoring experience. • The program is six semesters and students earn a total of three credits (1/2 credit per semester). Students spend 16-20 hours a semester meeting with their mentors and reflecting on their experience through journals and reports.
- 12. Mentoring Experience = 3 total hours Organizational Management 3 Business Ethics 3 Statistics 3 Theology of Work 3 Economics 3 Accounting I 3 Accounting II 3 Marketing 3 Human Resource Management 3 Corporate Finance 3 Strategic Management 3 Management Information Technology 3 Leadership 3 *Mentoring Experience (.5 hrs. a semester) 3 * Internship 3 Business Electives 12
- 13. How It Works • The students register for the course and an instructor is assigned. Students receive weekly reminders through the LMS about their responsibilities for meeting with their mentors and reporting. • Students are required to submit a 3 page summative report each semester. This report documents their meetings and requires them to reflect upon their experience and what they are learning from their mentors.
- 14. How It Works – Recruiting Mentors • Mentors are recruited through the largest city-wide faith based network in the U.S. There are nearly 6,000 members of this network. The network hosts various conferences, seminars, job search groups, and roundtables throughout the city of Cincinnati. • Mentors responsibilities include completing a three hour training course offered in the fall. In this training we discuss the goals of the program, the benefits of mentoring and what we want them to “do” in their meetings.
- 15. How It Works – Recruiting Mentors • Mentors also receive a mentoring guide and the option of using a curriculum developed by the business network. • Mentors also participate in a focus group at the end of each semester and complete a year-end survey.
- 16. Student Feedback – Persistence “During our meetings, both Andrew and Marcia were very helpful. They sometimes gave advice, but it wasn’t through commentary or lecture. It was through real-life stories sharing their successes and failures. Marcia was able to share some her work experiences that made me feel better about my failures. This sounds odd but it had a lot of meaning for me because I feel like a failure at college sometimes. I want to quit. She taught me that in the world of business you’re not going to be right 100% of the time and you will not be on top 100% of the time. But I need to be a leaders who can find out how to get the right answers and how to compete in order to get back on top. Success will only come from perseverance and hard work.” -- Sophomore, Female Student
- 17. Student Feedback – Integration of Faith & Work “We had an immediate connection as we both shared an interest for sports and the management of sports organizations. I would also say another aspect of our meetings that really helped me was that he discussed how he integrated his faith into his organizations through the culture he builds in his company, as well as how he conducts himself on a daily basis. My mentor was relatable and willing to share his real experiences.” -- Junior, Male Student
- 18. Student Feedback – Career Counseling “The most important time I spent with my mentor was talking about my future. I am not at all certain about what I want to do with my future and both of us have been doing research to figure out what I want to do next. This is the most important aspect because it puts college into perspective because it is a waste of time and money if I don’t figure out what I want to do. My parents are also concerned about what I am going to do and it makes them feel better that I have a mentor who is helping with this” -- Junior, Female Student
- 19. Student Feedback – Career Counseling “The most important time I spent with my mentor was talking about my future. I am not at all certain about what I want to do with my future and both of us have been doing research to figure out what I want to do next. This is the most important aspect because it puts college into perspective because it is a waste of time and money if I don’t figure out what I want to do. My parents are also concerned about what I am going to do and it makes them feel better that I have a mentor who is helping with this” -- Sophomore, Female Student
- 20. Student Feedback – Networking “My mentor helped me the most when she put in a good word for me with some of her friends when I was trying to find an internship. She knew several people who where looking for interns and might hire me. I learned from her that knowing people is how you get places in this world. You have to build a network to succeed. It has also been very helpful that she likes me enough to put her name and reputation ‘on-the-line’ for me.” -- Junior, Female Student
- 21. Challenges • Email communication between mentors & mentees. • Scheduling conflicts & busy mentors. • Ineffective mentors. • Training of mentors. • Matching mentors with mentees. • Different ideas about mentoring. • Students do not see the value of mentoring.