Guidelines for New Teacher Mentorships
Who is eligible?
Adjuncts who are new to teaching may request a mentorship with a member of the full-time faculty or a more experienced adjunct. Adjuncts interested in participating should contact the CTC Coordinator or their Department Chair as early as possible in the semester.
What is the purpose of the mentorship?
This program is designed to provide an opportunity for adjunct members of the faculty to work with more experienced full-time and adjunct faculty. The Mentorship activity seeks to enhance pedagogical skills and curriculum delivery through discussion and practical experiences that address important teaching issues such as content preparation, presentation modalities, student evaluation and assessment, faculty-student interaction, and other relevant issues.
What are the requirements of the mentorship?
The chart below shows you all the requirements of the mentorship, including the due dates, and who is responsible (Mentor, Mentee, or Together). All the completed paperwork goes to the CTC Coordinator. You can submit your information either using the included links to the electronic forms, or on paper. Either is fine.
| When | Who | What |
| Before applying | Together | Initial meeting to discuss the needs of the Mentee. |
| End of second full week of classes | Together |
Submit an application to the CTC Coordinator that lists the areas to be covered by the mentorship and the activities to be completed. Once your application is approved, add the dates below to your semester calendar. |
| Throughout the semester | Together | Continue to meet at least once a week. |
| Mentee |
Observe Mentor's class at least once, and provide a written report of observations to the Mentor. We strongly urge you to keep a journal summarizing your weekly discussions. It will be valuable for you to look back on. However, it is not a requirement. |
|
| Mentor |
Observe Mentee's class at least once, and provide a written report of observations to the Mentee. |
|
| Online classes | Together |
In the case of online classes, Mentor and Mentee should log in to each other's classes long enough to approximate a 60- to 90-minute class period. This may be for the duration of a module, for a few days, or for a week, depending on how the class is structured. |
| End of the eighth full week of classes | Together | Submit a summary of activities completed to date. |
| Mentee | Submit a reflection of a page or so to the Coordinator summarizing the Mentorship experience to date | |
| Mentor | Submit a reflection of a page or so to the Coordinator summarizing the Mentorship experience to date | |
| Within ten days after the last contract day of the semester | Mentee |
Submit a reflection of a page or so summarizing the Mentorship experience. Submit a completed feedback form for use by the CTC Board in evaluating the program. |
| Mentor |
Submit a reflection of a page or so summarizing the Mentorship experience Submit a completed feedback form for use by the CTC Board in evaluating the program. |
|
| Together |
Submit a summary of completed activities. Submit a copy of any product resulting from the Mentorship, such as new curriculum. Contact the Coordinator to schedule a presentation for the ensuing semester. This can be a CTC Roundtable, a College Day session, or a faculty meeting presentation. Alternatives such as a web page can also be considered. However you present your experience, the goal is for others to benefit from what you have learned. |
|
| The following semester | Together |
Complete your Mentorship by presenting your experience to the faculty in the agreed-upon venue. |
How are Mentors selected?
The CTC Coordinator will help interested adjunct faculty find a mentor. Participants need to have their first meeting and submit a joint application by the end of the second full week of classes. Therefore, it is important to let the Coordinator know as early as possible of your intention to participate.
From among faculty who are available to mentor, priority will be given to those in the same discipline, following the seniority rules that govern overload assignment. If there is no available Mentor in the discipline, and if the Mentee is agreeable, a Mentorship can be formed with someone outside the discipline, again following the seniority rules that govern overload assignment. If there are no full-time faculty available to mentor, a Mentorship can be formed with an adjunct who has taught at Tompkins Cortland six or more semesters. Mentorships involving two adjuncts require the signature of the Dean of Instruction.
How are Mentors and Mentees compensated?
Adjuncts participating as either Mentors or Mentees will be paid a stipend equal to 15 times their current hourly rate. Tenure-track faculty will be paid 15 times the hourly rate at the entry level of their current pay grade.
Mentorships should be completed within the semester and required paperwork submitted to the CTC Coordinator. The deadline for paperwork is ten days after the last contract day of the semester. The Coordinator will arrange for a contract to be generated. The Mentor and Mentee will be notified when the contract is ready to be signed. Signed contracts will be forwarded to the payroll department, and the stipend will be included in the next regular paycheck.
Personnel Folder
Upon completion of the program, the CTC Coordinator will send a statement to the Human Resources Department indicating participation in the program and the topic of the partnership.
Confidentiality
Relationships between Mentor and Mentee will be considered private and professional. Aside from the documentation described above, no other documents or reports will be required of the participants. Of course, voluntarily the mentor and partner may choose to discuss whatever elements of their experience they wish, provided that the choice is mutually acceptable and does not violate the confidentiality rights of other individuals.