Mentoring Process

Mentoring by faculty

We at the Institute feel that it is our responsibility to provide a caring environment and create a big range of opportunities for our students to develop on all fronts. The following areas in particular would be addressed for mentoring by a faculty nominated to mentor:

• Identifying strengths and weaknesses in academics and devising ways and means to help-build competency on and off campus hours. If required, approach other faculty/staff and seek their assistance in what you cannot do due to some special expertise/authority not vested with you.
• Providing clarity on selection of specialization, subjects and programs.
• Providing clarity on choices in electives.
• Resolving issues pertaining to faculty competence - deficiencies in knowledge, professional ethics, commitment, and delivery of instructions - which could be preventing a student to achieve the desired outcomes.
• Resolve issues pertaining to slow learning due to whatever reason, and smoothen up the enabling system.
• Helping in projects research, preparation and presentation.
• Imbibing interests in research and writing of research papers.
• Help in kindling interest in innovation and thinking out-of-the-box.
• Providing clarity on the right choice of study material and helping with own material.
• Guiding for membership and participation in professional societies.
• Understanding the emotional and psychological needs of the student and helping him/her resolve nagging issues, if possible, so that (s)he is able to devote time to studies.
• Help student develop a decent behavior with all and in becoming a responsible member of the family and society at large.
• Help student in overcoming substance abuse like drugs, smoking, drinking etc.
• Guiding to study abroad options and paper/project presentations.
• Guiding for participation in curricular and co-curricular activities.
• Guiding in setting up of personal and professional goals (short and long-term)
• Resolving administrative hiccups and difficulties faced by the student to allow for focus on the essential academic needs.

Stages in Setting up Mentoring Process.

1. Following stages of mentoring should determine the process:

• Stage 1: Profiling students' abilities and interests.
• Stage 2: Nominating the right faculty for the relevant profile.
• Stage 3: Fixing timelines and norms for mentoring by the faculty with the students.
• Stage 4: Execution of mentoring process by the mentor and record-keeping of impact on each student, including progression.

Mentors Selection is not chosen randomly by Heads of the Department / Faculty In charges but it is done after a rigorous exercise of scrutinizing student's profile. The students are allotted when mentor's profile ordinarily suits to the profile of the student. Students are interviewed by the concerned Head of the Department/Faculty In charge to identify their passions, strengths, and weaknesses before assigning a mentor. This is an elaborate selection process which takes over a fortnight or so after the joining of the student.

The selected mentor also interviews the mentee and see his/her suitability for the mentoring before accepting the assignment.

The mentor lays down the periodicity of interaction. Notwithstanding the time and timelines, the mentee should have an access to reach out to mentor even off the schedule in times of urgent need which is ensured by issuing special instructions to all the mentors about being responsive to their mentees. The mentors are supposed to send mails to their students giving the schedule for meetings on mentoring with copy to the Head of the department. The Mentor or Mentee Can communicate or contact each other on college website with Student Login .

Execution is the ultimate test of the mentor. The mentor is not under any supervision and his work is largely based on the well-founded ethos of honesty and commitment. He is however expected to maintain periodic records of his mentoring. The mentor should interact with each mentee at least once a month. A statement of outcomes must be presented to the Head of the Department and the parents at least once after every two semesters. The feedback of the mentee on the mentor is also taken annually and recorded in the dossier of the mentor.

Action by Departments to be taken for each area of Mentoring.

Each department will evolve a mechanism to execute the mentoring process and will develop a detailed scheme on each aspect of mentoring. This shall be notified by the departments to their respective faculty members (mentors) and students of the respective departments. These should be termed as "Amplified Students Mentoring Activities". The above may vary from department to department.

How The Issues are raised and Resolved in Mentorship Program

Resolution of issues encountered in the mentoring process is a multi-step mechanism involving different channels and authorities. The issues raised by the Mentees are first screened by the Mentors and are addressed accordingly. Mentors are supposed to solve certain minor issues on their owl level first and then communicate the rest to their respective HODs who will act upon them and solve some more issues coming under their purview. Thereafter, all the HODs will make a comprehensive report of the whole mentoring activity in their department and will forward it to the principal and to the IQAC of the college. HODs will also make the final semester report for each academic session.

The task of IQAC of the college in the mentoring process is very critical and decisive for it is entrusted with the responsibility of collecting mentoring reports from all the departments and address them on their merit. The IQAC uses its discretion to select the issues of importance and include them in the agenda of its meeting. It resolves interdepartmental matters and complaints regarding the quality of teaching by issuing appropriate instructions to the concerned persons.

All such matters that require decision making by higher authorities are forwarded by the IQAC to the college management. Such issues comprise of matters related to infrastructural development and other policies of the institution. Thus, mentoring process is an important tool of maintaining academic excellence in the college.