Saturday
THE MORUNG EXPRESS
2 novemBer, 2013
Morung Youth Express
Mentoring Under Graduate Students: A Life Long Process T
he process of Mentoring is an integral part of any educational system, which basically aimed at bringing out the best from a student and setting the right course for the student. Students who enter under graduate courses in colleges are mostly unfamiliar with the structure of the course set by Nagaland University. Moreover there exist a big gap between the level of knowledge acquired by them in the higher secondary course and the content of the syllabus set by the university for the under graduate courses. This is especially true for students who pursue under graduate course with major papers. Most of the papers are totally new for the students who enrol themselves in the degree first semester with Major subject. In addition most of our students are easy going without setting any goals ahead of their life, in other words they pursue under graduate education without contemplating the career option they will opt for after the completion of their course. Therefore, the students have to be oriented and guided in their approach towards the syllabus as well as to the path they should take after their graduation. Faculty mentors play a crucial role in the success of college students, while styles of advising and mentoring vary across the disciplines; the fundamentals apply throughout formal education. The goal in writing this article is to provide a resource for faculty members who seek to improve their effectiveness as mentors. Students and their mentors share responsibility for ensuring productive and rewarding mentoring relationships. Both parties have a role to play in the success of mentoring. Mentoring is a lifelong process, where the mentor do not cut the ‘umbilical’ cord that attaches the mentor to a menty even after the menty has finished his or her studies. It is a process where the mentor acts as a sounding board or a support pillar for the menty as he or she continues their life’s journey, which is, being available any time for tendering advice or counselling to our menty. A Mentor: • take an interest in developing another person’s career and well-being. • have an interpersonal as well as a professional relationship with those whom they mentor. • advance the person’s academic and professional goals in directions most desired by the individual. Some faculty limit the responsibilities of mentoring to simply discharging their role as advisor. While assigned advisors can certainly be mentors, and often are, effective mentoring requires playing a more expansive role in the development of a future colleague. The role of advisor usually is limited to guiding academic progress. The role of mentor is centered on a commitment to advancing the student’s career through an interpersonal engagement that facilitates sharing guidance, experience and expertise. Like any interpersonal relationship, the one between mentor and student will evolve over time, with its attendant share of adjustments. The fact that today’s students come from an increasingly diverse social, economic and cultural back -grounds may add a layer of complexity, but it’s more likely to enrich than confound the relationship. New under graduate students, in particular, may express the desire for a mentor with whom they can personally identify, but their eventual level of satisfaction with their mentors seems to have little to do with this aspect of the relationship. This confirms the important point that you can be a successful mentor even if you and your student don’t share similar backgrounds. Of course, each mentoring relationship should be tailored to the student’s goals, needs and learning style, but the core principles apply across the board. What you and the student share – a commitment to the goals of the scholarly enterprise and a desire to succeed – is far more powerful and relevant than whatever might seem to divide you. Just as students have different learning styles, the skill sets and aptitudes of mentors are as varied as mentors themselves. There is no foolproof recipe. Mentoring benefits students because: • It supports their advancement in academic activity, class presentations or seminars, and writing skills. • The experiences and networks of their mentors may improve the students’ prospects of securing professional placement. • The knowledge that someone is committed to their progress, someone who can give them solid advice and be their advocate, can help to lower stress and build confidence. And it rewards mentors in an abundance of ways: • Your students will keep you abreast of new knowledge and techniques
and apprise you of promising avenues for research. • A faculty member’s reputation rests in part on the work of his or her former students; sending successful new scholars into the field increases your professional stature. • Good students will be attracted to you. Word gets around about who is the best mentors are, so they are usually the most likely to recruit – and retain –outstanding students. • It’s personally satisfying. Seeing your students succeed can be as rewarding as a major publication or significant grant. Effective mentoring advances the discipline because these students often begin making significant contributions long before they complete their graduate degrees. Such students are more likely to have productive, distinguished, and ethical careers that reflect credit on their mentors and enrich the discipline. Effective mentoring helps to ensure the quality of education and teaching well into the future. WHAT DOES A MENTOR DO? First and foremost, mentors socialize students into the culture of the discipline, clarifying and reinforcing – principally by example – what’s expected of a professional scholar. Let’s start with the basic responsibilities mentors have to those graduate students who seek their guidance. a) Model of professional responsibility. It is crucial that the mentor consciously act with integrity in every aspect of his or her work