Mentoring University Teachers
This page is intended to support those participating in or coordinating an academic staff mentoring program with a teaching and learning focus. All participants in the Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies (Higher Education) take part in a mentoring program, and there are other staff mentoring programs across the university.
Why mentoring?
Mentoring has many positive outcomes for both mentors and mentees. Benefits may include collegiality, networking, professional development, increased job satisfaction, achievement of teaching and research goals, and time for reflection. Mentors also gain personal fulfillment and further development of leadership skills.
What does the ITL offer?
The ITL offers, through its mentoring coordinator Dr Amani Bell, workshops, resources and guidelines to support mentors and mentoring relationships.
Key features of successful mentoring
A literature review and research by a team at the university found the following were key features of a successful mentoring program:
- Sufficient time and resources to support the process
- Mentee choice of mentor
- Support for the pairing process
- Mentee selection of goals for the mentoring relationship
- Discussion and agreement by mentee and mentor on how best to work together
- Professional development available for mentors
- Acknowledgement of the contribution of mentors
- An organisational culture that supports mentoring
Agreement template
You may find it useful to discuss and draw up a simple agreement that covers the key aspects of the mentoring relationship. View agreement template.
For further information about mentoring, please see some selected articles here.
Staff mentoring programs at the University of Sydney
Sydney University Network for Women (SUN)
Faculty of Economics and Business
Faculty of Education and Social Work
Early Career Biomedical Researchers
For further information
Please contact Dr Amani Bell. This is a new initiative and I welcome your questions, comments and feedback.
Part of the Promoting Excellence Initiative