Content
Version
"Mentor Orientation" was released on January 12, 2006.
Program Purpose
The purpose of this program is to provide guidelines for the mentoring process to faculty, project staff, and others who advise or mentor students, research participants, interns, or others in formal or informal programs.
Computer Settings Guide
To set up your computer with the necessary settings and plug-ins, see the "Computer Settings Guide."
Printing
Several references on this CD-ROM are also available online. Reference articles and documents that are available in PDF format can be printed through Adobe Acrobat Reader®. If you do not have Acrobat Reader® installed on your computer, you may install it by following the Computer Settings Guide.
Acknowledgements
Contact Us
Send questions and comments about this program to:
Linda Holmes
Science and Engineering Education, MS 36
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
P.O. Box 117
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-0117Phone: (865) 576-3192
Fax: (865) 576-1609
E-mail: Linda.Holmes@ORAU.ORG
Introduction
Welcome to Mentor Orientation!
This program was developed for faculty, project staff, and others who advise and mentor students, research participants, interns, or others in a formal or informal program.
Whether you are a first-time mentor or a seasoned one, these tips and guidelines may provide new insights to your mentoring process.
Check out the "Computer Settings Guide" before you begin. It will help ensure you have the necessary setup in your browser to zip through this program with ease!
What will I get out of this information?
If you're asking yourself any of these questions, then you're in the right place:
- I'm thinking of a project; how do I know if it's the right project that will make for a good mentoring experience?
- How do I select a participant?
- What is involved in hosting a participant?
- My participant's first day is coming up; what should I be ready to do that day?
- What are some things I can do to provide my participant with the best possible experience?
- What are some typical problems I may encounter, and what are some potential solutions to them?
- I'm told I can't get a participant until I complete this Mentor Orientation, so where do I get started
You will find the answers to these questions and more in the next few minutes. We hope you find this program informative and enjoyable as you review the information, engage in the interactive activities, and take the final ten-question quiz. A certificate is waiting for you at the end of this process, and your completion of this program will be recorded and forwarded to the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)/Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) staff.
We welcome your comments and suggestions and will ask for your feedback when you complete this program.
Mentoring is a crucial extension of the educational process, serving as a bridge between the classroom and the profession. Why is this mentoring relationship so important?
Review the definitions of these mentoring-related terms:
Mentoring: A process through which an experienced professional helps another person grow and develop into a successful professional. The goal of mentoring is to advance the educational and personal growth of another person.
Participant: A high school student, undergraduate, graduate, postdoctorate, teacher, faculty, or even an experienced professional who is assigned to a mentor in an educational situation. Before being selected, the participant is referred to as an "applicant."
Appointment: A short-term summer assignment, an internship, or a postdoctoral research appointment, for example, that gives the participant an opportunity to receive hands-on experience complementing his or her academic course of study.
Program: A formal or informal mechanism through which participants are brought into the facility. The programs referred to in this orientation are administered by ORAU/ORISE in partnership with you, the facility, and the program sponsors.
The roles in a mentoring relationship
- Your role as a mentor: to be a teacher, advisor, and role model who provides leadership, support, and guidance.
- Role of the participant: to learn from the mentor and to develop professional skills.
The benefits to you as the mentor
- provides personal satisfaction
- helps you recruit and keep good talent
- keeps you connected to new work in your field
- improves your own professional network
What mentoring is NOT
Mentoring is not simply having an extra pair of hands to do odd jobs around the office or laboratory. The participant is not performing work, but rather is engaged in an educational experience.
Activity 1 - Is it Mentoring, or Something Else?
Before you commit to hosting a participant, the answers to the following questions should be considered:
General questions to ask yourself
- Why do you want to serve as a mentor?
- What do you expect to accomplish by getting a participant?
- How much time do you have to devote to a participant?
- Can you devote the time to develop the skills of a participant with limited or no preparation?
- In case you are not available, is there someone else available to serve as a mentor to the participant?