as teacher. Students must see that their mentors recognize and avoid conflicts of interest, collect and use data responsibly, fairly award credit. The overall approach of the teacher in the field of education is crucial for the effective implementation of the mentoring process. Conducting and finishing lecture on time (in other words being PUNCTUAL) and being regular for classes, are some instances where the students observe how a teacher handles his/her profession responsibly. b) Demystify under graduate school. This is quite true for our under graduate educational scenario in Nagaland. Many aspects of under graduate education are unwritten or vague, and the ability of new students to understand them is hampered by the fact that they frequently do not know what questions to ask or what certain terminology means. You can help by adjusting your conversations accordingly and clarifying your course’s expectations for lab work, comprehensive exams, and teaching. For each stage of the student’s program, discuss the prevailing norms and criteria used to define quality performance. c) Encourage the effective use of time. Work with the student on developing schedules and meeting benchmarks. d) Share techniques and practices that have been useful for others but don’t insist there is only one way. Rather, help them blaze their own trail and devise a plan that keeps them on it. e) Oversee professional development. Activities that have become second nature to you need to be made explicit to students, such as directing a lab, and being able to explain your specialisation to anyone outside your discipline. Mentors help their students become full-fledged members of an institution and not just students. GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR MENTORS; The fundamental standard of performance for mentors is to be partial to the student but impartial about the student’s work. Clarity is the foundation upon which such a relationship is built. Be transparent about your expectations concerning the form and function of the relationship, and about what’s reasonable to expect of you and what isn’t. Pay particular attention to boundaries, both personal and professional, and respect their boundary just as you expect them to respect yours. Because your time is so valuable, it is often the most precious thing you can give. Give students your full attention when they are talking with you, and the time and encouragement to open up. Try to minimize interruptions. Use concrete language to critique students’ work. Remind students that you are holding them to high standards in order to help them improve. Mentors keep track of their students’ progress and achievements, setting milestones and acknowledging accomplishments. Let your students know from the start that you want them to succeed, and create opportunities for them to demonstrate their competencies. Encourage students to try new techniques, expand their skills, and discuss their ideas, even those they fear might seem naive or unworkable. Let students know that mistakes are
productive because we learn from our failures. These practices nurture self-sufficiency. As tempting as it can be to dictate paths, the person in front of you has different strengths and aspirations. Provide support in times of discouragement as well as success, and be mindful of signs of emotional and physical distress. Don’t assume that the only students who need help are those who ask for it. If a student is falling behind in his or her work, resist concluding that this shows a lack of commitment. Perhaps the student is exhausted, or unclear about what to do next, or is uncomfortable with some aspect of the course. Although it is ultimately the responsibility of students to initiate contact with you, it may make a difference if you get in touch with those students who are becoming remote. Let them know they are welcome to talk with you during your office hours, and that the conversation can include non academic as well as academic issues. Being open and approachable is particularly important when a student is shy or comes from a different cultural background. This aspect of a student’s approach towards education in college level in our state is true, especially for those students who come from far flung regions of Nagaland. They are in a state of confusion and doubt, but they cannot approach the teachers for guidance or clarifications due to lack of confidence. Many new students suffer from the impostor syndrome – anxiety about whether they belong in under graduate institution – so it’s important to reassure them of their skills and abilities to succeed. The enthusiasm and optimism you show can be inspirational. Make sure that students understand not only the personal consequences of their commitment to their work, but also its value to the professional community and to the general public. If we are to observe the general condition of the work culture in Nagaland, it is sad that, in general, the students whom we have educated and are now employed in government service exhibit lackadaisical attitude towards their job. Share what you’ve learned as both a scholar and a member of a profession. You might think things are obvious to students that aren’t. At the same time, tell your student what you learn from them. This will make them realize they are potential colleagues. Identify professional workshops and networking opportunities for students. Involve students in editing, journal activities, and seminar presentations. DURING THE INITIAL MEETINGS: • Find out about the student’s previous educational experiences and why s/he decided to go to a college. What does the student hope to achieve in pursuing a under-graduate degree? • Offer suggestions about courses the student should take and other training experiences s/he should seek outside their formal syllabus. For instance, computer courses or life skill courses that will supplement their formal education and help them in getting employment. • Goals: Ask students to develop and share with you a work