Mentoring process- Mrs A V N College Visakhapatnam

Introduction

Student welfare is one of the primary goals of higher education institutes (HEI). Mentoring process, at Mrs A V N College Visakhapatnam, to ensure consensual and meaningful relationship between the Mentor and the Mentees for their development. Mentoring and guiding students has always been an integral part of the teaching learning process at Mrs A V N College. Faculty members are  appointed as faculty advisors to monitor student performance and growth. An orientation program is conducted to faculty in the beginning of the academic year  on mentoring and their roles as mentors.

Mentoring has become an increasingly integral part of the curricular and co curricular activities of HEI s and students are in need of counseling and guidance at every stage of their student life. The Process of Mentoring involves the allocation of a set of mentees to a designated faculty in every department with the flexibility to opt for mentors of their choice in case of need. The mentoring process helps to keep track of the student performance academically and in other co curricular activities as well. 

The role of the mentor is to:  

listen actively and patiently and create an active and conducive environment for open communication  

possess a non- judgemental and objective approach 

build trust-the biggest challenges of mentoring and a good mentor should establish a relationship grounded in trust and absolute confidentiality

assist in determining personal and career goals of the mentee

provide a clear assessment of the mentee’s strengths and weaknesses and help in goal setting  

help identify resources both financial and otherwise

to guide the mentees to identify and avail existing opportunities to better their performance and to meet their goals 

able to identify limitations in providing counseling and escalate to a professional counselor or psychiatrist as the need arises 

share knowledge, skills and experience to validate the mentee’s doubts and queries  

empathize with the mentee’s problems and circumstances  

encourage, motivate and inspire the mentee in order to ensure that they achieve their goals  

Ensure regularity and sincerity of the mentee in attending classes and exams

The role of the Mentee is to:

Reach out to the mentor in times of need

Communicate effectively and honestly about any problems and issues 

Engage and participate actively in the mentoring process 

Acknowledge and accept the support provided by the mentor in identifying goals

Work sincerely towards the goals set consensually 

Maintain and improve interpersonal skills

The Mentor-Mentee relationship is not merely a student - teacher relationship but can be very enriching for both the mentor and mentee in several ways. The process is also an opportunity to  develop leadership skills and results,to enhance and strengthen interpersonal and coaching skills for the Mentor as well.

Expected outcomes

The process is achieved by pairing a faculty member with students within a particular group over the course of an academic year and the list of mentees under every mentor is documented officially. Scheduled meetings and timings are allocated within or sometimes outside of class hours, in a comfortable environment. During such one-to-one meetings with the mentor the students will be given the opportunity to talk about his/her academic needs, share  goals, and discuss concerns and needs. All the meetings and details of the student and academic record of tests and exams are recorded in a prescribed format in an individual mentoring booklet. The mentor also ensures that the mentee’s performance is constantly monitored and the parents are also informed about the progress of their ward if necessary. 

Challenges

There are several challenges to this process such as time constraints which are currently being addressed by allotting a specific time slot within the timetable or working hours to ensure the regular meetings between the mentor and the mentee. The ratio between students and teachers is also being worked upon to optimize on the time space limitations. The year-long process of consistent sharing and communication through mentoring promotes academic excellence, self-esteem, and personal growth of the students. The mentoring programme is undertaken in all earnestness.