- Do you have enough meaningful activities to keep a participant occupied for the duration of the appointment and to give him/her a sense of accomplishment?
- Can you make sure the participant will have his/her own discrete project that will foster learning and give the participant a sense of contribution to your facility’s mission?
Questions to ask about the program at your facility in which your participant will be involved
- What kind of applicant does this program attract?
- What does the program expect from the mentors and the participant?
- What are the eligibility requirements for the program?
- What are the start and end dates for the program?
- Can an extension of the appointment be granted, if necessary for the participant to complete the project?
- Who makes the final selection decision: the mentor or the program coordinator?
- What are the costs involved?
- What does the participant need to submit to complete the program?
Define the goals of the project
The project should:
- give the participant an opportunity to receive hands-on experience that complements his or her academic course of study and connects theory to practice.
- give the participant an opportunity to increase his/her confidence, enhance communications skills, and engage in critical thinking and problem solving.
- remain flexible so that you may change or adapt the project based on feedback (skills, interests, etc.) from the participant you select.
Establish expectations for the project
- Determine timetable for the project.
- Define what the participant must accomplish or learn so that the project comes to a successful conclusion.
- Put the project in the context of the “big picture” since, for example, many undergraduates have trouble seeing beyond their own piece of the puzzle.
- Determine what training is required for the participant to do the project safely.
Communicate
Communicate information about the research project to the participant before he/she arrives. This can be very beneficial in allowing him/her to read and learn about the research before beginning the appointment.
Consider the program requirements
Keep in mind any programmatic requirements that need to be fulfilled. Depending on the program, participants may be asked to write a research abstract, do a PowerPoint® presentation, write a research paper, present a scientific poster, or complete other requirements.
Activity 2 - Picking Appropriate Projects
Try to select the best-suited applicant to meet the project needs. Consider the following factors, noting that the applicant’s academic background, while important, is not the only factor.
Questions about the project needs
- What kind of academic preparation and/or experience must the applicant have for the project you have identified?
- What are the expected outcomes of the project?
- Must the project be completed during the applicant’s assignment?
Questions about the applicant
- What is the applicant’s academic background?
- What are the applicant’s interests?
- What kind of experience does the applicant have that might relate to your project?
- When considering potential candidates' abilities, will they be able to complete the assigned project during the timeframe of the appointment?
- Does he/she work well alone, or does he/she work better as part of a team?
- Does the applicant prefer to work on something closely related to his/her area of study or to branch into a new, but related field?
- How much direction/instruction will be required?
Steps to ensure that you select the right person for your project:
- Study the application forms to get information about the applicant’s background, competencies, academic status, interests, etc. Get as much information as possible about the applicant and the program before making a selection. Discuss the specifics of the assignment (nature of the assignment, specific project goals, expectations, milestones, etc.) with several candidates to gauge their interest and assess their backgrounds. Be open-minded to a variety of applicants. Diversity is an important factor to take into account since, in years to come, females and minorities may comprise the majority of the population from which we draw our scientists and engineers. Consider applicants from a variety of backgrounds--cultural, ethnic, academic, geographical, etc.
- Keep in mind that the GPA and the school attended are not the only indicators of the applicant’s potential.
Printable Telephone Interview Questions: Selecting the Right Participant
Preparing to Host Your Participant
After identifying a project and selecting your participant, now you need to know not only what must be done to bring your participant to the facility but also who is responsible for getting it done.
Who:
- handles the logistics of getting your participant to the facility?
- can answer questions about getting your participant clearance, housing, and payment?
- will conduct the safety training or any additional training required?
- will arrange to obtain space and facilities (office and laboratory space, computer, e-mail/Internet access, and other equipment) assigned to your participant?
Before your participant arrives, you should:
- Verify that everything is ready for your participant’s arrival.
- Look again at the project you have defined in light of the participant you selected. If necessary, tailor the project to fit.
- Contact your participant. Provide suggestions on reading materials or other preparations for the project.
