A study of the mentoring program at Lakeshore Technical College

Abstract

A mentor is a trusted counselor or guide who tutors or coaches his or her mentee. At Lakeshore Technical College (LTC) in Cleveland, Wisconsin, the mentoring program is one component of a comprehensive training initiative that was implemented as a result of a demonstrated need for new faculty training. The college experienced a high turnover of faculty previous to the program and made a commitment to thoroughly train new employees. This study researched the perceptions of the participants of the mentoring program at LTC. The participants included faculty who serve as mentors and new faculty who were paired with them. The participating faculty members were hired in the years 2000, 2001, and 2002. The goals of the mentoring program at LTC include; facilitating student success; providing improvement instruction and services to students; developing professional, competent faculty; and improving instruction skills, delivery methods, and classroom management (LTC,2022). The Mentor/Mentee Handbook was developed and contains guidelines for participants that spell out compensation, structure, expectations, confidentiality, and a three-year timeline. Initial perceptions by the Dean of Faculty Training, Curriculum and Program Development have revealed that retention has improved dramatically since the inception of the program. A more thorough study was desired to reflect the participants' perceptions as far as positive experiences, negative experiences, and general suggestions for changes. The research was accomplished by conducting an online survey distributed among the mentors and the mentees who participated in the mentoring program in the years 2000, 2001, and 2002. Participants received an e-mail message that contained a link to the online survey. This study was developed to better understand the successes or failures of the mentoring program at LTC.