Positive Teaching-Mentoring Experiences of Faculty in a College of Agricultural and Life Sciences

• Published in: NACTA journal Vol. 63; no. 1; pp. 20 - 24
• Main Authors: Dahl, W.J., Telg, R.W., Turner, R.E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) 01.03.2019
• ISSN: 0149-4910

Mentoring of early-career university faculty members who teach varies from formal policies and committees to informal, spontaneous relationships. The purpose of this study was to explore the teaching-mentoring experiences of newer faculty in a college of agricultural sciences. Pre-tenured, non-tenured (≤8 years employed), and recently tenured faculty were invited to participate in a Qualtrics® survey via the faculty listserv. Of the respondents meeting the inclusion criteria (n=34), 91% had a formal classroom teaching assignment and 64% had a formal mentoring committee. Although two-thirds of respondents (65%) did not have a specific mentor assigned to advise them on teaching, the same percentage (65%) reported that they had a teaching mentor. Experiences with teaching mentors were positive, with mentees perceiving similarities with their mentors' attitudes, values, and philosophies. Many respondents indicated that they sometimes or often needed assistance with mentoring of graduate students, managing personal stress, teaching effectively, and using educational technology. Respondents were very satisfied with the assistance provided by their teaching mentor. Newer faculty have varied needs that may be successfully met through teaching-mentoring.