- Prepare an orientation and training plan.
- Prepare contingency plans for situations, such as if the equipment does not come or breaks, or if the scope of project changes.
- Discuss the participation with other group members. Your participant should be made to feel like a peer.
- If your participant will be mentored by someone in addition to you, discuss the goals for the participant and the project with that person.
Printable Checklist: Logistics
Orienting Your Participant on the First Day
As soon as possible after your participant reports, you should:
- Introduce staff including support personnel.
- Conduct a brief tour of the area where your participant will be located.
- Arrange for a general safety briefing, including evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures.
- Set performance expectations for the project and also for attendance, dress, schedule, etc. Be specific. Make sure your participant knows whom to notify if he/she will be absent or late.
- Inform him/her of any required training.
- Make sure your participant knows whom to approach for assistance if you are absent.
- Make sure he/she understands that, while you are the mentor of record, he/she will be mentored by many individuals during the appointment and that having multiple mentors is a positive aspect of the program.
- Discuss the specifics of the project, including:
- the timetable
- what must be accomplished and learned
- the context of the bigger scientific picture
- your participant’s expectations for the project and what he/she hopes to get out of the time spent with you
If you are not available to orient your participant on the first day, you should arrange for someone else to do it.
Printable Checklist: The First Day
Providing a Quality Experience
Establish expectations
At the outset of the project, you should carefully set expectations as defined in the previous section of the orientation. Make sure they are realistic. Be prepared to adjust the project to meet the participant’s goals as well as your own.
Communicate
- Begin with respect, and demonstrate your respect on a daily basis. Be sensitive to the needs of your participant.
- Keep the lines of communication open.
- Make a concerted effort to provide information in a way that your participant can assimilate it. Some people are auditory learners; others learn visually or kinesthetically.
- Inform your participant when you will not be available and provide an alternate contact.
Teach
- Share knowledge not only about your specific area of expertise, but also about many other things, such as:
- the culture of the workplace
- facility protocol and processes
- funding opportunities and difficulties
- ethical issues
- policy decisions
- career paths
- continuing education
- Guide your participant toward discovery rather than providing quick answers. He/She will find that it’s much more satisfying to discover a path forward than to be told which way to go.
- Check for understanding whenever you provide information.
- Encourage questions. Foster an environment in which questioning is the basis for creative discovery.
- Provide appropriate feedback on progress and accomplishments. Provide praise as well as suggestions for improvement. Stay objective.
- Build confidence by increasing responsibility as your participant demonstrates the ability to handle it.
- Provide ample opportunities for professional development and networking.
Be accessible, personable, and fair.
Invest the time.
- As your relationship with your participant develops, make sure you have a feeling for how much time you need to spend in order for him/her to have a quality experience.
- Take the time to provide feedback on abstracts, papers, posters, and other professional development activities.
- Don’t assume that your participant doesn’t need help simply because he/she doesn’t ask for it.
Be personable.
- Your participant wants to interact with you because you are an expert. But you have more to share than technical knowledge, such as your likes and dislikes, hobbies and interests, dreams and disappointments.
- Make sure your participant has the opportunity to develop social activities outside of the laboratory.
Treat your participant fairly and with consideration.
- If you have more than one person to mentor, be equitable and consistent, while still treating each as a unique individual.
- Make sure that what you ask your participant to do is relevant to his or her professional development in the chosen field.
- Accept personal differences. Be tolerant of differences in learning and working styles, in addition to being sensitive about differences in culture, ethnicity, gender, etc. Remember: You are a role model.
Deal with problems quickly and fairly.
- You are primarily responsible for the educational content of the participant’s experience; other types of problems might be better referred to program administrators.
- Don’t assume you can fix every problem. You may be part of the problem, so it’s wise to get advice from others on appropriate solutions for problems.
Activity 3 - Rate These Mentors (Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down)
Be aware of differences between high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, and postgraduates.
