This Week for Faculty: Mentoring graduate students and postdocs at Columbia
The CTL is here to support mentors of graduate students and postdocs as part of the Advancing Mentorship Practices: Supporting Mentors of Graduate Students and Postdocs at Columbia initiative. Read on to learn about three opportunities to advance mentoring practices at Columbia.
Opportunities to Advance Mentorship at Columbia
1. Enroll in the self-paced course, “Building Effective Mentoring Relationships,” which offers a framework to create effective mentoring relationships that are focused on learning. This course, for faculty and research officer mentors of graduate students and postdocs at Columbia, is organized around four modules that should take 90-minutes to complete. The modules draw on the mentoring cycle from Fain and Zachary (The Mentor’s Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships, 2022) and include:
- Module 1: Preparing to Mentor
- Module 2: Co-Constructing a Mentoring Plan
- Module 3: Enabling Growth through Feedback
- Module 4: Reviewing Your Mentoring Relationship
2. Participate in workshops for mentors of graduate students and postdocs in Health Sciences and Science and Engineering. Workshops are led by Center for the Improvement of Mentored Research Experiences (CIMER) trained facilitators including Dr. Marisa Spann, Herbert Irving Associate Professor of Medical Psychology. Plan ahead and register for “Entering Mentoring” workshops taking place in 2025:
- Aligning Expectations. January 16, 4:00-5:00pm
- Addressing Equity and Inclusion. January 30, 12:00-1:00pm
- Fostering Independence. February 13, 10:00-11:00am
- Assessing Understanding. March 20, 4:00-5:00pm
Or, bring one of these workshops to your department or school. Contact the CTL at ctlfaculty@columbia.edu.
3. Consult with us! Schedule an in-person or virtual consultation to discuss your needs in mentoring graduate students and postdocs at Columbia by emailing ctlfaculty@columbia.edu.
Questions or not finding what you need to support your mentorship practice? Reach out to us at ctlfaculty@columbia.edu.
Upcoming sessions
Navigating HOT Moments: Before, During, & After Class
October 15, 11:00am-12:00pm
This session will also be offered on November 18 and December 4
Related resource: Navigating Heated, Offensive, and Tense (HOT) Moments in the Classroom
Ways to Be More Inclusive in Your Course
October 21, 1:00-2:00pm
This session will also be offered on November 6 and November 26
Related resource: Guide for Inclusive Teaching at Columbia
Faculty Book Discussion Group: Teaching with AI
October 24, 3:00-4:00pm
This discussion group will also meet on November 21
Related resource: Teaching and Learning in the Age of AI
Clinical Teaching Series: Applying Inclusive Teaching Principles
October 28, 3:00-4:00pm
This session will also be offered on December 12
Related resource: Applying Inclusive Teaching Principles to Clinical Education
The CTL is here to help!
Connect via Zoom or phone
Join us for office hours via Zoom (or phone) Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm to have your teaching with instructional technology questions answered, or schedule an appointment any time by contacting ColumbiaCTL@columbia.edu.
Schedule a consultation
Schedule a consultation to discuss any teaching and learning need by emailing ctlfaculty@columbia.edu or email the CTL Learning Designer assigned to your school or department.