plan that includes short-term and long-term goals as well as the timeframe for reaching those goals. Make sure the student’s work plan meets the program’s requirements and is feasible. • Meetings: Tell students how frequently you will be able to meet with them, and that it is their responsibility to arrange and take the lead in these meetings. Let them know if you have a busy schedule, are about to take leave, etc. • Thresholds: Be explicit about the kinds of issues you feel require a face-to-face meeting. Also let students know if they may contact you at home, and under what circumstances, and ask them their preferences as well. • Assessments: Discuss how often you will give them an assessment of their general progress, and let them know what type of feedback they can expect from you. The hallmark of a successful mentoring relationship is a shared understanding of expectations and responsibilities. These create the framework for the relationship, and they are largely established in the early meetings with a student. A relatively modest investment in those meetings can yield great dividends. DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP: While under graduate students deserve your support and attention, the specific needs of a first semester student just learning the ropes and fretting about the long and challenging road ahead are different from those of a student who is nearing completion of their course and has refocused on career decisions. The greatest challenge that faculty face with incoming students is helping them make the transition from the
format of higher secondary education – the short-term goals, predictable closure and tight structure syllabus – to the unfamiliar, loosely structured, and relatively open-ended world of lab and classroom lecturers. It’s essential to keep in mind that the under graduate course is the beginning rather than the sum of the student’s career. The mentor’s “end game” requires assisting the student in successfully launching that career. The influence that a mentor wields over their students is enormous; they are truly the gatekeepers of the student’s professional future. The effective mentor serves as advocate and guide, empowering the student to move from novice to professional. HOW UNDER GRADUATE PROGRAMMES CAN ENCOURAGE MENTORING: A successful relationship between a student and mentor is built upon a foundation of commitment at the institutional as well as at the course level. Effective mentoring cannot be done in a vacuum. The institution must be committed to ensuring that its approach is of the highest quality, producing professionals who are both ethical and accomplished. The college in turn is responsible for setting clear expectations and supervising progress. The college should be responsible for creating an environment in which mentoring is valued and both students and faculty have access to resources that promote under graduate student success. The following are examples of practices known to reinforce the efforts of faculty as they work with their students. Provide an orientation session. This helps faculty get a head start with new under graduate students by introducing them to program policies, practices, and resources, preferably at the beginning of the academic year. This should be followed up with a refresher session in the second term. Students should also be furnished with a guide that acquaints them with its expectations, benchmarks and milestones. The College can affirm that mentoring is a core component of the educational experience for under graduate students by developing a compact or agreement, relevant to the discipline or field of study, for use by faculty and the students with whom they work. Such a document would list the essential commitments and responsibilities of both parties, set within the context of the college’s fundamental values. Provide an annual review of student progress. The objective of a periodic review—monthly, at least—is to identify ways in which faculty can more effectively help students make progress in their under graduate studies by routinely documenting and sharing with each student a constructive critique of that individual’s efforts across the entire spectrum of mastery that the student is expected to achieve. It is important that faculty share the results of the review with each student in writing, and include a copy in the student’s file. The intention is to provide a framework for constructive discussion of student progress toward the degree and to document suggestions, guidelines, and benchmarks provided to the student. Reward effective mentoring. Mentoring performance and outcomes are worthy of inclusion in faculty evaluation for salary and promotion. An additional means for rewarding mentoring is to increase the yearly increment to a higher grade or award double increment to faculty who assume heavy mentoring responsibilities and produce results. Another way of honouring good mentors is through public recognition like presenting them award. CONCLUSION: Effective mentoring is good for mentors, good for students, and good for the institution. The faculty are probably already doing much of what’s been discussed in the preceding sections. In most cases, the system works well, faculty serve as effective mentors and foster the learning and professional development of under graduate students. During the under graduate experience, students are then guided toward becoming independent creators of knowledge or users of knowledge, prepared to be colleagues with their mentors as they complete their educational courses and move on to the next phase of professional life. The ultimate winner of this mentoring process is the student and of course the institution to which the student belong to, since the success achieved by its own product after graduation will surely reflect on the institution itself. Therefore the institution has a greater responsibility to motivate the faculty in their role as a mentor, by monetary and other incentives, to carry out this task with sincerity and consistently. Charles Mhonthung Ezung Vice Principal Immanuel College Lengrijan Dimapur