- Mentoring Undergraduates
- Mentoring Graduate Students
- Mentoring Postdoctorates
Self-assessment: Ask yourself, “Did I…?”
- Provide a well-defined project or assignment and give my participant an active role in it? Provide appropriate resources and training for my participant? Set reasonable expectations? Meet with my participant on a regular basis? Ensure that my participant had alternate mentors when I was not available? Encourage questions, creativity, exploration, and discovery? Provide regular and appropriate feedback?Treat my participant with respect? Listen to my participant’s problems and concerns and actively seek to address them or refer them to someone who could?
- Provide professional development activities for my participant?
Printable Checklist: Self-Assessment
Preventing and Solving Problems
Most of the time, the relationship between a participant and a mentor goes smoothly. It takes time to get to know one another, to establish expectations, and to build a productive relationship. However, doing these things at the outset could prevent problems in the long run.
Here are a few tips to keep everything running smoothly.
- Maintain open lines of communication. Make sure you can communicate with your participant. As a good mentor you should practice careful listening, repeat your understanding of his/her points, and ask whether you have understood correctly.
- Build confidence. Participants who feel confident about their role in your laboratory will usually not develop conflicts with you or with others.
- Encourage questions. A participant who feels free to ask you questions will also feel comfortable talking to you about any concerns.
- Treat your participant as a unique individual. You may have been a mentor many times before, but don’t assume that what worked well with one person, or even the past ten people you have mentored, will work with this one.
- Don’t abuse your authority. Don’t ask your participant to do personal work for you or perform tasks that are not relevant to his/her development as a professional.
Despite everyone’s good intentions, problems may develop. It is important for you to recognize these warning signs of problems:
- Poor attendance
- Lack of focus or interest
- Growing frustration level
- Lack of productivity
- Inappropriate behavior in the workplace
If you notice any of these behaviors, you may contact ORAU/ORISE for help in dealing with them.
Some general guidelines for dealing with these warning signs or with full-blown problems include the following:
- Meet with the participant to try to identify his/her concerns. You might say that you have observed a specific behavior, and would like to know if there is a concern or problem he/she would like to discuss.
- Document the problem and the meeting. It is important that you make notes of your concern and detail the meeting and steps you are taking to help resolve the problem.
- Involve others for help, realizing that you may be part of the problem. The human resources staff or the diversity coordinator at your facility may be good resources to help you find reasonable solutions to all problems related to hosting participants. ORAU/ORISE staff members are always available to provide advice and guidance and to take appropriate action on your behalf.
For each of the four statements below, identify whether each is describing a mentoring activity or something else.
Statement 1: Providing a learning-by-doing experience
Statement 2: A helper for stocking special laboratory supplies
Statement 3: An experienced professional helping another develop
Statement 4: An assistant for extra word processing at the office
Below are five 5 sentences that describe tips for selecting appropriate mentoring projects. Use the following list of words/phrases to complete the blanks in each sentence.
Complete the following sentences:
You are about to meet 5 mentors. Give each a rating of "thumbs-up" or "thumbs-down" for how well he or she mentored based on a participant's account of their mentored experience. When you click on the link for "thumbs-up" or "thumbs-down" you will receive feedback on your answer.
Mentor 1: Fredrick
Fredrick's participant said: "On my first day, my mentor took me on a tour of the areas related to the division and introduced me to everyone. My degree is in a different area than where I worked this summer, but he did his best to make application to my field and to make sure I understood my research. My mentor went on vacation the second week I was there but he arranged for me to continue working with the assistance of the new postdoc."
Would you give Fredrick a thumbs-up or thumbs-down?
Mentor 2: Lindsey
Lindsey's participant said: "I came to the project with an open mind, really looking forward to learning something new. The first couple days were great. It was a little slow getting started, there were some delays and the nature of the project was pretty vague. I wish I could have gotten a better grasp on what was expected of me as far as deliverables for the project itself. I did ask and was told that I was there to ‘learn’ and write my paper."
