The importance of student mentoring

and advising for university professors

 Structure of the presentation:

 Exploring the concept of academic advising and mentoring by

university professors
The importance of the activity for university professors
The importance of the activity for students
Digging deep: The “conditional” effect of student faculty interaction
 Sources Used
 Academic Advising by university professors:
The concept
• In a university setting, professors function as academic advisors by providing
information on:
1) The rules, regulations and requirements that govern the university and their degrees
2) The process of planning the students’ degree requirements, credit load and choosing
majors and minors
3) Handling difficult academic situations arising from financial, personal and medical
reasons
4) And serving as a direct link to the university resources
 University professors as mentors:
•Mentoring: A powerful tool of personal and career development used by
university professors to help students discover and achieve their life aspirations.
•As a mentor, university professors are personally invested in the student’s
success and development
•Different from teaching as mentors connect with students on an individual level
•University professors use their own experience and knowledge to guide the
professional development of students
•Coaching, supporting, reviewing resumes and offering interview tips as a
mentor helps students in their career trajectory
 Importance of mentoring and academic advising
for university professors:

•Offers the professors the ability to draw on their experience and knowledge
accumulated over the years
•An interesting learning process for the university professors as well as they get to
hear different perspectives and experiences
•Serves as a networking opportunity for the professors to connect with prospective
colleagues
•Development of leadership skills through offering guidance and support to
protégés
 Importance of mentoring and academic advising for
university professors:

•Functions as a cure for explanatory depth; the tendency of professors to believe

that they understand the world better than they actually do
•Functions as a vital motivating factor for university professors by offering a
social dimension to their career
•Internal sense of reward by helping someone grow as an individual and
professional
•Development of interpersonal skills of professors through interactions with the
students
 Importance of mentoring and academic advising for
students:

•A large number of studies have established the relationship between

mentoring/academic advising and the intellectual development of students
•Research shedding light on importance of student faculty relationships in
fostering positive learning outcomes
•Long term benefits: general well being of students associated with having
faculty advisors and mentors in universities
•Provide students with life changing inspiration and support leading to personal
and professional success
 Importance of mentoring and academic advising
for students:
•University professors acting as mentors and academic advisors have a profound
impact on the following dimensions of students:
1) Academic satisfaction
2) Intellectual Development
3) Self confidence
4) Socialization
5) Degree Aspirations
 Digging deep: The “conditional” effect of student
faculty interaction
•The conditional effect: The same intervention or experience might not have the
same impact for all kinds of students (Pascarella, 2006)
•The impact of student-faculty interaction may differ by student gender and race
(Colbeck, Cabrera, & Terenzini, 2001; Kezar & Moriarty, 2000)
•Another factor which may influence the role played by student-faculty
interaction is the type of college attended by students
•Students in small colleges benefit from more frequent interactions with faculty,
both in and out of class, while those attending large research universities may
have more difficulty gaining access to faculty
 Sources used:

1) https://www.mcgill.ca/students/advising/whatadvisorsdo
2) https://www.mentorcity.com/en/what-does-a-mentor-do
3) https://www.wearethecity.com/10-benefits-of-becoming-a-mentor/
4) Faculty Mentoring Undergraduates: The Nature, Development, and Benefits of
Mentoring Relationships
5) DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF STUDENT-FACULTY INTERACTION IN
RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES: An Analysis by Student Gender, Race, SES, and
First-Generation Status