This Week for Faculty: Mentoring event on Wednesday—It’s not too late to register!

by | Sep 26, 2022

The Office of the Provost and the Center for Teaching and Learning invite you to a keynote and Q&A by Lisa Fain, CEO of the Center for Mentoring Excellence.

Keynote: Bridging Differences for Better Mentoring: Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment One Relationship at a Time
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Online; 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Reflect On Your Mentoring Practices in Community

According to Fain and Zachary in Bridging Differences for Better Mentoring: Lean Forward, Learn, Leverage (2020), to be an authentic mentoring partner requires self-awareness and ongoing reflection. It is important to know yourself in order to know the graduate students and postdocs that you are mentoring. Set the tone at the beginning of the relationship by engaging in dialogue and sharing with each other your experiences, values, and what you bring.

A few questions to reflect on… 

  • What are your experiences with mentoring? 
  • What assumptions do you have about the role of a mentor and the role of a mentee?
  • When you look back on prior mentoring experiences, what do you want to carry forward?

Join the CTL and colleagues who mentor graduate students and postdocs for upcoming reflective discussions on the book Bridging Differences for Better Mentoring: Lean Forward, Learn, Leverage (2020). Request your copy of the book today!

Request a teaching observation to receive feedback

Looking for feedback on your teaching? Request a Teaching Observation! Gain perspective, validate your strengths, and identify areas of your teaching that you would like to work on. The CTL will observe your class and meet with you to share feedback. Our consultants can help you think through your course goals, reflect on your teaching practices that support your students’ learning, and plan next steps for small chances to meet your teaching objectives.

Collect feedback from your students

The CTL recommends capturing student feedback at various points within the semester, including mid-term. The goal is a dialogue about students’ learning. The CTL’s Early and Mid-Semester Student Feedback resource outlines two approaches for collecting feedback from your students: 1) the start, stop, continue method and, 2) a question bank for gathering feedback from students. Reflect on the data collected and the modifications that can be implemented during the semester to support student learning. To ensure that students feel heard, share back aggregate responses or themes, and address the points raised and what students can expect for the remainder of the semester. The CTL is available to consult with you as you design your feedback survey and interpret the results. Reach out to us at ctlfaculty@columbia.edu

The CTL is Here to Help

Office Hours 
Join us for office hours via Zoom (or phone) Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm to have your teaching with instructional technology questions answered. 

Consultations
Schedule an in-person or virtual 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.