Would you give Lindsey a thumbs-up or thumbs-down?
Mentor 3: Dorothy
Dorothy's participant said "I know I made a lot of mistakes. I wish I had more of the scientific knowledge that was required; but I sure learned a lot. My mentor didn’t seem to mind going at my pace; she seemed to understand that I was there to learn. She was always kind and had a lot of respect for me even though she was teaching me!"
Would you give Dorothy a thumbs-up or thumbs-down?
Mentor 4: Jim
Jim's participant said: "It was a very busy time. I thought my mentor would get tired of all the questions I had, but he did his best to answer all of them. We would meet at least once a week, sometimes more, just for the purpose of looking at how I was doing and he’d give me constructive feedback and suggestions about additional research and experiments."
Would you give Jim a thumbs-up or thumbs-down?
Mentor 5: Ron
Ron's participant said: "Wow! I can’t believe I had this opportunity to work with such an accomplished and intelligent scientist! I deliberately kept quiet because it was obvious that I should have known more than I did. He always talked at such a high level, other participants seemed to be intimidated, but I figured I could look up what I didn’t know and catch up later."
Would you give Ron a thumbs-up or thumbs-down?
Each participant in Column A is having difficulty. Identify a potential solution in Column B that would best solve participant's problem.
Column A - Participants
Column B - Potential Solutions
We trust that the tips and guidelines provided here have given you new insights to the mentoring process and that you are better prepared to:
The following 10-question quiz will tell if you picked up the important points about mentoring. For each question, choose the best answer, or answers, and then click on "Check Answer." At the end of this quiz you will find a link to the sign-out form that will ensure you receive credit for completing this activity.
1. As a mentor, your role includes (check all that apply)
a). being a teacher
b). advising the participant
c). being a role model for the participant
d). paying the participant
e). routinely assigning clerical tasks
2. As a mentor, you should keep your interactions with the participant limited to the research project.
True
False
3. Which of the following should be considered when choosing a research project for a participant? (check all that apply)
a). the type of participant that will be required to complete it
b). timetable for completion
c). the expectation that the project must result in a publication
d). how much hands-on experience it will provide the participant
e). training requirements and safety
4. Which of the following should be done before your participant reports? (check all that apply)
a). verify that space and equipment have been obtained for your participant
b). prepare an orientation and training plan
c). discuss your participant’s arrival with other group members
d). contact your participant
e). prepare a contingency plan in case equipment does not arrive
f). tailor the project to the participant you have selected
5. Which of the following activities should be done on the first day your participant reports? (check all that apply)
a). introduce the participant to staff, including support personnel
b). prepare a well-defined project
c). discuss your mutual expectations with the participant
d). prepare an orientation and training plan
e). conduct a tour of the area where your participant will be located
f). arrange for a safety briefing and required training
g). talk to your participant about attendance, dress, schedule
h). provide an overview of the research project and its context
i). ask your participant to write a research abstract or project summary
6. The GPA and the applicant’s institution are the most important factors to consider when selecting a participant.
True
False
7. The following are factors to consider when selecting a participant: (check all that apply)
a). academic preparation and interests of the applicant
b). amount of time you can devote to a participant compared with the amount of guidance/help the participant will likely require
c). safety requirements and clearance needed
d). diversity
e). the applicant’s learning style and work style
f). how much the applicant knows about the project you have selected
8. As a mentor, you should expect to transfer knowledge only about the project you have assigned to the participant.
True
False
9. Which of the following are warning signs of potential problems with participants? (check all that apply)
a). poor attendance
b). lack of focus
c). lack of productivity
d). inappropriate behavior in the workplace
e). growing level of frustration
10. A mentor alone should be able to solve most participant-related problems that arise during the appointment.
True
False
In order to receive credit for completing this activity, you must complete the Sign-Out form.
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), a U.S. Department of Energy institute, focuses on scientific initiatives
including educating the next generation of scientists. ORISE is managed by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU).