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The Naga Blog is a forum on facebook where Nagas from Nagaland and around the world network, share ideas and discuss a wide range of topics from politics and philosophy to music and current events in Nagaland and beyond. The blog is not owned by any individual, nor is it affiliated to or associated with any political party or religion. The only movement it hopes to stir is the one raised by the voices of the Nagas every step of the way, amassing perhaps to mass consciousness one day. http://www.facebook.com/ groups/thenagablog
The Dawn of The Naga Revolutionaries: Thank you ACAUT
Tia Akum: FROM THE HEART: FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE-ACAUT RALLY. Today I felt real proud for the first time to be a NAGA. I felt love, I felt a sense of strong we-feeling. After the rally I was riding around Dimapur and I felt deeply contented and overjoyed with pride and tears. Today I saw literally tears of joy in the eyes of almost every Naga while the PLAY was at its Apex (Last part). “Didi aponihi koishe nahoi tax bishi hoishe aro bishi tuk bai ase, Aji moi bera mata kili nahoni? Naga mano tuk bai ase kon bi kili nahoni? Who lives, if Nagaland dies?” uufff, that was touching, everything went so well from beginning till end I believe it’s God’s plan. Today I knew exactly why Americans are so patriotic and proud to be American. Today, I knew why tears from their eyes poured down when President Barack Obama gave speech on his first victory. Why tears fell down from their eyes when Martin Luther Gave the speech “I Have a Dream.” Today I felt the same when our GREAT REAL BOLD NAGA leaders gave their speeches. I felt just Wow! They spoke from their hearts and to our hearts. LIGHTER MOMENTS: “AK 37” and “In Nagaland, tax is not collected only for Sunshine.” by T.Solo. I felt real proud of being a member of THE NAGA BLOG, great work great initiative and I’m always there for this cause. GOD BLESS! Obed Jamir: If Saddam Hussain ever thought he can never be defeated, he was wrong! If Hitler ever thought he could conquer all the continents, he was wrong! If I get scared of the barrels facing my family, I am absolutely wrong! My family and blood belongs to the Nagas. Cut me, you get cut by the Nagas. Let there be peace to all. Kuknalim. Patricia Zhimomi: Years down the line when the course of our lives have changed through this historic initiative of a historic movement, I will be proud to tell my children and grand children, I was there in that rally when it all began. ACAUT you have our full support and prayers!! God bless this endeavour!
ACAUT Nagaland: It took 4 days to fill the flex put up in city tower but after it was brought down by anti Naga elements. It took just few hours to fill it up after fresh flex was put up with double the signatures. Nagas are now aware of their rights. Suppression will no more work. People will only give into democratic means. WELCOME NEW NAGALAND. Rhakho Yimchung: Sir.Khekiye, a very powerful and influential speaker who spoke with truth without any fear and prejudices towards anything. Am sure many thousands intellectual Nagas have motivated today. Respected sir, Thank you for showing us the way of truth!
Sangti Konyak: The pride of being included in the team of The Naga Blog and this historic day has only stirred up my thirst to make this world a better place. The previous day incident when the anti-Naga rogues pulled down and tore down the banners signed by thousand of citizens in front of us, the challenges and imperfection of those AntiNagas has just united and made us stronger. We never thought that this day would end like this. Tomorrow as we start our normal life again, let the pledge that we have made together with more than 20,000 plus Nagas today keep burning inside you. Am sure the Revolution will sooner or later start in our Nagaland and I believe today will be the day that our future generation would read in books one day. May this trend and legacy continue till the world ends. "A HEALTY CULTURE IS ONE WHERE PEOPLE KNOW THEY ARE AROUND A LEADER WHO WILL LEAD, WHO WILL ACTUALLY TAKE REINS, CREATE THE VISION, BE AHEAD OF THE PACK, MAKE THE HARD DECISIONS, CARE ABOUT PEOPLE, AND PROTECT THE MISSION AND THE GOALS." God Bless you all!
Rijo Aier: When people asked me if I was going for the rally I said yes. Some told me to be careful saying its better not to go. I called some of my friends they said they were scared. But I went and it’s because I have a long life to live and it saddens me to see our Nagas living this way. I also did it for my daughter and her future. Lolo Himb: WE ARE NAGAS. It was really an Amazing Experience, my first ever participation in a Mass Rally. The Public were awesome and their presence made me feel so alive, YEAHH. I got goose bumps every time the speaker hint out a massive strong line. I being a Young Naga would stand and fight for what is right. For the past so many years TAXATION and CORRUPTION have been running around our Mother Land "Nagaland", as the speakers said, 'Taxes are collected with PENS and not GUNS'. Corruption has become a new trend where they say 'Salary khali toh ghor cholabo naparey'. Arey, we should be content with our Job. Many capable, qualified young Nagas are unemployed. Many leaders are working hard for the Naga People and we the present generation should continue doing and keep the flame burning. We often think that money is everything but it is not. Inspiration, Motivation is all we need and Faith to move the mountains. Let us all join our hands and support ACAUT now and forever. This is our chance, what are we waiting for? Stand and arise. I learned so much today by listening to the speakers and seeing the Public I FELT PROUD TO BE A NAGA.
(The Naga Blog was created in 2008 by Yanpvuo Kikon. This column in The Morung Express will be a weekly feature)
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